• Welcome to TechPowerUp Forums, Guest! Please check out our forum guidelines for info related to our community.

Best future-proof purchase you've made?

DarkMatter

New Member
Joined
Oct 5, 2007
Messages
1,714 (0.28/day)
Processor Intel C2Q Q6600 @ Stock (for now)
Motherboard Asus P5Q-E
Cooling Proc: Scythe Mine, Graphics: Zalman VF900 Cu
Memory 4 GB (2x2GB) DDR2 Corsair Dominator 1066Mhz 5-5-5-15
Video Card(s) GigaByte 8800GT Stock Clocks: 700Mhz Core, 1700 Shader, 1940 Memory
Storage 74 GB WD Raptor 10000rpm, 2x250 GB Seagate Raid 0
Display(s) HP p1130, 21" Trinitron
Case Antec p180
Audio Device(s) Creative X-Fi PLatinum
Power Supply 700W FSP Group 85% Efficiency
Software Windows XP
Must be my trusty and magical Logitech Wireless Desktop Keyboard. I have it since 2002 and still working perfectly. This keyboard has seen countless hours of playing, end-less posts and whatnot.

And now the explanation of why I haven't replaced it yet and why it is magical: I use it with 2700 mAh rechargeable batteries and believe it or not, we have replaced them only 3-4 times since 2002!!! It's no joke. A curiosity related to this is that I didn't replaced its batteries in more than 5 years, because I did the first (2003, replaced the factory=crappy batteries) and the last (last december) replacements, while my brother did one or two replacements in the middle, he doesn't clearly remember.
 
Last edited:

ShadowFold

New Member
Joined
Dec 23, 2007
Messages
16,918 (2.85/day)
Location
Omaha, NE
System Name The ShadowFold Draconis (Ordering soon)
Processor AMD Phenom II X6 1055T 2.8ghz
Motherboard ASUS M4A87TD EVO AM3 AMD 870
Cooling Stock
Memory Kingston ValueRAM 4GB DDR3-1333
Video Card(s) XFX ATi Radeon HD 5850 1gb
Storage Western Digital 640gb
Display(s) Acer 21.5" 5ms Full HD 1920x1080P
Case Antec Nine-Hundred
Audio Device(s) Onboard + Creative "Fatal1ty" Headset
Power Supply Antec Earthwatts 650w
Software Windows 7 Home Premium 64bit
Benchmark Scores -❶-❸-❸-❼-
I have an Apevia 120mm Blue LED fan that I've used for 2 years now and I still use it :D
 
K

kyle2020

Guest
hmm, Ive had this 22" syncmaster for 2 years now, epic thing. HD TV and a monitor?! PS3 look flawless through it too.

My Q6600 - its roughly 6 months old but I love it. 4Ghz on air with room to possibly hit 4.5? On a late batch? :love:

And my HX520W PSU. Damn corsair know what they are doing - tad older than my Q6600, and managed to cope with all my system specs, Q6600@ 3.8 and my 260 on ftw bios WITH a H20 Loop and extra fans - 500W they say? pfft, more like 650.
 
Joined
Nov 30, 2006
Messages
1,002 (0.16/day)
Location
NorCal
System Name Modest Box
Processor i5-4690K @ 4.7 Ghz
Motherboard ASUS Z97-C
Cooling Noctua NH-D15
Memory G.Skill Ares DDR3-2400 16GB
Video Card(s) Colorful GTX 950
Storage OCZ Vertex 460A 480GB
Display(s) HP w2558hc
Case Cooler Master Stacker 830
Audio Device(s) Onboard Realtek
Power Supply Gigabyte 750W Gold
Mouse Microsoft Intellimouse Explorer
Software Windows 10 64 Bit
8800 GTX. Two years old last month and still viable for the games I play. I usually upgrade most any component more frequently than that.
 

