Best future-proof purchase you've made?

Error 404 · Feb 23, 2009

Well, I've just realised my laptop is 9 years old now, and it cost about $4200 when it was new, and it still works! (mostly).
So, whats the longest running piece of hardware you still use, or your best purchase ever?

Deleted member 3 · Feb 23, 2009

My laptop is a Tualatin, so it's pretty ancient as well. Still does everything I want it to, though the battery wouldn't mind being replaced. Runs like 90 mins now, should be able to do much longer. I guess laptops last longer than desktops as many people don't require them to be very powerful. It's fine for some visual studio, office, browsing the web. Can even watch DivX movies without any problems. Has TV-out as well.

Apart from that networking equipment and storage controllers tend to last long. I still have some U160 equipment in service, still works great.

InnocentCriminal · Feb 23, 2009

Mine was an old Packard Bell desktop - it was my first PC I had when I was 11 and lasted me until I was 18, so 7 years. It was a good ol' P166MMX based rig which I managed to overclock to 200MHz using a jumper on the motherboard.

If it wasn't for that machine I wouldn't be an IT Technician now, I wouldn't be sat at my workstation taking calls, replying to fraught customer emails and repairing broken laptops & the a-like.

I owe a lot to that machine - it's funny how it's in my carport with Ivy growing all around it and inside. Maybe I should grow a moustache and take pictures of it for my deviant art account.

phanbuey · Feb 23, 2009

Pentium II 350 and Voodoo Banshee first rig i ever built - 64MB ram... bought them back in 98 and kept them through 2003 - still played most of my games lol. 5 Years is still my record. I remeber installing XP on it and watching it crawl because of the lack of ram.

wolf · Feb 23, 2009

Q6600 is probably the CPU ive kept as my main powerhouse for the longest. oh and my 8800GTX is standing the test of time and proving to be a worthwhile investment.

MilkyWay · Feb 23, 2009

a £20 benq drive back in the day still using it just now, also i still have a old maxtor hard drive 80gb

wiak · Feb 23, 2009

my best purchase is my Logitech Z-5500 its still exellent today and i bought it in 2004
the second best purchase i made is Corsair HX620 (Exellent PSU!)

FordGT90Concept · Feb 23, 2009

An original Radeon (R100). I still use it to test if onboard video died or as a stand in to test if the original video card in a system called it quits. It's PCI so it will work in pretty much any computer built in the last decade.

Second place would be the Audigy 2 ZS and Klipsch ProMedia Ultra 5.1. Both were purchased back in 2003 and both are still full functional. I admit, the BASH amp went out on the Klipsch but I don't consider that a drawback because that was the best case of tech support/customer service I have ever had. They are and will remain "future-proof" because there's nothing better than analog audio (at least in my book).

Mussels · Feb 23, 2009

wolf said:
Q6600 is probably the CPU ive kept as my main powerhouse for the longest. oh and my 8800GTX is standing the test of time and proving to be a worthwhile investment.

Q6600 and 8800GTX for me as well. Hell, they're still paired together in my LAN rig, and that system kept up quite well with an i7 rig at the last lan.

will · Feb 23, 2009

Probably my G5, it's the only thing I keep when I build a new pc/upgrade. I love it and if/when it dies I'll buy another!
Also my Audigy 2ZS, I've had that for ages, probably due for an upgrade some time soon though...

wolf · Feb 23, 2009

Mussels said:
Q6600 and 8800GTX for me as well. Hell, they're still paired together in my LAN rig, and that system kept up quite well with an i7 rig at the last lan.

same, i use the Q6600 in my lan rig, and with the GTX295, ive been ahead at all my local lans still

OzzmanFloyd120 · Feb 23, 2009

The DVD-RW combo drive that's in my rig, it's seen four years of service so far and still going strong.
In fact it's the only peice of HW that hasn't changed in my rig since I've bought it.

PVTCaboose1337 · Feb 23, 2009

My 7900gt. It has been around for quite some time and always finds a new home as soon as the old owner rejects it. I paid $290 for it, and it is still a great card.

jagass · Feb 23, 2009

Mine is only two years old...lol

Mussels · Feb 23, 2009

oh man i cant beleive i forgot a few things.

Sure the Q6600 and the 8800GTX were big ones, but i missed a few more.

