Upvote Upvoted 3 Downvote Downvoted
"Future Proof"
posted in Hardware
1
#1
0 Frags +
Yuki@TechDude - "futureproof" is the dumbest description one can use when buying PC's/PC hardware, since there's actually no such thing.

http://teamfortress.tv/thread/20445/selling-complete-gaming-computer

Thread got locked, but I want to reply to this.

I admit, for technology that improves according to Moore's Law the concept of "Futureproof" can appear to be silly. It's likely that every electronic gadget we have today will probably be crap in 10 years.

This does not mean that there isn't differentiation between what you can get today though. People typically spend lots of time choosing what gadget they want to get. What new smartphone should I get? What new CPU should I get? What new Video Card should I get? All of these questions acknowledge that our options are not all equivalent and that the features matter.

In this context "Future Proof" begins to have some meaning. A well designed PC can last more than 5 years because you can upgrade it in the future, while a poorly designed PC will already be as fast as it can be when you build it. Both systems at some point will be obsolete, but the second of them will be obsolete faster and so the first is more future proof.

Every technology company has release dates for new products, so if you want your stuff to last the longest buy things soon after they are released (there are risks to being an early adopter though).

In the case of computer builds, get the motherboard with the latest features. As of October 2014 you're looking for something with support for booting to PCIe SSDs (the new NVMe spec), PCIe 3.0, and perhaps DDR4 (though a lot of these are only supported on Intel's X99 chipset which is targeted towards the enthusiast market and is pricey).

In the case of smartphones get the ones with the latest processors. As of October 2014 you're generally looking for things with the Snapdragon 801 or 805 CPU.

Things that I don't think are future proof right now (October 2014):
-Buying a computer with an Intel Processor older than Haswell (4XXX series)
-Using a mechanical drive as your boot device

tl;dr Buy new stuff not old stuff, profit when you can actually upgrade it in the future :)

[quote=Yuki]@TechDude - "futureproof" is the dumbest description one can use when buying PC's/PC hardware, since there's actually no such thing.[/quote]
http://teamfortress.tv/thread/20445/selling-complete-gaming-computer

Thread got locked, but I want to reply to this.

I admit, for technology that improves according to Moore's Law the concept of "Futureproof" can appear to be silly. It's likely that every electronic gadget we have today will probably be crap in 10 years.

This does not mean that there isn't differentiation between what you can get today though. People typically spend lots of time [i]choosing[/i] what gadget they want to get. What new smartphone should I get? What new CPU should I get? What new Video Card should I get? All of these questions acknowledge that our options are not all equivalent and that the features matter.

In this context "Future Proof" begins to have some meaning. A well designed PC can last more than 5 years because you can upgrade it in the future, while a poorly designed PC will already be as fast as it can be when you build it. Both systems at some point will be obsolete, but the second of them will be obsolete [i]faster[/i] and so the first is more future proof.

Every technology company has release dates for new products, so if you want your stuff to last the longest buy things soon after they are released (there are risks to being an early adopter though).

In the case of computer builds, get the motherboard with the latest features. As of October 2014 you're looking for something with support for booting to PCIe SSDs (the new NVMe spec), PCIe 3.0, and perhaps DDR4 (though a lot of these are only supported on Intel's X99 chipset which is targeted towards the enthusiast market and is pricey).

In the case of smartphones get the ones with the latest processors. As of October 2014 you're generally looking for things with the Snapdragon 801 or 805 CPU.

Things that I don't think are future proof right now (October 2014):
-Buying a computer with an Intel Processor older than Haswell (4XXX series)
-Using a mechanical drive as your boot device

tl;dr Buy new stuff not old stuff, profit when you can actually upgrade it in the future :)
2
#2
2 Frags +

thanks dude of tech

you got an opinion on video cards? I feel like the upcoming 20nm GPUs might just smash what we currently have, yet the GTX900 cards (Maxwell) have been giving such strong showing in every metric (price, power, performance) that upgrading now would be tempting for a lot of people.

thanks dude of tech

you got an opinion on video cards? I feel like the upcoming 20nm GPUs might just smash what we currently have, yet the GTX900 cards (Maxwell) have been giving such strong showing in every metric (price, power, performance) that upgrading now would be tempting for a lot of people.
3
#3
0 Frags +

NVIDIA got some great performance gains from their new architecture while they're still on 28nm: http://www.anandtech.com/show/8568/the-geforce-gtx-970-review-feat-evga

If you need a card now, go for one of those if they're in your price range.

