When will Microsoft pull plug on your Windows or Office?

One of the research laboratories I work at still use Windows XP computers to manage their equipment. The decided to just lock up their firewall tighter than a nun's knickers.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8.1
    Computer type
    Laptop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Asus Tansformer Book Flip TP500LN
    CPU
    Intel i5-4210U
    Memory
    8GB DDR3 SDRAM
    Graphics Card(s)
    Nvidia Geforce GT 840M
    Monitor(s) Displays
    15" Touchscreen
    Screen Resolution
    1366 x 768
    Hard Drives
    1TB Hybrid
    Mouse
    Microsoft Wireless Mobile Mouse 4000
Well some of those dates should keep a few members of The Eight Forums happy. . :D
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Win 8, (VM win7, XP, Vista)
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    HP Pavilion p1423w
    CPU
    Intel Core i5 3330 Ivy Bridge
    Motherboard
    Foxconn - 2ADA Ivy Brige
    Memory
    16 GB 1066MHz DDR3
    Graphics Card(s)
    ATI Radeon HD 5450
    Sound Card
    HD Realteck (Onboard)
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Mitsubishi LED TV/Montior HD, Dell 23 HD, Hanspree 25" HD
    Screen Resolution
    Mit. 1980-1080, Dell 2048-115, Hanspree 1920-10802
    Hard Drives
    1 SanDisk 240Gig SSD, 2 Samsung 512Gig SSDs
    Case
    Tower
    Cooling
    Original (Fans)
    Keyboard
    Microsoft Keyboard 2000
    Mouse
    Microsoft Optical Mouse 5000
    Internet Speed
    1.3 (350 to 1024 if lucky)
    Browser
    Firefox 19.1
    Antivirus
    MSE-Defender
I honestly hope never (Windows in general, I mean ... not XP). Seems like subscription-based software is starting to become a trend. I didn't think I'd do it at first, but I finally gave in and signed up for Office 2013, 365, whatever, you know, the whole cloud thing that comes with the whole suite that you can install on up to five machines. Okay, well ... I put in a new motherboard, and my copy of Office 2010 wouldn't activate. Sigh. I guess I see the logic in doing it this new way ... cost-wise it makes sense. I guess? :think:
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8.1 Pro x64
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Custom built/assembled myself
    CPU
    AMD FX-8350 Black Edition
    Motherboard
    ASUS M5A99FX PRO R2.0
    Memory
    16 GB Crucial Ballistix DDR3 1866
    Graphics Card(s)
    Gigabyte Radeon R9 280X Windforce
    Sound Card
    On-board audio
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Dell UltraSharp U2713HM 27" LCD
    Screen Resolution
    2560 x 1440
    Hard Drives
    Samsung 840 EVO 250 GB SSD
    Western Digital Caviar Black 2.0 TB SATA-3
    PSU
    Corsair HX850W
    Case
    Cooler Master HAF XM
    Cooling
    Stock
    Keyboard
    Logitech MK520 wireless
    Mouse
    Logitech MK520 wireless
    Internet Speed
    22 Mbps
    Browser
    IE/Chrome/Firefox
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender, Malwarebytes
One of the research laboratories I work at still use Windows XP computers to manage their equipment. The decided to just lock up their firewall tighter than a nun's knickers.
A nun's knickers.... HA!! :D
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8.1 Pro
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    ASUS
    CPU
    AMD FX 8320
    Motherboard
    Crosshair V Formula-Z
    Memory
    16 gig DDR3
    Graphics Card(s)
    ASUS R9 270
    Screen Resolution
    1440x900
    Hard Drives
    1 TB Seagate Barracuda (starting to hate Seagate)
    x2 3 TB Toshibas
    Windows 8.1 is installed on a SanDisk Ultra Plus 256 GB
    PSU
    OCZ 500 watt
    Case
    A current work in progres as I'll be building the physical case myself. It shall be fantastic.
    Cooling
    Arctic Cooler with 3 heatpipes
    Keyboard
    Logitech K750 wireless solar powered keyboard
    Mouse
    Microsoft Touch Mouse
    Browser
    Internet Explorer 11
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender, but I might go back on KIS 2014
I honestly hope never (Windows in general, I mean ... not XP). Seems like subscription-based software is starting to become a trend. I didn't think I'd do it at first, but I finally gave in and signed up for Office 2013, 365, whatever, you know, the whole cloud thing that comes with the whole suite that you can install on up to five machines. Okay, well ... I put in a new motherboard, and my copy of Office 2010 wouldn't activate. Sigh. I guess I see the logic in doing it this new way ... cost-wise it makes sense. I guess? :think:
It does.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8.1 Pro
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    ASUS
    CPU
    AMD FX 8320
    Motherboard
    Crosshair V Formula-Z
    Memory
    16 gig DDR3
    Graphics Card(s)
    ASUS R9 270
    Screen Resolution
    1440x900
    Hard Drives
    1 TB Seagate Barracuda (starting to hate Seagate)
    x2 3 TB Toshibas
    Windows 8.1 is installed on a SanDisk Ultra Plus 256 GB
    PSU
    OCZ 500 watt
    Case
    A current work in progres as I'll be building the physical case myself. It shall be fantastic.
    Cooling
    Arctic Cooler with 3 heatpipes
    Keyboard
    Logitech K750 wireless solar powered keyboard
    Mouse
    Microsoft Touch Mouse
    Browser
    Internet Explorer 11
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender, but I might go back on KIS 2014
My God, to think that an operating system has lasted literally until 2014, geeeez! Seriously, time to get rid of it. The NT 5 kernel isn't a very secure one, as the MASSIVE chunk of updates to xp were literally just security based ones. LITERALLY. I once installed xp SP2 in a VM one day, and it took a few hours to get ALL the updates just to get to SP3. There were well over 100 security based updates. I think 168 stands out.... There were some performance ones though. Then came SP3, and about 90 more security updates after SP3 was just security patches..... Once 2014 hits, what happens if there a security hole that gets finagled out by some hackers that can end up being fatal in the enterprise? I kind of wonder if some of the companies that were hacked into recently had xp going on their systems.....