r9

Joined
Jul 28, 2008
Messages
3,300 (0.58/day)
System Name Primary|Secondary|Poweredge r410|Dell XPS|SteamDeck
Processor i7 11700k|i7 9700k|2 x E5620 |i5 5500U|Zen 2 4c/8t
Memory 32GB DDR4|16GB DDR4|16GB DDR4|32GB ECC DDR3|8GB DDR4|16GB LPDDR5
Video Card(s) RX 7800xt|RX 6700xt |On-Board|On-Board|8 RDNA 2 CUs
Storage 2TB m.2|512GB SSD+1TB SSD|2x256GBSSD 2x2TBGB|256GB sata|512GB nvme
Display(s) 50" 4k TV | Dell 27" |22" |3.3"|7"
VR HMD Samsung Odyssey+ | Oculus Quest 2
Software Windows 11 Pro|Windows 10 Pro|Windows 10 Home| Server 2012 r2|Windows 10 Pro
Logitech Rublepad 3+ years Logitech Precision 4+ years.
Keyboard Labtec Flat 4+ years.
I`m using them all at the moment.
 

newtekie1

Semi-Retired Folder
Joined
Nov 22, 2005
Messages
28,472 (4.25/day)
Location
Indiana, USA
Processor Intel Core i7 10850K@5.2GHz
Motherboard AsRock Z470 Taichi
Cooling Corsair H115i Pro w/ Noctua NF-A14 Fans
Memory 32GB DDR4-3600
Video Card(s) RTX 2070 Super
Storage 500GB SX8200 Pro + 8TB with 1TB SSD Cache
Display(s) Acer Nitro VG280K 4K 28"
Case Fractal Design Define S
Audio Device(s) Onboard is good enough for me
Power Supply eVGA SuperNOVA 1000w G3
Software Windows 10 Pro x64
For me, it would have to be my old Sony VAIO laptop. A 1GHz PIII with 256MB of RAM, bought 8 years ago(2001 sometime). It still works for basic tasks like microsoft office and internet browsing. I have a PIII based Celeron desktop from the same time still kicking around also with 512MB of RAM in it. I've been real tempted to hook it back up and install vista on it.
 
Joined
Nov 14, 2007
Messages
1,773 (0.30/day)
Location
Detroit, MI
Processor AMD Ryzen 7 5800X3D
Motherboard ASUS TUF Gaming X570-Pro Wifi II
Cooling Hyper 212 EVO v2
Memory 2x16GB G.Skill DDR4-4000
Video Card(s) AMD RX 6750 XT
Storage WD Black SN850 2TB, various other SSD's from ages past
Display(s) LG 27GL850 1440@144, AG Neovo EM2701QC 1440@75
Case Zophos EVO Silent by Raijintek
Audio Device(s) HyperX Cloud II Wireless headphones
Power Supply Corsair RM850x
Mouse ProtoArc EM01
Keyboard Razer Blackwidow X Chroma Mercury
Software Windows 11 Pro
Easy choice here. My Logitech Trackman Thumball mouse :)

Close second would probably be my 23" IBM Trinitron CRT.

My 24" Acer is nice, but relatively new still. I'm hoping it'll be a winner too.
 
Joined
Nov 27, 2007
Messages
2,255 (0.38/day)
System Name HOMECOMPUTER
Processor Intel i9 - 9900k @ 5.1Ghz - 1.31v
Motherboard Asux ROG Maximus XI Hero Wifi
Cooling ek supremacy evo full nickle, 2xEK 360 Radiators, ek d5 pump/res combo, ek full cover 2080ti block
Memory 16GB DDR 3600 Trident Z RGB
Video Card(s) Gigabyte RTX 2080TI
Storage 1xWD black NVME 500GB, 1xSamsung 970 Evo Plus NVME 1TB
Display(s) 2 Dell Gaming 27" 1440P Gsync
Case Lian LI PC-011 Dynamic
Audio Device(s) onboard
Power Supply Evga P2 1200Watt
Mouse Zowie FK1+
Keyboard Corsair Strafe rgb silent
Software Windows 10 Pro
Benchmark Scores i'm working on that
i'd say my p2 940... at 3.8 and soon as my water comes 4.2 which i can bench and prime as long as it's 0c in my house, once i go on water it's gonna be there for quite some time.. it's got more then enough power to keep me going for a while longer.. also my 8800gts 512's.. purchased almost 2 years ago and togeter about as fast or a bit faster then a gtx 260... still plays every game at very playable rates with good iq.
 