1. sennheiser HD-555 headphones. had htem since 2001, and STILL the best headphones of anyone i know. i've seen PC's that cost less than these babies.

2. 40 samsung" HDTV. well i've only had it a year, but i bet this baby will be here for years to come. zero motivation to replace it.

3. logitech Z5500's - again only about a year, but they work so well with the TV i dont think these will be replaced any time soon either.

DrPepper · Feb 23, 2009

Athlon X2 6000

Cost me about £250 when I got it methinks and it just needs a new mobo but it still flies.

Pete1burn · Feb 23, 2009

My Klipsch Promedia 5.1s. I bought them like 7 years ago and they're still going strong. Awesome speakers.

RadeonX2 · Feb 23, 2009

Asus Commando... still kicking till now OC'ed my Q6600 to 4.1GHz :toast:

lemonadesoda · Feb 23, 2009

HP 9200c
Sony VAIO Z600
Mission Cyrus Amp. Drives my PC speakers (Canton CD10)
FVL328 Router
Microsoft Office 2000

All remain in daily operation.

Sasqui · Feb 23, 2009

Pete1burn said:
My Klipsch Promedia 5.1s. I bought them like 7 years ago and they're still going strong. Awesome speakers.

I was trying to think and you hit the nail on the head, only mine are the 4.1's - I have a set of the 5.1's in my living room.

Ironically, the longest lived piece of hardware I have in my 'puter is a creative live platinum... as much as I dont like that company. :rolleyes:

Pete1burn · Feb 23, 2009

Hehe definitely. When these finally die (knock on wood) I'm going build a small home theater speaker set up in my computer room with Klipsch speakers.

wolf · Feb 23, 2009

Mussels said:
oh man i cant beleive i forgot a few things.

Sure the Q6600 and the 8800GTX were big ones, but i missed a few more.

1. sennheiser HD-555 headphones. had htem since 2001, and STILL the best headphones of anyone i know. i've seen PC's that cost less than these babies.

2. 40 samsung" HDTV. well i've only had it a year, but i bet this baby will be here for years to come. zero motivation to replace it.

3. logitech Z5500's - again only about a year, but they work so well with the TV i dont think these will be replaced any time soon either.

heh i hear you there, i missed my 28" viewsonic LCD monitor, paid 645 Ausie dollars on it about a year ago and right now they are 900+ so im very happy and its BIG for games and tv shows.

My gen 1 G15 keyboard, thats over 2 years old now...

about 5-6 years ago i also bought a dlink 16-port layer 2 10/100 switch (DES-1016D ?), has been the lanning switch since then, such a robust unit, and i love that it just figures everything out for you.

my racing bucket gaming chair, its pretty much a high performance car racing bucket seat bolted to a wheelie base, gorgeous.

ill add more as i remember them.

pagalms · Feb 23, 2009

My Ex110 wireless keyboard. I bought it two years ago and it's still great.

WhiteLotus · Feb 23, 2009

fits E8600 - seeing as it flys and still needs to be overclocked, i think it should last me a few years.

h3llb3nd4 · Feb 23, 2009

My keyboard & mouse :Lol: Used it for about 6 years

System Name	QUACK
Processor	Intel i7 2600K (3.4 GHz, 8 threads)
Motherboard	Asus P67P8-V3
Cooling	Xigmatek Balder 120mm (4x120,1x140mm case)
Memory	Patriot 2 Viper Sector 5, 8GB DDR3 1600 MHz
Video Card(s)	Gigabyte GeForce GTX 960 G1 4GB
Storage	1x Samsung EVO 850 (500GB) SSD, 1x Fujitsu 256GB SSD
Display(s)	Dell Ultrasharp U2311h 23" (so sexy)
Case	CoolerMaster Gladiator RC-600
Audio Device(s)	Onboard 5.1
Power Supply	Antec 850w with yellow racing stripes
Software	Windows 7 HP 64 bit

System Name	BeeR 6
Processor	Intel Core i7 3770K*
Motherboard	ASUS Maximus V Gene (1155/Z77)
Cooling	Corsair H100i
Memory	16GB Samsung Green 1600MHz DDR3**
Video Card(s)	4GB MSI Gaming X RX480
Storage	256GB Samsung 840 Pro SSD
Display(s)	27" Samsung C27F591FDU
Case	Fractal Design Arc Mini
Power Supply	Corsair HX750W
Software	64bit Microsoft Windows 10 Pro
Benchmark Scores	@ 4.6GHz *@ 2133MHz