Most games have to target a minimum hardware set, and since video cards all use PCIe it's not as important to get the latest and greatest (does DirectX 12 matter to you? maybe).

If you can wait, looking for the 20nm GPUs is definitely a great idea!

NVIDIA got some great performance gains from their new architecture while they're still on 28nm: http://www.anandtech.com/show/8568/the-geforce-gtx-970-review-feat-evga

If you need a card now, go for one of those if they're in your price range.

Most games have to target a minimum hardware set, and since video cards all use PCIe it's not [i]as[/i] important to get the latest and greatest (does DirectX 12 matter to you? maybe).

If you can wait, looking for the 20nm GPUs is definitely a great idea!
4
#4
0 Frags +

I'm a wee bit upset you had to logic bomb my little computer stand on the corner cause I'm broke. But TechDude is still correct in most areas here. Keep in mind that all of this is only relevant because we game and hunger for more power to run heavy duty software. The computer I was selling could make a fantastic HTPC, it just also has the capabilities to game.

I'm a wee bit upset you had to logic bomb my little computer stand on the corner cause I'm broke. But TechDude is still correct in most areas here. Keep in mind that all of this is only relevant because we game and hunger for more power to run heavy duty software. The computer I was selling could make a fantastic HTPC, it just also has the capabilities to game.
5
#5
5 Frags +
dMenaceI'm a wee bit upset you had to logic bomb my little computer stand on the corner cause I'm broke. But TechDude is still correct in most areas here. Keep in mind that all of this is only relevant because we game and hunger for more power to run heavy duty software. The computer I was selling could make a fantastic HTPC, it just also has the capabilities to game.

i just think it's unbelievably stupid mana can sell his parts but you can't sell your pc

[quote=dMenace]I'm a wee bit upset you had to logic bomb my little computer stand on the corner cause I'm broke. But TechDude is still correct in most areas here. Keep in mind that all of this is only relevant because we game and hunger for more power to run heavy duty software. The computer I was selling could make a fantastic HTPC, it just also has the capabilities to game.[/quote]
i just think it's unbelievably stupid mana can sell his parts but you can't sell your pc
6
#6
0 Frags +

I don't get why that thread was locked, isn't it common to sell off hardware (mana's thread for example is the most recent one I can think of)

I made a thread here because I wanted my shit to go to a tf2 (comp) player over some random craigslist person

I don't get why that thread was locked, isn't it common to sell off hardware (mana's thread for example is the most recent one I can think of)

I made a thread here because I wanted my shit to go to a tf2 (comp) player over some random craigslist person
7
#7
5 Frags +

I think dMenace's system at a lower price it would be an excellent purchase. The 2500k is a great CPU (I'm still using the 2600k on my rig), but if you can create something new from scratch that's similar that's not a good thing.

Sorry to have rained on your parade :(

I think dMenace's system at a lower price it would be an excellent purchase. The 2500k is a great CPU (I'm still using the 2600k on my rig), but if you can create something new from scratch that's similar that's not a good thing.

Sorry to have rained on your parade :(
8
#8
4 Frags +

Thanks for the thread to explain everything man. appreciate it

Thanks for the thread to explain everything man. appreciate it
9
#9
4 Frags +

they dont call him TechDude for nothing

they dont call him TechDude for nothing
10
#10
7 Frags +

Future proofing is absolute bullshit.
Newer hardware will always be better. Faster for the same price or cheaper with the same performance.
Your hardware won't become slower over time. As long as your requirements don't change there is no need to upgrade.