Thirteen years is by far too long for one operating system.

SO much technologically has changed: CRT monitors to LCD, PS/2 to USB based EVERYTHING, PATA to SATA, hard drive to SSD, wired keyboards and mice to wireless and Bluetooth devices, desktop to laptop to ultrabook to tablet, 120 gig hard drives to being large to 1 TB being close to a desktop standard, 1 TB 2.5" hard drives that are thinner than the hard drives that were in the first xp tablet PCs, BIOS to UEFI BIOS, IDE to AHCI, single core CPUs to quad core ones with GPUs even more powerful, DirectX 9 to 11.1, and SO SO much more. That's just the Windows PC. It's odd to think that there were several parts manufacturers that were/are making xp drivers for brand new hardware just to get some use out of it whereas 7 or even 8 would use that hardware much more efficiently because of the better coded Windows platform of recent years. But interestingly enough, the legacy of the Windows tablet PC was really started with Windows xp. Windows 8 is reigniting that. Or...reSTARTing it. :cool:
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8.1 Pro
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    ASUS
    CPU
    AMD FX 8320
    Motherboard
    Crosshair V Formula-Z
    Memory
    16 gig DDR3
    Graphics Card(s)
    ASUS R9 270
    Screen Resolution
    1440x900
    Hard Drives
    1 TB Seagate Barracuda (starting to hate Seagate)
    x2 3 TB Toshibas
    Windows 8.1 is installed on a SanDisk Ultra Plus 256 GB
    PSU
    OCZ 500 watt
    Case
    A current work in progres as I'll be building the physical case myself. It shall be fantastic.
    Cooling
    Arctic Cooler with 3 heatpipes
    Keyboard
    Logitech K750 wireless solar powered keyboard
    Mouse
    Microsoft Touch Mouse
    Browser
    Internet Explorer 11
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender, but I might go back on KIS 2014
I honestly hope never (Windows in general, I mean ... not XP). Seems like subscription-based software is starting to become a trend. I didn't think I'd do it at first, but I finally gave in and signed up for Office 2013, 365, whatever, you know, the whole cloud thing that comes with the whole suite that you can install on up to five machines. Okay, well ... I put in a new motherboard, and my copy of Office 2010 wouldn't activate. Sigh. I guess I see the logic in doing it this new way ... cost-wise it makes sense. I guess? :think:

I suspect there was a problem/restriction with your copy of Office rather than anything to do with your new motherboard. I've installed 2 copies of Office 2010 Pro on two brand new computers which have motherboards manufactured in 2012. I doubt a motherboard can discriminate about which software can be installed. But software can certainly factor in incompatibility.

