Jump to content

What will computers be like in a year?


Recommended Posts

So what you're saying is that in about a year, we'll have maxed out 5 Ghz CPUs? That sounds intense.....

I also read the rest of your post. What I interpreted from it is:

Over the next 5 years, games will grow less in processing power compared to the last 5 years. That will make everything bought in a year from now more worthwhile.

I like that idea. I don't want to be caught up in a cycle of having to upgrade my computer every 2 years.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

So what you're saying is that in about a year, we'll have maxed out 5 Ghz CPUs? That sounds intense.....

I also read the rest of your post. What I interpreted from it is:

Over the next 5 years, games will grow less in processing power compared to the last 5 years. That will make everything bought in a year from now more worthwhile.

I like that idea. I don't want to be caught up in a cycle of having to upgrade my computer every 2 years.

Well, I'm probably wrong about it. Some techno geeks are probably having a good laugh at what I posted. But there have been hints that the rate of improvements has been slowing down. As far as processors go, most of the advancements within the last few years have only been because of putting more than one core on a board. The actual architecture of the processors hasn't changed much, they've just been able to make it smaller. But there are limits to this, more processors mean more heat, and anything as far as heat goes is usually bad for computers. 5ghz isn't unthinkable, it just requires multiple cores and the ability to get rid of the heat. As long as processors are using metals to conduct signals, there will be a limit to how small of a processor you can have. It won't be until someone can come up with some light based processors (micro-optics) that things will really start to take off again. Or if they find out a solution to the heat issue that's idiot friendly.

 

But taking a few years out of the rapid hardware improvement cycle might actually be a good thing for things other than your pocketbook. If we get faced with limitations, we'll be more encouraged to optimize our software to run better with those limitations, rather than leave it up to someone else to make up for any problems. Look at how many game engines there are out there that make poor use of system resources. Look at Vista. These things were not made to run on what is currently available, but are made to run for those who have gone for either an above average system, or one of those high-end custom systems.

 

If you're really worried about having to buy a new computer after a few years, save up and buy Alienware. Yeah, it costs alot more, but an Alienware system that is bought right now would be good enough to last you 4-5 years if you don't mind slowly diminishing performance or not keeping up with all the latest and most flashy FPS.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Well, I'm only interested in getting the latest and greatest............

So what's that going to be in a year?

About 5000-6000$. You can get today's Latest and greatest for about 5000-6000$. You said previously that your budget was 1600$. Since you are obviously pipe dreaming here is mine:

 

XPS 720 - Black

Starting Price $5,938

Instant Savings $104

Subtotal $5,834

As low as $176/month

 

 

PROCESSOR Intel® Core™2 Duo Processor E6850 (4MB L2 Cache,3.0GHz,1333 FSB)

OPERATING SYSTEM Genuine Windows Vista® Ultimate

MEMORY 4GB Corsair Dominator DDR2 SDRAM 800MHz OC'd to 1066MHz-4 DIMMs

HARD DRIVE Dual 500GB - Seagate 7200RPM, SATA 3.0Gb/s, 16MB Cache

OPTICAL DRIVE Dual Drives: Blu-ray Disc Combo (DVD+/-RW + BD-ROM) and 16x DVD+/-RW

MONITOR 24 inch E248WFP Entry Widescreen Digital Flat Panel Monitor

VIDEO CARD 768MB Nvidia GeForce 8800 Ultra

PHYSICS ACCELERATOR AGEIA® PhysX® physics accelerator

SOUND CARD Sound Blaster® X-Fi™ XtremeGamer (D) Sound Card

KEYBOARD Dell USB Keyboard

MOUSE Dell Optical USB Mouse

 

My Software & Accessories

PRINTER Dell Laser Printer 1320c

SERVICE & SUPPORT 1 yr Ltd. Warranty- Advance Exchange

DELL PRINTER Dell 1320c Color Laser Printer edit

SPEAKERS Bose Companion 3 Series II Multimedia Speaker System

TOP SELLING SOFTWARE Easy Media Creator 10 Suite

GAMING ACCESSORIES Saitek P2900 Wireless USB Game Pad

DESKTOP ACCESSORIES Western Digital 500GB 7200RPM USB 2.0 External Hard Drive

 

My Service

WARRANTY AND SERVICE Get $50 Dell Gift Card with 4Yr In-Home Service, Parts + Labor

PROTECTION AGAINST ACCIDENTS CompleteCare Accidental Damage Protection, 4 Year

GETTING-STARTED HELP Dell On Call, 30 Day Unlimited, Back to School Support! Setup and More

DATASAFE ONLINE BACKUP Included 10GB DataSafe Online Backup for 1Year

 

ALSO INCLUDED WITH YOUR SYSTEM

Labels Windows Vista™ Premium

Adobe Software Adobe® Acrobat® Reader 8.1

XPS Specialized Support XPS, Specialized Support

 

 

Dream On. When your ready to stop pipe dreaming, really read my post(all of it) that I linked to previously and then we can talk about a system that you can afford and will be upgradeable, extending it's life 1 or two years beyond the two year software stepup demand on desktops.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I saw in '09 they are going to have a pc from Microsoft about the size of a table. If you go to for example, a skate shop, you can customize the skateboard using a touch screen. They wont be in homes until i think 2011
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I spent $1500 to buy the parts and build my own "state of the art" pc about 3 years ago. Well, not really the best, but I targeted 85 to 90% of the best. That way you can get it for less than half price. I also made sure I had the latest motherboard setup (at the time) so I could upgrade to new cpus and stuff when the prices came down.

 

Since then, I've upgraded my monitor (from 17" to 22" widescreen), installed a brand new video card, a new dual-core cpu and doubled my ram - all for another $1000 or so. I can run Oblivion at 1680x1050 with all the settings nearly maxed and fps at 20 or better. See my profile for actual system details.

 

Next year I'll probably throw it all away and start over. Since my monitor is brand new, I'll save a bit. I figure to spend under $2000 to get back to 90% of next-year's "best."

 

Regarding quad-core - you don't need it for games. Games won't take advantage of multiple cores for a few more years yet. One core for the game and one for Windows underneath - that's all you need for now.

 

Anyway - if you really, really want to see what a cost-no-object, state-of-the-art gaming rig looks like, check these out: Falcon Northwest. Just be prepared for some serious, serious sticker-shock.

 

-Jumonji

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Mine's at $16,132.19. Don't call'em dream machines for nothing.

Let's see what these guys offer at a lower price......

Nope, I don't think there's anything in my range. Of course, I intend to buy the pieces and assemble it myself to save some cash. I'll also be cheap on the chassis.

 

Of course, if I change my mind and decide to go all out on a chassis, I'll definitely get a HP Blackbird 002. Those things are bitching. My dream system from that site's @ $10644.95.

 

Take a look for yourself, it's one helluva chassis!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 3 weeks later...

:rolleyes: You guys are pathetic - raw power alone isn't gonna make your game run any better. You still have to know how to optimize your system so you're not sacrificing performance all on the count of visuals.

 

BTW, NVIDIA's GeForce 9800 GX2 should be released anytime soon (maybe later this month, or next month sometime).

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
×
×
  • Create New...