Joined
Nov 10, 2008
Messages
1,982 (0.35/day)
Processor Intel Core i9 9900k @ 5.1GHZ all core load (8c 16t)
Motherboard MSI MEG Z390 ACE
Cooling Corsair H100i v2 240mm
Memory 32GB Corsair 3200mhz C16 (2x16GB)
Video Card(s) Powercolor RX 6900 XT Red Devil Ultimate (XTXH) @ 2.6ghz core, 2.1ghz mem
Storage 256GB WD Black NVME drive, 4TB across various SSDs/NVMEs, 4TB HDD
Display(s) Asus 32" PG32QUX (4k 144hz mini-LED backlit IPS with freesync & gsync & 1400 nit HDR)
Case Corsair 760T
Power Supply Corsair HX850i
Mouse Logitech G502 Lightspeed on powerplay mousemat
Keyboard Logitech G910
VR HMD Wireless Vive Pro & Valve knuckles
Software Windows 10 Pro
In my PC it would be my psu - enermax galaxy 850 launch version, over 2 years old and still got plenty of headroom left. My monitor as well, acer ferrari F20A with the S-IPS panel, that's 3 years old now at 1680x1050 and still no dead pixels, only problem is it doesn't detect when the pc shuts down and thus never goes into standbye...

Best futureproof thing i have bought is my PDA - 4 year old HP IPAQ hx4700 - when i bought it i also bought a tomtom bluetooth gps receiver which also came with a sd card with the software on to run with the pda, perfect then and is still now.
 

spearman914

New Member
Joined
Apr 14, 2008
Messages
3,338 (0.57/day)
Location
Brooklyn, New York 11223
System Name Mine | Dad + Mom
Processor E8500 E0 Wolfdale @ 4.6GHz 1.5V | E2180 M0 Allendale @ 3.0GHz 1.3V
Motherboard Asus Maximus Formula (X48) w/ Rampage BIOS | Asus P5Q Pro (P45)
Cooling Xigmatek Rifle HDT-S1283 w/ SFF21F Fan | Arctic Cooling Freezer 7 Pro
Memory G.Skill Pi Black 2x2GB 1.02GHz CL5 | OCZ Reaper 2x2GB 1.05GHz CL5
Video Card(s) Sapphire 4870X2 2GB 820/1020MHz | Sapphire 4850 1GB 700/1100MHz
Storage WD VR 150GB 10K RPM + WD 500GB 7.2K RPM | WD 200GB 7.2K RPM
Display(s) Acer P243WAID 24" 1920x1200 LCD | Acer V193W 19" 1440x900 LCD
Case Cooler Master HAF 932 Full-Tower | Antec Twelve Hundred Mid-Tower
Audio Device(s) Fatal1ty Xtreme Gamer w/ Z-5500 5.1 | On-Board Audio w/ S-220 2.1
Power Supply PC Power and Cooling 750W Non-Modular | Corsair HX-520W Modular
Software Windows Vista Home Premium X64 | Windows Vista Home Premium X64
Benchmark Scores Not Wasting Time!
My ethernet cable. :D My dad used it for 10 years and i used for 4 yearrs.
 
Joined
May 31, 2005
Messages
274 (0.04/day)
6 yr old pair of Logitech MX510 mice.

15 yr old Laserjet 4P?

Longest lasting vid card would either be the Radeon 9700 Pro or the 8800GTX. I haven't had the 8800GTX as long as I had the 9700 Pro yet. Though, honestly, I think lots of video cards from the past couple years will last for many years. Games aren't advancing in graphics much these days, partly because the consoles lock down the capabilities rather well unfortunately.
 