I would look more in to the licensing rather than the new hardware for your installation issues.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8 Professional
    Computer type
    Laptop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Alienware m14x
    CPU
    I7
    Memory
    12GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    nVidia GT 650m
    Browser
    FireFox
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender
I honestly hope never (Windows in general, I mean ... not XP). Seems like subscription-based software is starting to become a trend. I didn't think I'd do it at first, but I finally gave in and signed up for Office 2013, 365, whatever, you know, the whole cloud thing that comes with the whole suite that you can install on up to five machines. Okay, well ... I put in a new motherboard, and my copy of Office 2010 wouldn't activate. Sigh. I guess I see the logic in doing it this new way ... cost-wise it makes sense. I guess? :think:

I suspect there was a problem/restriction with your copy of Office rather than anything to do with your new motherboard. I've installed 2 copies of Office 2010 Pro on two brand new computers which have motherboards manufactured in 2012. I doubt a motherboard can discriminate about which software can be installed. But software can certainly factor in incompatibility.

I would look more in to the licensing rather than the new hardware for your installation issues.

Correct ... I don't think it had anything to do with compatibility with my new MOBO, because the message I got was along the lines of, "This copy of Office has already been installed on other machines," or something like that.

Doesn't really bother me. I really like the new Office.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8.1 Pro x64
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Custom built/assembled myself
    CPU
    AMD FX-8350 Black Edition
    Motherboard
    ASUS M5A99FX PRO R2.0
    Memory
    16 GB Crucial Ballistix DDR3 1866
    Graphics Card(s)
    Gigabyte Radeon R9 280X Windforce
    Sound Card
    On-board audio
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Dell UltraSharp U2713HM 27" LCD
    Screen Resolution
    2560 x 1440
    Hard Drives
    Samsung 840 EVO 250 GB SSD
    Western Digital Caviar Black 2.0 TB SATA-3
    PSU
    Corsair HX850W
    Case
    Cooler Master HAF XM
    Cooling
    Stock
    Keyboard
    Logitech MK520 wireless
    Mouse
    Logitech MK520 wireless
    Internet Speed
    22 Mbps
    Browser
    IE/Chrome/Firefox
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender, Malwarebytes
^^^^^^^^

Doesn't really bother me. I really like the new Office.


That makes at least two of us on this site. . .:thumbsup:. . .:roflmao:
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Win 8, (VM win7, XP, Vista)
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    HP Pavilion p1423w
    CPU
    Intel Core i5 3330 Ivy Bridge
    Motherboard
    Foxconn - 2ADA Ivy Brige
    Memory
    16 GB 1066MHz DDR3
    Graphics Card(s)
    ATI Radeon HD 5450
    Sound Card
    HD Realteck (Onboard)
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Mitsubishi LED TV/Montior HD, Dell 23 HD, Hanspree 25" HD
    Screen Resolution
    Mit. 1980-1080, Dell 2048-115, Hanspree 1920-10802
    Hard Drives
    1 SanDisk 240Gig SSD, 2 Samsung 512Gig SSDs
    Case
    Tower
    Cooling
    Original (Fans)
    Keyboard
    Microsoft Keyboard 2000
    Mouse
    Microsoft Optical Mouse 5000
    Internet Speed
    1.3 (350 to 1024 if lucky)
    Browser
    Firefox 19.1
    Antivirus
    MSE-Defender
I have a copy of office 2013 on the win8 test system, seems fine, matches the OS look, I must start giving eight and office 2013 a real test soon :)
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 10 Pro x64 x2 Windows 10 Enterprise x64, Ubuntu
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Real World Computing
    CPU
    AMD FX8350 8 Core @4GHz
    Motherboard
    Asus M5A78L-M USB3
    Memory
    32GB [4x8GB] DDR3 1600 MHz
    Graphics Card(s)
    Asus nVidia GTX750TI-OC-2GD5 (2GB DDR5)
    Sound Card
    ASUS Xoner DG + SPDIF to 5.1 System + HDMI
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Acer G276HL 27", (DVi) + Samsung 39" HDTV (HDMI)
    Screen Resolution
    1920 x 1080 @60Hz + 1920 x 1080 @60Hz
    Hard Drives
    Internal
    Crucial 256GB SSD,
    WDC WD30EZRX-00D8PB0 3TB,
    Toshiba HDWD130 3TB
    Seagate ST2000DM001-1CH1 2TB,

