When To Buy A New Computer

I know you are wondering what a cement block and a bungee cord have to do with buying a new computer, right?

Well they have a lot to do with it.
Let me explain.
Processors and associate hardware double in power every 18 months while it takes on the average 6 years to write software for the new processors and associate hardware. So there is a major gap; how big a gap?
From the Pentium 3 to the Pentium 4 was a doubling of power and from the Pentium 4 to the core 2 was another doubling. Then from the Core 2 to the Dual core was yet another doubling! I know my words just don’t seem to convey the reality.

For illustration purposes lets say the Pentium 3 is a car that travels 20 miles in an hour, can you visualise that?  Great , now then the Pentium 4 travels twice that, doubling the power, going 40 miles an hour. Now the following year the Core 2 comes out and it is double in power and to continue our illustration it is traveling at 80 miles per hour! Now then what is the speed of the Dual-Core processor in this illustration? 160 miles per hour! With the Quad-Core processors what is the speed? 320 miles per hour!

Does this help?

Pentium III

 

 

 

 

Remember this all takes place in less than 6 years!

Now comes the part about the cement block and bungee cord!!

Now remember hardware double every 18 months while it takes about 4 years to write the Operating system that can utilize the new powerful components. So what take place between these four years? Updates and patches.

Picture your Operating system as the cement block and the bungee cable the updates and patches which is tied to the bumper of your car (computer) . As the new hardware comes out they use the older operating system which will require advanced drivers to link with the new processor and chips and major software updates. So as time goes on the core of the operating system doesn’t really change just like the cement block. But the updates and drivers get pulled greater and greater like that bungee cord getting stretched until finally the cement block takes to the air and comes crashing down! Average time to the flying cement block 4 years!

This is why there was Windows NT then Windows 2000 then Windows XP then Windows Vista then Windows 7

Are there alternatives?

Yes, get a different cement block (operating system) with a longer bungee cord (updates and drivers) like Linux but 8 years is the MAX before the flying cement block. 🙂

Did the hexa-core (six core) processors come out yet?

Yep the first months of 2010.

When is Windows 8 coming out?

Late 2012 or 2013 or ….

In the mean time there are going to be a TON of updates  🙂

 

by R. Frank Tulak

 Related articles for further reading:

The Real Beanstalk

Computers in Cars?