Processor	13700KF Undervolted @ 5.6/ 5.5, 4.8Ghz Ring 200W PL1
Motherboard	MSI 690-I PRO
Cooling	Thermalright Peerless Assassin 120 w/ Arctic P12 Fans
Memory	48 GB DDR5 7600 MHZ CL36
Video Card(s)	RTX 4090 FE
Storage	2x 2TB WDC SN850, 1TB Samsung 960 prr
Display(s)	Alienware 32" 4k 240hz OLED
Case	SLIGER S620
Audio Device(s)	Yes
Power Supply	Corsair SF750
Mouse	Xlite V2
Keyboard	RoyalAxe
Software	Windows 11
Benchmark Scores	They're pretty good, nothing crazy.

System Name	MightyX
Processor	Ryzen 5800X3D
Motherboard	Gigabyte X570 I Aorus Pro WiFi
Cooling	Scythe Fuma 2
Memory	32GB DDR4 3600 CL16
Video Card(s)	Asus TUF RTX3080 Deshrouded
Storage	WD Black SN850X 2TB
Display(s)	LG 42C2 4K OLED
Case	Coolermaster NR200P
Audio Device(s)	LG SN5Y / Focal Clear
Power Supply	Corsair SF750 Platinum
Mouse	Corsair Dark Core RBG Pro SE
Keyboard	Glorious GMMK Compact w/pudding
VR HMD	Meta Quest 3
Software	case populated with Artic P12's
Benchmark Scores	4k120 OLED Gsync bliss

Processor	Ryzen 5900X
Motherboard	Gigabyte B550I AORUS PRO AX 1.1
Cooling	Noctua NB-U12A
Memory	2x 32GB Fury DDR4 3200mhz
Video Card(s)	PowerColor Radeon 5700 XT Red Dragon
Storage	Kingston FURY Renegade 2TB PCIe 4.0
Display(s)	2x Dell U2412M
Case	Phanteks P400A
Audio Device(s)	Hifimediy Sabre 9018 USB DAC
Power Supply	Corsair AX850 (from 2012)
Software	Windows 10?

Best future-proof purchase you've made?

Error 404

Deleted member 3

InnocentCriminal

Resident Grammar Amender

phanbuey

wolf

Performance Enthusiast

MilkyWay

wiak

FordGT90Concept

"I go fast!1!11!1!"

Mussels

Freshwater Moderator

will

wolf

Performance Enthusiast

OzzmanFloyd120

PVTCaboose1337

Graphical Hacker

jagass

New Member

Mussels

Freshwater Moderator

DrPepper

The Doctor is in the house

Pete1burn

RadeonX2

lemonadesoda

Sasqui

Pete1burn

wolf

Performance Enthusiast

pagalms

WhiteLotus

h3llb3nd4

New Member

System Name	BY-2021
Processor	AMD Ryzen 7 5800X (65w eco profile)
Motherboard	MSI B550 Gaming Plus
Cooling	Scythe Mugen (rev 5)
Memory	2 x Kingston HyperX DDR4-3200 32 GiB
Video Card(s)	AMD Radeon RX 7900 XT
Storage	Samsung 980 Pro, Seagate Exos X20 TB 7200 RPM
Display(s)	Nixeus NX-EDG274K (3840x2160@144 DP) + Samsung SyncMaster 906BW (1440x900@60 HDMI-DVI)
Case	Coolermaster HAF 932 w/ USB 3.0 5.25" bay + USB 3.2 (A+C) 3.5" bay
Audio Device(s)	Realtek ALC1150, Micca OriGen+
Power Supply	Enermax Platimax 850w
Mouse	Nixeus REVEL-X
Keyboard	Tesoro Excalibur
Software	Windows 10 Home 64-bit
Benchmark Scores	Faster than the tortoise; slower than the hare.

