MadMummy76
FPS Junkie
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- Aug 20, 2020
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Just as the release cycle of games slowed down (cash grabs like FIFA and co. notwithstanding) the upgrade cycle seems to have gone through a similar transition from the dawn of the millennia into the second decade. But how much did it change?
I've started recording my HW upgrades a few years ago and was able to piece together a pretty complete and accurate history from memory and partial evidence going back all the way to my first PC. So based on this data, let's see how upgrade habits have changed between the first and second decade of the new millennia.
Predictably the GPU upgrade cycle changed by the least amount: From 12 to 15 months
During the 2000s, I've upgraded my GPU 10 times, and on average one setup would serve me for 12.6 months. With the longest serving setup being used for 2 years. (Radeon 9800 Pro)
For the 2010s, this trend only slightly slowed down to 9 upgrades, and I used each configuration for an average of 15.4 months. The longest serving GPU was used for 2.5 years. (Radeon HD 5850)
The MB use cycle become almost twice as long from 19 to 34 months
I've replaced my motherboard which usually meant a brand new build also, 6 times in the 2000s, with the long service award belonging to the ASUS P5N-E SLI with 24 months. However I went through the entire last decade using only 4 different boards. Each lasting for an average of 34.4 months, almost 3 years, 2.9 to be exact
And finally the CPU upgrade cycle shows the largest change from 16 to 32 months
2000s: 8 CPUs, each lasting on average 16 months. Longest used CPU with 24 months was the Core 2 Duo E6300.
2010s: 4 CPUs, with the first one barely lasting into the 2010s, skewing the statistics to 32 months, if I don't count the CPU which was replaced in the first few months of 2010, this would go up to 36 months, as in a 3 year upgrade cycle. Longest serving CPU was the core I7-930 with 39 months to its name.
With the GPU market being as it is, I predict the video card upgrade cycle will go the same way into the 2020s, with GPUs not being replaced more often than 3 years if that, with my current GPU already being well into its third year of service, and I'm not predicting an upgrade in the foreseeable future.
For reference, my entire upgrade history.
I've started recording my HW upgrades a few years ago and was able to piece together a pretty complete and accurate history from memory and partial evidence going back all the way to my first PC. So based on this data, let's see how upgrade habits have changed between the first and second decade of the new millennia.
Predictably the GPU upgrade cycle changed by the least amount: From 12 to 15 months
During the 2000s, I've upgraded my GPU 10 times, and on average one setup would serve me for 12.6 months. With the longest serving setup being used for 2 years. (Radeon 9800 Pro)
For the 2010s, this trend only slightly slowed down to 9 upgrades, and I used each configuration for an average of 15.4 months. The longest serving GPU was used for 2.5 years. (Radeon HD 5850)
The MB use cycle become almost twice as long from 19 to 34 months
I've replaced my motherboard which usually meant a brand new build also, 6 times in the 2000s, with the long service award belonging to the ASUS P5N-E SLI with 24 months. However I went through the entire last decade using only 4 different boards. Each lasting for an average of 34.4 months, almost 3 years, 2.9 to be exact
And finally the CPU upgrade cycle shows the largest change from 16 to 32 months
2000s: 8 CPUs, each lasting on average 16 months. Longest used CPU with 24 months was the Core 2 Duo E6300.
2010s: 4 CPUs, with the first one barely lasting into the 2010s, skewing the statistics to 32 months, if I don't count the CPU which was replaced in the first few months of 2010, this would go up to 36 months, as in a 3 year upgrade cycle. Longest serving CPU was the core I7-930 with 39 months to its name.
With the GPU market being as it is, I predict the video card upgrade cycle will go the same way into the 2020s, with GPUs not being replaced more often than 3 years if that, with my current GPU already being well into its third year of service, and I'm not predicting an upgrade in the foreseeable future.
For reference, my entire upgrade history.