    External (USB3)
    Seagate Backup+ Hub BK SCSI Disk 8TB
    2.5/3.5 Hot Swap Cradle, USB3 + eSata (client HDDs)

    NAS
    Seagate ST4000DM000
    PSU
    Aerocool Templarius Imperator 750W 80+ Silver
    Case
    AeroCool X-Warrior Devil Red Tower
    Cooling
    Stock CPU, Rear 120mm, Front 2x120mm, Side 2x120mm
    Keyboard
    Logitech Wireless K710 & K270
    Mouse
    Logitech Wireless M710 M185 & M570 Trackball
    Internet Speed
    37Mb/s Down - 9.5Mb/s Up
    Browser
    Chrome
    Antivirus
    BitDefender Total Security 2017
    Other Info
    Also run...

    Desktop - 6Core 8GB - Windows 10 Enterprise x64,
    Laptop - Quad 8GB - Windows 10 Pro x64
    Netbook - Ubuntu
    2 x Nexus 7 Android tablets
    Samsung 10.2" tablet
    Sony Z3 Android Smartphone
    HTC One Android Smartphone
Heh. Yeah, I was very skeptical at fist. I even wrote a blog post about it, saying I'm not comfortable with the idea of subscribing to a piece of software that is overkill for my needs. I guess I'm looking at it differently now.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8.1 Pro x64
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Custom built/assembled myself
    CPU
    AMD FX-8350 Black Edition
    Motherboard
    ASUS M5A99FX PRO R2.0
    Memory
    16 GB Crucial Ballistix DDR3 1866
    Graphics Card(s)
    Gigabyte Radeon R9 280X Windforce
    Sound Card
    On-board audio
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Dell UltraSharp U2713HM 27" LCD
    Screen Resolution
    2560 x 1440
    Hard Drives
    Samsung 840 EVO 250 GB SSD
    Western Digital Caviar Black 2.0 TB SATA-3
    PSU
    Corsair HX850W
    Case
    Cooler Master HAF XM
    Cooling
    Stock
    Keyboard
    Logitech MK520 wireless
    Mouse
    Logitech MK520 wireless
    Internet Speed
    22 Mbps
    Browser
    IE/Chrome/Firefox
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender, Malwarebytes
Mine is the traditional download, not tried 365, yet, but was part of the official beta for office 2010 Install on demand, that worked well so will have to look at the 365 option, I'll have to support it sometime, and it seems the way of the future :)
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 10 Pro x64 x2 Windows 10 Enterprise x64, Ubuntu
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Real World Computing
    CPU
    AMD FX8350 8 Core @4GHz
    Motherboard
    Asus M5A78L-M USB3
    Memory
    32GB [4x8GB] DDR3 1600 MHz
    Graphics Card(s)
    Asus nVidia GTX750TI-OC-2GD5 (2GB DDR5)
    Sound Card
    ASUS Xoner DG + SPDIF to 5.1 System + HDMI
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Acer G276HL 27", (DVi) + Samsung 39" HDTV (HDMI)
    Screen Resolution
    1920 x 1080 @60Hz + 1920 x 1080 @60Hz
    Hard Drives
    Internal
    Crucial 256GB SSD,
    WDC WD30EZRX-00D8PB0 3TB,
    Toshiba HDWD130 3TB
    Seagate ST2000DM001-1CH1 2TB,