System Name	Rainbow Sparkles (Power efficient, <350W gaming load)
Processor	Ryzen R7 5800x3D (Undervolted, 4.45GHz all core)
Motherboard	Asus x570-F (BIOS Modded)
Cooling	Alphacool Apex UV - Alphacool Eisblock XPX Aurora + EK Quantum ARGB 3090 w/ active backplate
Memory	2x32GB DDR4 3600 Corsair Vengeance RGB @3866 C18-22-22-22-42 TRFC704 (1.4V Hynix MJR - SoC 1.15V)
Video Card(s)	Galax RTX 3090 SG 24GB: Underclocked to 1700Mhz 0.750v (375W down to 250W))
Storage	2TB WD SN850 NVME + 1TB Sasmsung 970 Pro NVME + 1TB Intel 6000P NVME USB 3.2
Display(s)	Phillips 32 32M1N5800A (4k144), LG 32" (4K60) \| Gigabyte G32QC (2k165) \| Phillips 328m6fjrmb (2K144)
Case	Fractal Design R6
Audio Device(s)	Logitech G560 \| Corsair Void pro RGB \|Blue Yeti mic
Power Supply	Fractal Ion+ 2 860W (Platinum) (This thing is God-tier. Silent and TINY)
Mouse	Logitech G Pro wireless + Steelseries Prisma XL
Keyboard	Razer Huntsman TE ( Sexy white keycaps)
VR HMD	Oculus Rift S + Quest 2
Software	Windows 11 pro x64 (Yes, it's genuinely a good OS) OpenRGB - ditch the branded bloatware!
Benchmark Scores	Nyooom.

Processor	Intel Core i5 750
Motherboard	Maximus III Formula P55
Cooling	Ultima 90i
Memory	4GB Kingston HyperX
Video Card(s)	PNY GTX465 @ GTX470 w/ 1280MB vRAM
Storage	OCZ Vertex 2E 60GB + 2x1TB Samsung F1
Display(s)	Samsung 245B
Case	Black Cosmos S
Audio Device(s)	Creative Audigy 2ZS
Power Supply	Antec NeoHE 550W
Software	7 Ultimate 64bit, OSX

System Name	The Netbook
Processor	Intel Atom n270
Memory	1GB DDR2 533mhz
Video Card(s)	Intel G945
Storage	250GB
Display(s)	10.1" LCD
Software	Microsoft Windows 7 Starter x86

System Name	Whim
Processor	Intel Core i5 2500k @ 4.4ghz
Motherboard	Asus P8Z77-V LX
Cooling	Cooler Master Hyper 212+
Memory	2 x 4GB G.Skill Ripjaws @ 1600mhz
Video Card(s)	Gigabyte GTX 670 2gb
Storage	Samsung 840 Pro 256gb, WD 2TB Black
Display(s)	Shimian QH270 (1440p), Asus VE228 (1080p)
Case	Cooler Master 430 Elite
Audio Device(s)	Onboard > PA2V2 Amp > Senn 595's
Power Supply	Corsair 750w
Software	Windows 8.1 (Tweaked)

System Name	Rusky
Processor	Intel Core i7 D0 3.8Ghz
Motherboard	Asus P6T
Cooling	Thermaltake Dark Knight
Memory	12GB Patriot Viper's 1866mhz 9-9-9-24
Video Card(s)	GTX470 1280MB
Storage	OCZ Summit 60GB + Samsung 1TB + Samsung 2TB
Display(s)	Sharp Aquos L32X20E 1920 x 1080
Case	Silverstone Raven RV01
Power Supply	Corsair 650 Watt
Software	Windows 7 x64
Benchmark Scores	3DMark06 - 18064 http://img.techpowerup.org/090720/Capture002.jpg

System Name	Serenity
Processor	Intel i7-4770K
Motherboard	Asus Maximus VI Hero
Cooling	Xigmatek Dark Knight II SD1283
Memory	16GB Kingston DDR3
Video Card(s)	Gigabyte GTX 770 4GB
Storage	2x Samsung 840 Pro 256GB SSDs, RAID0
Display(s)	2x 27" Samsung curved
Case	Coolermaster HAF 932
Audio Device(s)	HT Omega Striker 7.1
Power Supply	Thermaltake 1200w
Software	Windows 10 Pro 64-bit

