Due to a comment on my last post, I should have looked a little further. The computer I used as a comparison was not "new" it was actually a "Certified Refurbished product is tested and certified to look and work like new" with a 90-day warranty. My mistake. But the issue is still the same. The Pentium Dual-Core brand was built my Intel from 2006 to 2009. Most of the dual processor refurbished computers for sale are being offered at less than $100. But if you look a little further, you can buy a used Optiplex Desktop Computer with an Intel i5 quad-core processor for around $145. New Intel i3 processor computers stat at under $400.00. A new 2017 HP Pavilion with an AMD Quad-Core processor is $429.00. Even with these examples, I could have made my point better. Every time a new chipset comes out, the price of the older computers drops. Here is the add for the HP.
What will this computer be worth when it is five years old? Computers can almost be considered to be a consumable product. The used price is based on the cost of refurbishing (cleaning) the machine.
Thanks for keeping me awake and strictly accurate.
More buying choices forOptiPlex Desktop Computer - Intel Core i5 i5-3470 3.20 GHz - Desktop
To look on the bright side, though: a 5 year old computer today is still perfectly usable and serviceable. But think about having tried to use a computer from 1995 in 2000 -- it was much more difficult because the rate of OS development at the time was bonkers. Fortunately, OSes have settled down and getting an inexpensive computer (as long as it's got somewhat decent specs) is likely to last longer now than anytime previously.
ReplyDelete(Not to mention getting a computer for under $1000 20 years ago was nearly unheard of.)
From my experience, many genealogists are happily getting along using a computer much older than five years. I know several that are still using Windows XP. The main problem is the changing online interface.
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