    External (USB3)
    Seagate Backup+ Hub BK SCSI Disk 8TB
    2.5/3.5 Hot Swap Cradle, USB3 + eSata (client HDDs)

    NAS
    Seagate ST4000DM000
    PSU
    Aerocool Templarius Imperator 750W 80+ Silver
    Case
    AeroCool X-Warrior Devil Red Tower
    Cooling
    Stock CPU, Rear 120mm, Front 2x120mm, Side 2x120mm
    Keyboard
    Logitech Wireless K710 & K270
    Mouse
    Logitech Wireless M710 M185 & M570 Trackball
    Internet Speed
    37Mb/s Down - 9.5Mb/s Up
    Browser
    Chrome
    Antivirus
    BitDefender Total Security 2017
    Other Info
    Also run...

    Desktop - 6Core 8GB - Windows 10 Enterprise x64,
    Laptop - Quad 8GB - Windows 10 Pro x64
    Netbook - Ubuntu
    2 x Nexus 7 Android tablets
    Samsung 10.2" tablet
    Sony Z3 Android Smartphone
    HTC One Android Smartphone
It would be serious indeed if Microsoft 'pulled the plug' and all copies of XP suddenly stopped working!
It's like OMG they invented DVD what am I going to do with all my VHS tapes I can't watch them anymore!!!???
In fact, after the very last update is issued, you could make a slipstreamed install disc for XP that you could say was Final.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8.1
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    CPU
    AMD
    Memory
    4Gb
    Screen Resolution
    1280x1024
    Browser
    IE11
Hi everyone
Don't worry about this --your Windows or Office will still keep working "ad infinitum". You won't get hardware updates / security updates etc but if all you need is to run dedicated / legacy apps even THIS version still works fine. See screenshot below.

(On modern hardware you need to run it on a VM though -- no big deal).

Cheers
jimbo
 

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My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Linux Centos 7, W8.1, W7, W2K3 Server W10
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Monitor(s) Displays
    1 X LG 40 inch TV
    Hard Drives
    SSD's * 3 (Samsung 840 series) 250 GB
    2 X 3 TB sata
    5 X 1 TB sata
    Internet Speed
    0.12 GB/s (120Mb/s)
Let's see ... clock, check. File manager, check. Simple word processor, check. Time-wasting game, check.

Heck, what more do you need? Makes me wonder why I just put 16 GB of RAM in my rig.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8.1 Pro x64
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Custom built/assembled myself
    CPU
    AMD FX-8350 Black Edition
    Motherboard
    ASUS M5A99FX PRO R2.0
    Memory
    16 GB Crucial Ballistix DDR3 1866
    Graphics Card(s)
    Gigabyte Radeon R9 280X Windforce
    Sound Card
    On-board audio
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Dell UltraSharp U2713HM 27" LCD
    Screen Resolution
    2560 x 1440
    Hard Drives
    Samsung 840 EVO 250 GB SSD
    Western Digital Caviar Black 2.0 TB SATA-3
    PSU
    Corsair HX850W
    Case
    Cooler Master HAF XM
    Cooling
    Stock
    Keyboard
    Logitech MK520 wireless
    Mouse
    Logitech MK520 wireless
    Internet Speed
    22 Mbps
    Browser
    IE/Chrome/Firefox
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender, Malwarebytes
Let's see ... clock, check. File manager, check. Simple word processor, check. Time-wasting game, check.

Heck, what more do you need? Makes me wonder why I just put 16 GB of RAM in my rig.

Hi there
Well PLEASE end our suspense -- Why did you.

Actually you only really need larger RAM sizes in two scenarios ( Note - here I'm basically talking about Home type computers not commercial or workplace servers).

1) Large online databases -- if you are using your machine as a Web server you need a lot of RAM to avoid stacking up the queries and overloading the disks.

2) You run a lot of Virtual Machines -- VM's just tend to EAT RAM for Breakfast.

Very few (if any) applications that a normal home user would need are RAM intensive - even Games.

