How often do you replace your Mac?

dygysy

Well after shaking off the "I want the latest" syndrome today (thank goodness) I'm curious as to how often you replace your Mac.



I have the 933Mhz Powermac which is just fine with me, I'll get OS X 10.2 and wait at least until the next set of Powermacs come out.

cubedude

Every three-four years if I can. I try to upgrade as much as I can before buying a new comp, and then sell the upgrades, along with any old hardware that I can't use with a new mac.

darren smith

I replace my Mac when two things are true:



1. It no longer runs the latest games and applications reasonably quickly.



2. The cost of installing upgrades (new video card, processor, etc.) outweighs the cost of buying a new Mac.



This usually means every two or three years.



For example, my current Mac is a B&W G3. It will only run Max Payne (my current favorite) at the lowest resolution/detail. It also barely meets the minimum requirements for games like Warcraft III. Since it lacks AGP, upgrading the video card is a dead end.



Conclusion...time for a new Mac. That's why I ordered a new dual gig yesterday!

eman

I try to every 2 years, but when you're 15 and you're parents have to say ok it's hard.

microtrash

I try every years, depend of my budget... I am 3D designer so I need a lot of power !!!

leonis

Murbot: Every 2 months



Me: Depending on what machines are out.

luca

I'm in a somewhat different situation, because I am not out and living on my own yet. So far, all my Macs have been hand-me-downs from my parents. So I've gotten new ones about as often as they've replaced theirs. I've also noticed that the first thing that begins to annoy me about an aging system is the hard drive space (the earliest I remember is the 7100, which had a 700 MB drive, with the 8100 having a 1 GB and the PowerBook having a 2 GB).



Here are the systems I've had, in order:

SE/30 (roughly 1992-1994 or so)

IIcx (roughly 1994-1997 or so)

Quadra 610 (roughly 1997-1998)

PowerMac 7100/80 (roughly 1998-2000)

PowerMac 8100/100 (2001-early 2002)

PowerBook G3/233 (2002)



Of course, I got these systems a while after they were released, and my memory is sketchy earlier on. I don't really remember how long I had the SE/30 for, or even if I had it at all... I do remember my brother having it in his room. I distinctly remember playing Escape Velocity when it was first released on the IIcx, and I know that I didn't have the Quadra for very long. The final point worth noting is that I wasn't as picky back then - I didn't care that I had a 68030 when there were PowerMacs around.



I do expect, though, that I'll replace my system about every three or four years.

algol

Whenever I want to!!!!! :cool: <img src="graemlins/smokin.gif" border="0" alt="[Chilling]" />



My next one will be in the following summer. It will be a PowerBook (think DDR).

brianmacos

I used to purchase a new Computer every year but that is why I switched to Mac so I can have it for a lot longer.

max8319

whenever my dad upgrades, i get his leftovers (which ain't too bad)...my dad just upgraded to imac 800 mhz, so i got his 867 powermac (not the new one) and a 17" ASD.....at this rate, i'll go for a while





or atleast till when my dad upgrades

torifile

I've been able to get a new one every year. It's mostly a factor of good luck in selling my old one and the ability to drop a few hundred extra to get an extra year warranty. I'm strictly a laptop guy, so that warranty is needed. So, I sold my pismo for about the same price as the first ibook2's last year and I got an extra year warranty. This year, I sold my ibook just before the warranty ran out b/c I managed to find a great deal on a Tibook (the $200 the extended warranty would have cost me was put towards this computer). Who knows, maybe I'll sell this Tibook in 6 months a pick up an iBook. Mostly going sideways then up, then sideways. I've got too much time on my hands....

myahmac

i myself have a performa 630 cd with an extra 200 MB harddrive. But my dad has a powermac 6500. my mom has a rev. B imac. My sister has a red E 400 mhz DVSE imac. and my brother has the 600 mhz SE that he bought right b4 the imac2 started shipping. even tho i told him not to. oh and we have a 6100 with a 266 g3 upgrade card, a se/30, and an lcII. i am getting a dual 867 as soon as i get a credit card. if i ampaying for it i want to get credit.

kecksy

1989- Apple IIc

1991- Macintosh LC

1993- PowerBook 180

1994- PowerMac 6100

1995- Peforma 575

1995- PowerBook 5300ce

1996- PowerBase 200

1997- PowerBook 3400c - Currently own

2000- PowerMac G4 450MHz - Currently own

2001- PowerBook G4 550MHz - Currently own



I pretty much get a new computer every 1-3 years, only upgrading when a machine is too slow to run my favorite programs.



I'm typing this on a two and a half year old G4, which I still find plenty fast. Every other machine I've owned was really beginning to show it's age at this point, but my G4 remains youthful. I doubt the PowerBook I bought last November will last this long. This PowerMac is definitely wisest purchase I?ve made.



[ 08-15-2002: Message edited by: Kecksy ]</p>

tigerwoods99

Not as often as I'd like.

obi-dun

Performa 6400/200 at 1996

PowerMac G3(yosemite) 400 at 1999 until then



and i am palnning to buy a Dual 867 G4

bryan fury

..i had a quadra for 6 years - it still works.



..i made the mistake of buying an ibook.



..the next computer i get will be a pmac g4 tower and a cheapy pc.



laptops suck.

serrano

Every 4-5 years.

zero

every 2 years

eugene

August 1998 - Original iMac - $1300

April 2000 - Swapped with parent's beige G3, upgraded RAM, bought Radeon, G4/400 upgrade - $600

January 2002 - Power Mac G4 Dual 1 GHz - $3000



I'd say every 2 years though the beige G3 was sort of a half-upgrade. My next new Mac will be in at least 2 revisions. I don't plan on buying the first of any Power Mac based on a brand new CPU. Hopefully we get something great in about a year.

spotbug

[quote]Originally posted by Darren Smith:

<strong>I replace my Mac when two things are true:



1. It no longer runs the latest games and applications reasonably quickly.</strong><hr></blockquote>



You would do much better buying a separate gaming device. Relying on your Mac to be your gaming platform is, financially, a bad idea. This is true even for a PC, actually. For under $200 you can get a PS2 or X-Box or GameCube and then use your computer for your computery stuff. Your Mac (or PC) will last a lot longer when you don't require that it run the latest games well. Your regular computery tasks don't slow down as fast.



[quote]<strong>2. The cost of installing upgrades (new video card, processor, etc.) outweighs the cost of buying a new Mac.</strong><hr></blockquote>



If you're upgrading in order to play games better, consider simply buying the latest PlayStation or Nintendo. The cost is probably equivalent.



edit: upgraind? I guess it's too early for me.



[ 08-15-2002: Message edited by: spotbug ]</p>

willoughby

I really don't see the point in upgrading so quickly, thats why I bought a Power Mac.



I have the original G4 (450mhz) and its been running great ever since. Only recently have I been noticing it getting slower as my Apps get faster. So my next upgrade will most likely be:



17 inch LCD (replacing the 17 inch CRT)

Radeon (so I can run the LCD)

extra 512 megs of RAM (to max it out at 1.5)



There hasn't been anything compelling enough in the new towers for me to upgrade.



Gigabit ethernet? - nah, don't really need it

More Harddrive space - yeah I keep adding drives to my existing machine.



My last Mac before this one was an All-in-one G3 (pre-iMac) and the one before that was a 5200.



So I've decided that I won't upgrade again until Apple has a new chip in the towers.



It just doesn't seem worth it to go from a G4 to another G4. Maybe when the next processor comes out it'll have REAL ddr and Firewire 2.