If your requirements change in intervals then you should upgrade in these intervals.
If your requirements change continously then you can figure out what is the cheapest upgrade cycle (not going to explain how right now).

Buying a Haswell CPU has nothing to do with future proofing. Intel doesn't drop the prices on older CPUs so there is no reason to buy a older and slower CPU for the same price. Both the G1820 and the 5960X are Haswell (or 4130 and 4790K if you want to limit it to the 4xxx) and I'd like to see you justify how either of those makes sense for "future proofing".

Same for mechanical drives as boot drives. If you don't need much capacity there is no need to go for a large, slow drive. A small and fast drive (so most likely a SSD) will obiously provide better performance IN THE PRESENT.

About GPUs: The 970 is basically the new 290. Amazing price/performance ratio. If you want/need to upgrade to that performance/price bracket then do it. If you don't then don't. GPUs will keep getting cheaper. Simple as that.

Future proofing is absolute bullshit.
Newer hardware will always be better. Faster for the same price or cheaper with the same performance.
Your hardware won't become slower over time. As long as your requirements don't change there is no need to upgrade.

If your requirements change in intervals then you should upgrade in these intervals.
If your requirements change continously then you can figure out what is the cheapest upgrade cycle (not going to explain how right now).

Buying a Haswell CPU has nothing to do with future proofing. Intel doesn't drop the prices on older CPUs so there is no reason to buy a older and slower CPU for the same price. Both the G1820 and the 5960X are Haswell (or 4130 and 4790K if you want to limit it to the 4xxx) and I'd like to see you justify how either of those makes sense for "future proofing".

Same for mechanical drives as boot drives. If you don't need much capacity there is no need to go for a large, slow drive. A small and fast drive (so most likely a SSD) will obiously provide better performance IN THE PRESENT.



About GPUs: The 970 is basically the new 290. Amazing price/performance ratio. If you want/need to upgrade to that performance/price bracket then do it. If you don't then don't. GPUs will keep getting cheaper. Simple as that.
11
#11
7 Frags +
TechDudeI think dMenace's system at a lower price it would be an excellent purchase. The 2500k is a great CPU (I'm still using the 2600k on my rig), but if you can create something new from scratch that's similar that's not a good thing.

Sorry to have rained on your parade :(

It's k.

$400 is probably more reasonable cause I dunno how much life it has in it and somebody will probably want to take it and spend money on new cards eventually. If anybody is interested and needs a computer just to play TF2 and some other games, this'll do the trick nicely. If you send me a screencap of you telling MR SLIN to gobble DennisTheMenace's balls then I'll drop $75 off of it.

[quote=TechDude]I think dMenace's system at a lower price it would be an excellent purchase. The 2500k is a great CPU (I'm still using the 2600k on my rig), but if you can create something new from scratch that's similar that's not a good thing.

Sorry to have rained on your parade :([/quote]


It's k.

$400 is probably more reasonable cause I dunno how much life it has in it and somebody will probably want to take it and spend money on new cards eventually. If anybody is interested and needs a computer just to play TF2 and some other games, this'll do the trick nicely. [b]If you send me a screencap of you telling MR SLIN to gobble DennisTheMenace's balls then I'll drop $75 off of it.[/b]
12
#12
-1 Frags +
SetsulFuture proofing is absolute bullshit.
Newer hardware will always be better. Faster for the same price or cheaper with the same performance.
Your hardware won't become slower over time. As long as your requirements don't change there is no need to upgrade.

If your requirements change in intervals then you should upgrade in these intervals.
If your requirements change continously then you can figure out what is the cheapest upgrade cycle (not going to explain how right now).

Buying a Haswell CPU has nothing to do with future proofing. Intel doesn't drop the prices on older CPUs so there is no reason to buy a older and slower CPU for the same price. Both the G1820 and the 5960X are Haswell (or 4130 and 4790K if you want to limit it to the 4xxx) and I'd like to see you justify how either of those makes sense for "future proofing".

Same for mechanical drives as boot drives. If you don't need much capacity there is no need to go for a large, slow drive. A small and fast drive (so most likely a SSD) will obiously provide better performance IN THE PRESENT.