If you have 8GB RAM -- seems pretty standard on most laptops now then that would probably suffice even if you try and run a LOT of applications concurrently.

A lot of people upgrade RAM thinking this will improve performance. In general improving the I/O is probably the BEST thing you can do to increase performance -- particularly using things like SSD's. You are unlikely even with a modest i3 processor to be short of CPU power. A lot of people go for a mega i7 processor which is usually grossly overkill -- even with games a lot of the processing is done now by specialized GPU's rather than the actual CPU.

Cheers
jimbo
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Linux Centos 7, W8.1, W7, W2K3 Server W10
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Monitor(s) Displays
    1 X LG 40 inch TV
    Hard Drives
    SSD's * 3 (Samsung 840 series) 250 GB
    2 X 3 TB sata
    5 X 1 TB sata
    Internet Speed
    0.12 GB/s (120Mb/s)
Jimbo, I would add any semi serious media work to your list, editing in Photoshop, or assembling video clips, are better with a bit of extra ram. and it's certainly useful generating 1:1 previews of a couple of hundred RAW images in Lightroom :)
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 10 Pro x64 x2 Windows 10 Enterprise x64, Ubuntu
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Real World Computing
    CPU
    AMD FX8350 8 Core @4GHz
    Motherboard
    Asus M5A78L-M USB3
    Memory
    32GB [4x8GB] DDR3 1600 MHz
    Graphics Card(s)
    Asus nVidia GTX750TI-OC-2GD5 (2GB DDR5)
    Sound Card
    ASUS Xoner DG + SPDIF to 5.1 System + HDMI
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Acer G276HL 27", (DVi) + Samsung 39" HDTV (HDMI)
    Screen Resolution
    1920 x 1080 @60Hz + 1920 x 1080 @60Hz
    Hard Drives
    Internal
    Crucial 256GB SSD,
    WDC WD30EZRX-00D8PB0 3TB,
    Toshiba HDWD130 3TB
    Seagate ST2000DM001-1CH1 2TB,

    External (USB3)
    Seagate Backup+ Hub BK SCSI Disk 8TB
    2.5/3.5 Hot Swap Cradle, USB3 + eSata (client HDDs)

    NAS
    Seagate ST4000DM000
    PSU
    Aerocool Templarius Imperator 750W 80+ Silver
    Case
    AeroCool X-Warrior Devil Red Tower
    Cooling
    Stock CPU, Rear 120mm, Front 2x120mm, Side 2x120mm
    Keyboard
    Logitech Wireless K710 & K270
    Mouse
    Logitech Wireless M710 M185 & M570 Trackball
    Internet Speed
    37Mb/s Down - 9.5Mb/s Up
    Browser
    Chrome
    Antivirus
    BitDefender Total Security 2017
    Other Info
    Also run...

    Desktop - 6Core 8GB - Windows 10 Enterprise x64,
    Laptop - Quad 8GB - Windows 10 Pro x64
    Netbook - Ubuntu
    2 x Nexus 7 Android tablets
    Samsung 10.2" tablet
    Sony Z3 Android Smartphone
    HTC One Android Smartphone
Jimbo, I would add any semi serious media work to your list, editing in Photoshop, or assembling video clips, are better with a bit of extra ram. and it's certainly useful generating 1:1 previews of a couple of hundred RAW images in Lightroom :)

Hi there
True enough - however a typical home user isn't really doing too much high quality Photoshop work using a PRO DSLR, RAW files and loads of layers.

Having Photoshop scratch files allocated to SSD also works pretty well -- now 250 GB SSD's are available CHEAPER than the older 120 GB ones I'm gradually replacing all my spinners on my main home machine with SSD's -- and just keeping a few external USB3 drives for archive etc and keeping a single 4TB spinner for music / multi-media library. For on the road storage with a laptop a micro 32 GB sdHC card in the laptop together with a portable 2TB USB3 drive is more than sufficient for what I want and the 250GB Samsung SSD really makes the laptop FLY.

A 60 GB partition on the SSD is fine for the OS giving me around 190 GB for other stuff. Plenty for the laptop, On the Desktop the 4TB spinner plus 3 X 250 GB SSD's will see me through the next few years - together with sufficient external drives for my backups / archives etc.