Last edited:
Joined
Feb 8, 2008
Messages
2,665 (0.45/day)
Location
Switzerland
Processor i9 9900KS ( 5 Ghz all the time )
Motherboard Asus Maximus XI Hero Z390
Cooling EK Velocity + EK D5 pump + Alphacool full copper silver 360mm radiator
Memory 16GB Corsair Dominator GT ROG Edition 3333 Mhz
Video Card(s) ASUS TUF RTX 3080 Ti 12GB OC
Storage M.2 Samsung NVMe 970 Evo Plus 250 GB + 1TB 970 Evo Plus
Display(s) Asus PG279 IPS 1440p 165Hz G-sync
Case Cooler Master H500
Power Supply Asus ROG Thor 850W
Mouse Razer Deathadder Chroma
Keyboard Rapoo
Software Win 10 64 Bit
My 8800 Ultra, the 384bit front side bus is the secret weapon of this amazing graphics card. I have it about 2 years, and i play every game at high res ( expect for crysis ) with high framerate.
Im so proud of him, the best Nvidia GPU ever made (G80).
 

DrPepper

The Doctor is in the house
Joined
Jan 16, 2008
Messages
7,482 (1.26/day)
Location
Scotland (It rains alot)
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
I got a piece of wood that I use when I'm gaming because my table used to be uncomfortable and it increased my scores 3 fold :p best purchase ever.
 
Joined
Oct 19, 2008
Messages
3,159 (0.56/day)
System Name White Theme
Processor Intel 12700K CPU
Motherboard ASUS STRIX Z690-A D4
Cooling Lian Li Galahad Uni w/ AL120 Fans
Memory 32GB DDR4-3200 Corsair Vengeance
Video Card(s) Gigabyte Aero 4080 Super 16GB
Storage 2TB Samsung 980 Pro PCIE 4.0
Display(s) Alienware 38" 3840x1600 (165Hz)
Case Lian Li O11 Dynamic EVO White
Audio Device(s) 2i2 Scarlett Solo + Schiit Magni 3 AMP
Power Supply Corsair HX 1000 Platinum
My wireless card i've had it for years but I would have to say my antec 1200, i don't think I'll be buying bundled computer systems from now on, just part by part thanks to this sexy enclosure lol.
 
Joined
Aug 7, 2008
Messages
5,739 (1.00/day)
Location
Wakefield, UK
hmm.. im fairly new to computers (enthuiast wise), so the longest things for me, on this build, are the mouse and speakers - 2 years. Then the PSU and HDD, since June last year.
 

ShadowFold

New Member
Joined
Dec 23, 2007
Messages
16,918 (2.85/day)
Location
Omaha, NE
System Name The ShadowFold Draconis (Ordering soon)
Processor AMD Phenom II X6 1055T 2.8ghz
Motherboard ASUS M4A87TD EVO AM3 AMD 870
Cooling Stock
Memory Kingston ValueRAM 4GB DDR3-1333
Video Card(s) XFX ATi Radeon HD 5850 1gb
Storage Western Digital 640gb
Display(s) Acer 21.5" 5ms Full HD 1920x1080P
Case Antec Nine-Hundred
Audio Device(s) Onboard + Creative "Fatal1ty" Headset
Power Supply Antec Earthwatts 650w
Software Windows 7 Home Premium 64bit
Benchmark Scores -❶-❸-❸-❼-
I'd like to say my 4830 crossfire setup would be the move futureproof move I've ever made but that's what I said when I got my HD 3850, HD 4850 etc...
 
Joined
Mar 27, 2008
Messages
697 (0.12/day)
Location
Zagreb, Croatia
Processor C2D E8400@3.9GHz (488x8, 1.4v :( )
Motherboard Abit IP35-E
Cooling Thermaltake Sonic Tower+120mm fan
Memory 2GB kingmax ddr1066@976MHz 5-5-5-15
Video Card(s) Radeon X1800GTO @700/1400MHz with Accelero S1+Glacialtech fancard
Storage 2xSeagate Barracuda 7200.10 160GB
Display(s) Samsung SyncMaster 793s... just you laugh...
Case some Aplus case
Audio Device(s) Realtek ALC888
Power Supply Chieftec 450W
Software Win7 x64
My logitech MX510. THE mouse. ergonomically perfect (IMHO), malfunctions only when some crap like hairs gets stucked in the optics. other than that it has never failed me. simply perfect for me.
 