About GPUs: The 970 is basically the new 290. Amazing price/performance ratio. If you want/need to upgrade to that performance/price bracket then do it. If you don't then don't. GPUs will keep getting cheaper. Simple as that.

There is no reason to not but a 1150 socket MOBO + CPU since they arent any more expensive then the previous ones, when you compare them as in bang for buck. Also newest features etc.

[quote=Setsul]Future proofing is absolute bullshit.
Newer hardware will always be better. Faster for the same price or cheaper with the same performance.
Your hardware won't become slower over time. As long as your requirements don't change there is no need to upgrade.

If your requirements change in intervals then you should upgrade in these intervals.
If your requirements change continously then you can figure out what is the cheapest upgrade cycle (not going to explain how right now).

Buying a Haswell CPU has nothing to do with future proofing. Intel doesn't drop the prices on older CPUs so there is no reason to buy a older and slower CPU for the same price. Both the G1820 and the 5960X are Haswell (or 4130 and 4790K if you want to limit it to the 4xxx) and I'd like to see you justify how either of those makes sense for "future proofing".

Same for mechanical drives as boot drives. If you don't need much capacity there is no need to go for a large, slow drive. A small and fast drive (so most likely a SSD) will obiously provide better performance IN THE PRESENT.



About GPUs: The 970 is basically the new 290. Amazing price/performance ratio. If you want/need to upgrade to that performance/price bracket then do it. If you don't then don't. GPUs will keep getting cheaper. Simple as that.[/quote]
There is no reason to not but a 1150 socket MOBO + CPU since they arent any more expensive then the previous ones, when you compare them as in bang for buck. Also newest features etc.
13
#13
3 Frags +

Waiting on slin to comment on why DennisTheMennis's thread was locked and Mana's is completely ok.

Also, like gls mentioned others have sold spare parts etc on the forums before.

Show Content
don't act like you havn't read these posts either slin.
Waiting on slin to comment on why DennisTheMennis's thread was locked and Mana's is completely ok.

Also, like gls mentioned others have sold spare parts etc on the forums before.

[spoiler]don't act like you havn't read these posts either slin.
[/spoiler]
14
#14
0 Frags +

#12
I pretty much said that, hidden behind a wall of text.

SetsulBuying a Haswell CPU has nothing to do with future proofing. Intel doesn't drop the prices on older CPUs so there is no reason to buy an older and slower CPU for the same price.
#12
I pretty much said that, hidden behind a wall of text.
[quote=Setsul]Buying a Haswell CPU has nothing to do with future proofing. Intel doesn't drop the prices on older CPUs so there is no reason to buy an older and slower CPU for the same price.[/quote]
15
#15
-1 Frags +
Setsul#12
I pretty much said that, hidden behind a wall of text.SetsulBuying a Haswell CPU has nothing to do with future proofing. Intel doesn't drop the prices on older CPUs so there is no reason to buy an older and slower CPU for the same price.

I missread it sorry :P

[quote=Setsul]#12
I pretty much said that, hidden behind a wall of text.
[quote=Setsul]Buying a Haswell CPU has nothing to do with future proofing. Intel doesn't drop the prices on older CPUs so there is no reason to buy an older and slower CPU for the same price.[/quote][/quote]
I missread it sorry :P
16
#16
0 Frags +

Pretty much everything will be obsolete once that light-based 128 shit comes out.

Pretty much everything will be obsolete once that light-based 128 shit comes out.
17
#17
3 Frags +
dMenaceIf you send me a screencap of you telling MR SLIN to gobble DennisTheMenace's balls then I'll drop $75 off of it.

free coupon for anyone interested:

http://i.imgur.com/6i8EM5L.png

[quote=dMenace][b]If you send me a screencap of you telling MR SLIN to gobble DennisTheMenace's balls then I'll drop $75 off of it.[/b][/quote]
free coupon for anyone interested:
[img]http://i.imgur.com/6i8EM5L.png[/img]
Please sign in through STEAM to post a comment.