O.T - but I can't see myself buying a new Desktop computer EVER again -- and a new laptop is also for me probably a few years away and this is nothing to do with W8 or whatever -- so I tend to read those reports that say the drop in PC sales is due to W8 -- that's just blatently rubbish as I'm sure there are loads like me whose basic computing needs are more than satisfied with their present gear.


Now new cheap 500GB and 1 TB SSD's WOULD interest me though. !!

Cheers
jimbo
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Linux Centos 7, W8.1, W7, W2K3 Server W10
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Monitor(s) Displays
    1 X LG 40 inch TV
    Hard Drives
    SSD's * 3 (Samsung 840 series) 250 GB
    2 X 3 TB sata
    5 X 1 TB sata
    Internet Speed
    0.12 GB/s (120Mb/s)
The whole photography and video editing at home thing is seeing a bit of a surge, probably due to the current trend to always having a camera with you, (a Phone), leading to people wanting more quality and buying a real camera. Even entry level digital "Bridge type" and CSC cameras, a popular upgrade route from a Phone, now have large pixel counts, and offer RAW shooting, (except Fujifilm for some reason), so editing in elements rather than PS itself. probably, can produce some huge files.

As to the desktop market, It seems to be at saturation level, and normal users are retaining their systems for a lot longer, Moore's Law is not as applicable these days, and money is tight everywhere. it's always been the regular user that drives the "upgrade by buying new market".

The way the majority of regular members here, as enthusiasts or even professionals in the business, look at an upgrade is completely different. We are much more likely to buy or build a system, run it for a year or so, then upgrade by replacing components, Operating systems, as we go, Often an enthusiasts system will be akin to the treasured broom, "same one I've used for ten years, only had two new handles and three new heads". This is of course an extreme minority of computer users, in the wider market.

The Business market is governed by the same parameters as the "normal" user market, with the additional factor of the support cost of any upgrade of either hardware or software, so are less likely to be looking at upgrading in the current economic climate.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 10 Pro x64 x2 Windows 10 Enterprise x64, Ubuntu
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Real World Computing
    CPU
    AMD FX8350 8 Core @4GHz
    Motherboard
    Asus M5A78L-M USB3
    Memory
    32GB [4x8GB] DDR3 1600 MHz
    Graphics Card(s)
    Asus nVidia GTX750TI-OC-2GD5 (2GB DDR5)
    Sound Card
    ASUS Xoner DG + SPDIF to 5.1 System + HDMI
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Acer G276HL 27", (DVi) + Samsung 39" HDTV (HDMI)
    Screen Resolution
    1920 x 1080 @60Hz + 1920 x 1080 @60Hz
    Hard Drives
    Internal
    Crucial 256GB SSD,
    WDC WD30EZRX-00D8PB0 3TB,
    Toshiba HDWD130 3TB
    Seagate ST2000DM001-1CH1 2TB,

    External (USB3)
    Seagate Backup+ Hub BK SCSI Disk 8TB
    2.5/3.5 Hot Swap Cradle, USB3 + eSata (client HDDs)

    NAS
    Seagate ST4000DM000
    PSU
    Aerocool Templarius Imperator 750W 80+ Silver
    Case
    AeroCool X-Warrior Devil Red Tower
    Cooling
    Stock CPU, Rear 120mm, Front 2x120mm, Side 2x120mm
    Keyboard
    Logitech Wireless K710 & K270
    Mouse
    Logitech Wireless M710 M185 & M570 Trackball
    Internet Speed
    37Mb/s Down - 9.5Mb/s Up
    Browser
    Chrome
    Antivirus
    BitDefender Total Security 2017
    Other Info
    Also run...

    Desktop - 6Core 8GB - Windows 10 Enterprise x64,
    Laptop - Quad 8GB - Windows 10 Pro x64
    Netbook - Ubuntu
    2 x Nexus 7 Android tablets
    Samsung 10.2" tablet
    Sony Z3 Android Smartphone
    HTC One Android Smartphone
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