CH@NO

New Member
Joined
May 24, 2007
Messages
901 (0.15/day)
Location
Toluca, Mexico
System Name Thank God you're back!!!
Processor Intel Core i3 2100 @ 3.1GHz (stock)
Motherboard ECS H67H2-M3
Cooling Stock + 1 X 80mm Thermaltake red LED
Memory 1 X 4 GB Kingston 1333MHz DDR3
Video Card(s) coming soon
Storage 1TB Seagate SATAII + 500GB Hitachi USB (External)
Display(s) Samsung 20" LED Widescreen
Case coming soon
Audio Device(s) Onboard Realtek HD 6ch Audio
Power Supply Generic 450W with 20A on the 12v+ rail
Software Windows 7 Ultimate x64
Benchmark Scores coming soon
mmm, I think my 250GB HDD, It has survived 2 years now, It's IDE and I want to upgrade it to SATAII but since It didn't failed me yet I'll keep it some time more.
 
Joined
Dec 24, 2008
Messages
2,062 (0.37/day)
Location
Volos, Greece
System Name ATLAS
Processor Intel Core i7-4770 (4C/8T) Haswell
Motherboard GA-Z87X-UD5H , Dual Intel LAN, 10x SATA, 16x Power phace.
Cooling ProlimaTech Armageddon - Dual GELID 140 Silent PWM
Memory Mushkin Blackline DDR3 2400 997123F 16GB
Video Card(s) MSI GTX1060 OC 6GB (single fan) Micron
Storage WD Raptors 73Gb - Raid1 10.000rpm
Display(s) DELL U2311H
Case HEC Compucase CI-6919 Full tower (2003) moded .. hec-group.com.tw
Audio Device(s) Creative X-Fi Music + mods, Audigy front Panel - YAMAHA quad speakers with Sub.
Power Supply HPU-4M780-PE refurbished 23-3-2022
Mouse MS Pro IntelliMouse 16.000 Dpi Pixart Paw 3389
Keyboard Microsoft Wired 600
Software Win 7 Pro x64 ( Retail Box ) for EU
" Best future-proof purchase "

Its hard to report them all , the last 15 years i do only " future-proof purchases ",
because my income is very unstable .

The " future-proof purchase " cost even two times more , than ordinary stuff .

Other that buying stuff , its also important how much you use them, and how gentle you are with them .

True Logitech MX510 , its a fine mouse for the Gamers :) and very expensive one , i have the blue version .

The most impressive items , of my items , are my Sony G-420 19" CRT , and my Olympus C2100 UZ digital camera , both excellent products , that they do a perfect job , as long they are working. :)

I try to be gentle with both of them , as i am with everything that i own.


If some one realizes , how much hard work evolved behind every " well made product ",
it will be a crime , to not treat it with the proper respect and gentleness.
 

Polarman

New Member
Joined
Jun 24, 2008
Messages
1,626 (0.28/day)
Location
Rimouski
System Name Polar's Dragon
Processor AMD Phenom II 975BE
Motherboard MSI 890FXA-GD65 (Bios 18.7)
Cooling Zalman CNPS 9700 Led
Memory Gskill 8GB DDR3-1333 (8,8,8,21)
Video Card(s) MSI HD6870 Hawk
Storage WD Raptor 250 - WD RE4 500GB
Display(s) Samsung T240 (1920 X1200)
Case Silverstone Raven 2
Audio Device(s) Realtek ALC892
Power Supply PC Power&Cooling Silencer 750 (Red)
Software Windows 7 Home Premium 64Bit + SP1
Buying a HOUSE !!! :D
 
Joined
Apr 3, 2008
Messages
3,051 (0.52/day)
Location
Pontaic Michigan
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