Processor	Q6600 @ 3.6GHz \| P4 @ 2.1GHz
Motherboard	Asus Commando ROG (Vdroop mod) \| Asus P4V8X-MX
Cooling	MegaShadow w/ 2x Scythe Slipstream MX-2 Paste + Kama Bay + 4x120mm case fan \| stock Intel
Memory	Kingston 4x1GB DDR2 @ 800MHz w/ OCZ XTC cooler \| 1GB DDR @ 400MHz
Video Card(s)	Palit GTX 260 1792mb 448bit @ 713/1458/1116x2 \| GeForce 4 MX 440 AGP8X 64mb 64bit
Storage	640GB WD AACS 250GB Excelstor 160GB Seagate \| 40GB WD
Display(s)	Samsung T220, Samsung 32" 1080P \| LG L1752S
Case	Gigabyte 3D Aurora 570 \| Trendsonic mid tower
Audio Device(s)	Asus Supreme FX (Creative Inspire 5.1 speaker), Samsung HT-Z220 \| Onboard audio (2.1 Speaker)
Power Supply	Gigabyte Odin Pro 800W \| 550W generic
Software	Vista Ultimate 64 SP2 \| XP Pro 32 SP3
Benchmark Scores	3Dmark06 - 17,348 Vantage - P13,510 Super PI 1M - 12.765s @ 4.1GHz GenericCPUbench - 6,864 ms 38,

System Name	ICE-QUAD // ICE-CRUNCH
Processor	Q6600 // 2x Xeon 5472
Memory	2GB DDR // 8GB FB-DIMM
Video Card(s)	HD3850-AGP // FireGL 3400
Display(s)	2 x Samsung 204Ts = 3200x1200
Audio Device(s)	Audigy 2
Software	Windows Server 2003 R2 as a Workstation now migrated to W10 with regrets.

System Name	Senile
Processor	I7-4790K@4.8 GHz 24/7
Motherboard	MSI Z97-G45 Gaming
Cooling	Be Quiet Pure Rock Air
Memory	16GB 4x4 G.Skill CAS9 2133 Sniper
Video Card(s)	GIGABYTE Vega 64
Storage	Samsung EVO 500GB / 8 Different WDs / QNAP TS-253 8GB NAS with 2x10Tb WD Blue
Display(s)	34" LG 34CB88-P 21:9 Curved UltraWide QHD (34401440) FREE_SYNC*
Case	Rosewill
Audio Device(s)	Onboard + HD HDMI
Power Supply	Corsair HX750
Mouse	Logitech G5
Keyboard	Corsair Strafe RGB & G610 Orion Red
Software	Win 10

Processor	AMD Athlon 64 X2 4400+ lapped @3,0GHz
Motherboard	Gigabyte GA-MA785GM-US2H
Cooling	Xigmatek HDT-D1264
Memory	2GB Crucial Ballistix Tracer
Video Card(s)	Xpertvision 8800GTS 640MB G80
Storage	250GB Seagate Barracuda & 750GB Samsung
Display(s)	Samsung Syncmaster 931BF
Case	Coolermaster CM690
Audio Device(s)	Realtek ALC889A
Power Supply	HEC WinPower 550W
Software	Ubuntu 10.04 x86 & Windows 7 x86
Benchmark Scores	I'm scared of benching

System Name	Vintage
Processor	i7 - 3770K @ Stock
Cooling	Scythe Zipang II
Memory	2x4GB Crucial DDR3
Video Card(s)	MSI GTX970
Storage	M4 124GB SSD// WD Black 640GB// WD Black 1TB//Samsung F3 1.5TB
Display(s)	Samsung SM223BW 21.6"
Case	Generic
Power Supply	Corsair HX 520W
Software	Windows 7

System Name	My mobo is Laughing at me
Processor	E7400
Motherboard	P5KPL-E Bios flashed to 0601 (Piece of poo!!)
Cooling	Thermalright Ultra 120a
Memory	GENERIC 2 GB DDR2 800
Video Card(s)	NONE!! Beat that!!
Storage	500GB SAMSUNG SATAII, 250GB SAMSUNG SATAII and o'l crappy 4gb maxtor
Display(s)	ACER X223W Q
Case	AEROCOOL ZERODEGREE (planning to mod)
Audio Device(s)	REALTEK ONBOARD
Power Supply	GIGABYTE 460W
Software	Win 7 x86 build 7022
Benchmark Scores	Super Pi 1m 17.000 :(