Question CPU availability as systems age

4freedomssake

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Oct 30, 2017
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New CPU’s and other hardware are being released by companies so quickly lately. When it's time to upgrade your processor, how long do you usually wait before doing so? My itx system has a ASRock motherboard that has an Intel Core i7-10700K chip sitting in it. It's capable of an 11th gen series.

As your system ages, how long should a person wait before upgrading to the newest processor that their system can handle? It's hard for me to judge because of the supply and demand, also I don't even know if this 11th generation chips are being made anymore.
 
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Lutfij

Titan
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That question's answer is relative...with a lot of factors to keep in mind. If the system is cutting your "cake" well beyond a part/product's EoL(End of Life) cycle, then you have no reason to upgrade. If the system no longer does what you need it to do, that's when you upgrade.

To also note, if you're a content creator whereby the content you make puts food on the table or a roof over your head or both, then you need to make sure your upgrades pay for themselves. I've come across people who sink a lot of money into their builds but don't tap into all of the system's potential.

This also brings me to another topic, being an early adopter has a lot of pitfalls to it. So that should also be factored in when performing an upgrade(of sorts).
 
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... know if this 11th generation chips are being made anymore.
It's not so much a matter of being made any more as a matter of how desireable it is for retailers to hold stock on them after they've been replaced by newer generation models. Microcenter lists them at sale prices and moves them out to make room for newer models. But there are some retailers who do a business in buying up unsold stocks of brand new "obsolete" (no longer manufactured) CPU's and selling them on Amazon or other on-line sites.

And then there's always the used markets on e-Bay: some people hate buying there but I've had good luck with the several items I've gotten (CPU's, HDD's, memory). Just look for a seller with good rep and lots of good reviews... but read the bad ones and use common sense because some people complain about anything. Most of the used parts from sellers with a large selection are "pulls"... taken from systems they've bought and broken down for parts to sell since it makes more money for them. Still, it's a bit of a gamble so it has to be a good price to be attractive to me.
 
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4freedomssake

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To also note, if you're a content creator whereby the content you make puts food on the table or a roof over your head or both, then you need to make sure your upgrades pay for themselves.


I'm a freelance graphic designer but by no means is this my main bring home the bacon job.

Now that I've read everyone's input (Which I thank you all for!) I may just go ahead and upgrade my ram speed now at 32GB’s @ 3200Mhz. I have more than enough of an amount when taking care of my 3D fun. But my system crawls when working with real time video editing.

I'll take a look at possibly going up to 64GB’s as well. That may make me sound like a hog for my system, but I'll take a look at some prices. And since I have a few extra pennies in my pocket from a recent gig, Perhaps that will be my decision.

What do you think?
 
I'm a freelance graphic designer but by no means is this my main bring home the bacon job.

Now that I've read everyone's input (Which I thank you all for!) I may just go ahead and upgrade my ram speed now at 32GB’s @ 3200Mhz. I have more than enough of an amount when taking care of my 3D fun. But my system crawls when working with real time video editing.

I'll take a look at possibly going up to 64GB’s as well. That may make me sound like a hog for my system, but I'll take a look at some prices. And since I have a few extra pennies in my pocket from a recent gig, Perhaps that will be my decision.

What do you think?
Right now should be a good time to buy memory as PC system building demand is low, so DDR4 memory prices should be fairly low.
 

Firestone

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Jul 11, 2015
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I recommend eBay as well. Personally, I have sold a lot of stuff on there which I kept in extremely good condition, and gotten nothing but postive feedback. On the other hand, I generally put a lot of effort sniffing out reputable sellers and items which have a high likelihood of being quality, and have also had positive experiences buying. Your mileage may vary, but eBay is totally a valid method for swapping out your hardware. Allows you to subsidize the price upgrades with the sale of the older items.

if you maintain an account and check back regularly you can get a little bit of a sense of what kind of stuff is readily available, what is selling quickly, and which sellers are reputable.

I dont bother upgrading anything unless I have a clear reason to do so.