Polarman

New Member
Joined
Jun 24, 2008
Messages
1,626 (0.28/day)
Location
Rimouski
System Name Polar's Dragon
Processor AMD Phenom II 975BE
Motherboard MSI 890FXA-GD65 (Bios 18.7)
Cooling Zalman CNPS 9700 Led
Memory Gskill 8GB DDR3-1333 (8,8,8,21)
Video Card(s) MSI HD6870 Hawk
Storage WD Raptor 250 - WD RE4 500GB
Display(s) Samsung T240 (1920 X1200)
Case Silverstone Raven 2
Audio Device(s) Realtek ALC892
Power Supply PC Power&Cooling Silencer 750 (Red)
Software Windows 7 Home Premium 64Bit + SP1
I'm not worried. My mortgage is less than an average appartement. In 10 years, it will be paid.
 

Verizon

New Member
Joined
Nov 16, 2006
Messages
233 (0.04/day)
Location
earth
System Name To Loud To Name
Processor AMD X2 6000+ 3.647GHz @ 1.75V
Motherboard AN-M2HD
Cooling Crappy Coolermaster cooler
Memory Geil Blck Drgn PC6400
Video Card(s) HD3870 Turbo Fan Modded
Storage raid every other week
Display(s) 17in sony
Case Depends on the day of the week
Audio Device(s) realtek hd
Power Supply reap power pro 650w
Software different every day
Benchmark Scores does it really matter?
Sony 17" lcd monitor. has run since june 2005, thought random pixels were dieing, turns out there was black paint speckels on the screen lol
 

J-Man

New Member
Joined
May 14, 2007
Messages
2,248 (0.36/day)
Location
Oakham, UK
System Name Watercooled beast
Processor Intel Core 2 Quad Q9550 @ 4.02GHz
Motherboard ASUS Rampage Formula X48
Cooling Swiftech Apogee GTZ, Black Ice GTX Xtreme 480, EK 250 Rev 2, EK 4870 X2, MCP655, 1/2" Tygon Tubing
Memory 4GB DDR2 OCZ @ 1066MHz 2.1V
Video Card(s) HIS ATI Radeon HD 4870 X2 800 on core, 1000 on memory (overclocked in CCC)
Storage 500GB Maxtor Diamondmax 22 SATA II 32MB Cache
Display(s) Samsung 24" SM245B
Case SilverStone TJ07 black/windowed version
Audio Device(s) Creative X-Fi Xtreme Gamer Fatal1ty + Logitech Z-5500
Power Supply Thermaltake Toughpower 1200W Modular
Software Windows Vista Ultimate 64-bit Retail
PSU will be future proof for a while yet.
 
Joined
Feb 20, 2006
Messages
771 (0.12/day)
Location
Yulee ,Florida
System Name My Mistress :)' AMD 1440
Processor Ryzen 7 5700x @4848.87Mhz
Motherboard Asus ROG Strix B550-F Gaming
Cooling Cooler Master ML240L RGB V2
Memory 32 GB 2x16 GB GSkill Trident Neo 3600Mhz CL16
Video Card(s) AMD Radeon™ XFX SPEEDSTER MERC 319 RX 6750 XT BLACK 12GB /\ Core 2700Mhz Vram 2312 UV 1145mv
Storage WD SN850 Black 1TB M.2 OS C: / Samsung 860 evo 500GB SSD Disk 2/ Western Digital 1TB SATA3 Disk 3
Display(s) MSI G32C4W 31.3" Curved 165Hz 1080p / Samsung 50" 4k 6 series
Case Vetroo Mesh6
Audio Device(s) LOGITECH Z-2300 2.1 THX SERIES / RIG 800 LX Dolby Atmos
Power Supply Thermaltake Smart 700watt
Mouse Asus
Keyboard Asus
Software Windows 11 64bit Home
Benchmark Scores CB R23 15306 SuperPos. 4K 10980 CpuZ 667.3/6728.2 TimeSpy 14,090
can opener

Can_Opener.jpg

just in case
 
Top