I've been using mine for 2 years.. I've read infinite's topic regarding 12 kontakt channels plus eastwest choirs etc.. make me desired..

How old your computer and how often you buy a new one?

I've had my laptop for about 18 months now and I'm just about to upgrade to a stationary DAW. Prior to the laptop I had another computer for about two years. We'll see for how long I will keep my new computer. I'm planning to get one with lots of ram and a quad core and so on so things should be running real smooth for while.

I've been using mine for 2 years...How old your computer and how often you buy a new one?

The standard average lifetime of a desktop PC is supposed to be 4 years. But this probably applies more to PCs that are intended for general home and office use rather than ones used to run specialist software where performance is critical.

I built mine early last year. The previous one (based around Athlon XP1800+) dated from 4 years earlier. I only felt the need to upgrade after I enrolled for a Photoshop module at the local Uni. Unfortunately, I had not considered using a PC for music at the time, otherwise I might have made some slightly different choices of components. I have been recently pushing it to its limits with Sonar.

About 3 years now I guess (XP 3200+). My normal plan is to upgrade when I can get a mid-range machine at least twice as fast as the current one, otherwise I don't think it's that worth it.

The standard average lifetime of a desktop PC is supposed to be 4 years.

I think most companies here write them off in 3.

I sort of piggy-back on Mr. Moore, so about every 18 months (couple of months after major introductions) I pick up the old stuff on the cheap. Been doing that for ages. Bleeding edge is not for me, or my wallet.

I got mine for 3 1/2 years now and it works so well I don't plan on buying a new one anytime soon. I'd only buy new one now if the one I got dies (knock on wood) or I win the power ball

I buy a new machine every 2-3 years, usually because a Sonar upgrade makes the old one struggle to keep up.

Often I will do an upgrade of some sort mid-cycle, e.g. adding RAM or more hard drive space. I upgraded the CPU on my current machine when AMD dropped prices on their x2 dual-core processors. I now have FX Teleport, and I'm not as likely to do another CPU upgrade when I can add a very potent machine to the FX Teleport network, with practically zero setup time, for a few hundred dollars.

I agree with the previous poster who wrote that he doesn't buy leading-edge machines, but waits for the prices to drop. The difference between a leading edge machine and a machine that was leading edge 6 to 12 months earlier is thousands of dollars. Even Sonar doesn't demand that kind of investment.

Regards, lightninrick

My rule of thumb (like roflcopter's) is that "latest and greatest" isn't necessary - not to mention not in my budget .

I wait until my system struggles to do the everyday tasks, and then make a change. I do add peripheral upgrades along the way that will improve performance; faster drives, more RAM, etc. But I had my last machine for about 4-1/2 years. I started doing music and audio stuff about 2 years ago, and was able to get what I needed in terms of audio work out of it until this spring.

Cheers,

Russ

I'd say 4-5 years with minor upgrades (e.g., more ram, new cpu, etc.).

I used a Pentium 1.4 Ghz for 4 or 5 years. During that time, I only added some RAM. A couple years ago I upgraded to an Athlon 64 3200+ on Socket 939, with the idea of upgrading to a dual core CPU later (after prices came down), which I did just two days ago - I changed the CPU to an X2 4400+ (cost me much less than the 3200+). I could have waited a bit more but Socket 939 CPU's were becoming very hard to find, especially dual cores. This setup will work for me for another 2-3 years. I only have to buy a new harddisk, and maybe some more RAM. The old Pentium 4 system is still being used by my wife without problems. It's about 6 years old now.

I also have a 4-year old Athlon XP-M 2400+ laptop that I use for my work, and I don't plan to get rid of it soon. I upgraded its HD and RAM a couple years ago so it's still going strong. And I do some pretty heavy math processing with it.

Of course, I'm amazed at what those new quad-core systems can do, but then again, I'm also amazed by my new dual core. It improves Sonar's performance by about 70%, which is basically all I care about. And for what I do, my current setup is more than enough. My most complex projects are handled well by this CPU. I don't see myself requiring 50 softsynth tracks and 100's of plugins. I don't mind freezing tracks occasionally, or upping my latency when mixing/mastering. In any case, it's good to know those new systems are there for people who needs/afford them.

As a sidenote, I don't upgrade Sonar each year, either. I'm still on S5SE and probably will wait until v8.

My rule of thumb (like roflcopter's) is that "latest and greatest" isn't necessary - not to mention not in my budget

History shows that for me it has been about every 4 years. With four kids and a day job, if I didn't stabilize and then use the limited time I have to just make music all of my free time would be spent building/tweaking my DAW which would be a shame. The new DAW, now about 1-1/2 years old is so powerful, that it may last me another 4 years. I'm an audio guy, I don't use soft synths ...