Is it true PCs don’t last has long as Mac? What is lifespan of PC computer today?

[pshufd]

The answer is, "it depends".

I think Macs can be useful for a longer period of time than a Windows computer. For instances, I'm still using my Macbook Air (2013). It's 13 years old and can still do what I need it to do. Is it fast? no. Can I surf and manage my photos? Yes.

If you were to give me a 13 year old Windows laptop, I would not want to use it at all. My previous work laptop from 2018 was a complete dog and I was happy to get a new one about 2 years ago. A lot of the buginess could have been the IT stuff that gets put on top of Windows and stuff, but man, the experience of using it sucked. It had 32GB and a big SSD too.

My current work laptop is pretty nice and doesn't bog down at all. It's a much more capable than my MBA, but my wife's M4 Mac mini runs circles around it, so I'm thinking a new MBA would run much better (and for a longer lifetime) than my current Dell. The only downside is that I like to have all of my photos on my laptop, so I need/want 2TB of storage and that would be really really out of my price range.

Your opinion might change if you had a 2016-2018 MacBook.

 

[Bubble99]

It seems a lot people have computers lasting over 10 years. I’m surprise the hard drive or power supply is lasting that long.

 

[lfhlaw]

I don't think this is true anymore.

It really depends upon what your using your PC/laptop for.
If it's work graphically intensive projects or gaming, then most likely no as software keeps getting more complex and increasing requirements (IE GPU upgrades).
most CPUs can handle general internet browsing, Mail checking. (IE grandpa and grandma can get by with a low end PC/Laptop as they generally aren't gaming or at most are playing Solitaire, minesweeper lol).

Only the most intensive software requires continual upgrades to your PC (Gaming, Youtubers/TickTock people, and Film industry video editing, etc).

the problems occur when a major software change occurs ( Adobe Flash being retired - Thank god) and more recently the introduction of AI. Video encoding changes and the ability to process it SD->HD->4k/8k formats as well.

I've had my MacbookPro 2013 for 10 years and it was still working, but I finally decided to upgrade to the M4 Macbook Pro just to have something a bit speedier. The MBP 2013 is now in kids hands lol.

I'm still using my Trashcan Mac Pro though and considering transitioning to the MacStudio since some software (Quicken) states they won't support the Intel side of Mac and will need to be using Apple Silicon. So this is the Hardware vs Software Conundrum. The Hardware isn't going bad, it's the software changing that causes the change.

I also use PC Hardware at my office so I use both types of PCs in my daily life.

 

[pshufd]

It seems a lot people have computers lasting over 10 years. I’m surprise the hard drive or power supply is lasting that long.

I have a 2000 Inspiron 4100 that still works. I also have a 2007 MacBook Pro that still works. And a 2008 Dell XPS Studio that still works. And my favorite in regular use is the HP-67 from 1977.

 

[Populus]

Just as a side note, Apple should increase the macOS support to 10 years now that we’re on Apple Silicon 100%

 

[Rychiar]

PCS turn to garbage real fast IMO. we have 2 nice ones at my office to run the printer/plotter and while they only have one simple task they wind up having to be replaced every couple years for one reason or another while the Macs stick around for a decade.

 

[pshufd]

PCS turn to garbage real fast IMO. we have 2 nice ones at my office to run the printer/plotter and while they only have one simple task they wind up having to be replaced every couple years for one reason or another while the Macs stick around for a decade.

You can build whatever you want with PCs in terms of making hardware decisions. If you buy crap components or crap PCs, you get crap. Apple had a lot of problems with their 2016-2021 MacBooks. They've had problems with their Apple Silicon iMacs. Everyone has bugs. You'll see more with Windows systems because there are some really cheap systems out there using crap construction and components.

One of my requirements for a laptop was a 14 inch laptop with a 4k display. Apple doesn't even off that on their 16 inch displays.

 

[Abydos]

usable is a strange term, I've got an 2004 (or so) iBook g4 on which I can develop algorithms , but for most commercial software it is unusable. I wrote a highly customized accounting program for an old friend on a trash 80 in basic two years ago - so in that sense it was usable (he has since moved it (or some one moved it for him) to some sort of chrome book). I learned not to tell an engineer something is garbage - strange breed

 

[TracerAnalog]

If you build a quality PC, and maintain it well, it can last for a looong time. I usually do one GPU upgrade after about 5 years, and after 10 years I build a new one. My Macs don't last that long because I sell them. I do know anecdotally that they usually last 10+ years as well, but IF something breaks, they are done and effectively unrepairable.

 

[Rychiar]

You can build whatever you want with PCs in terms of making hardware decisions. If you buy crap components or crap PCs, you get crap. Apple had a lot of problems with their 2016-2021 MacBooks. They've had problems with their Apple Silicon iMacs. Everyone has bugs. You'll see more with Windows systems because there are some really cheap systems out there using crap construction and components.

One of my requirements for a laptop was a 14 inch laptop with a 4k display. Apple doesn't even off that on their 16 inch displays.

why would they offer 4k? Mac OS doesn't scale to 4k

 

[JohnWick1954]

PCS turn to garbage real fast IMO. we have 2 nice ones at my office to run the printer/plotter and while they only have one simple task they wind up having to be replaced every couple years for one reason or another while the Macs stick around for a decade.

No they don't...

 

[Harddrive]

In the desktop world you sorta can keep a PC going as long as you are willing to do forklift upgrades like a new proc needs a new motherboard and does it fit the case and now you need a different MHZ ram because your old ram is to slow never mind it not fitting the notch on the motherboard and now you need a bigger power supply. On laptops the only thing I have seen that's replaceable on the newest models is hard drive(some) and the ARM ones are almost all system on a chip.

 

[Siliconguy]

Depends on a lot on the hardware you bought and the upgradability of it.

That's the case. A PC from the "it's so cheap" aisle will not last very long compared to say an HP workstation.

Adrian Black has resurrected original IBM PCs on his YouTube channel. That should be old enough. My Mac SE with 800k drives also still works. My daughter has an HP with an i7-8700 that also still works and I think it's Windows 11 compatible. My server is a 2014 Mac mini running Linux.

What do you mean by "last" anyway? Apple abandons still useful hardware all the time. Microsoft is doing the same with Windows 11. Even in Linux some builds are starting to require x86-64 feature set V3 for certain things (That means AVX2 instructions which means Haswell or newer with Intel (not sure on AMD).

At some point 'still useful' turns into retro-computing. 32 bit is in retro-computing now, The Core 2 Duo is feature set V1 and likely to be demoted very soon (no POPCNT instruction). The 2010 Mac Pro and 2012 Mini are both V2 due to no AVX2 instructions and I've hit problems with video software on the Pro already from lack of those instructions.

 

[Harddrive]

Not to mention on older hardware browser support is very limited if at all.

 

[HouseLannister]

In the PC world, lifespan of a computer is like talking about the Ship of Theseus or the evolution of a lifeform. Are we talking the lifespan of the case or the lifespan of my Windows install? Very different things there. I can go a year without changing anything, but why would I? That's the fun of having a PC. It's there for me to tinker.

So obviously I am a Mac pessimist. My view of Mac is that they are the Bic Disposable Computers. If you refuse to pay annually/monthly for the refurb swap subscription known colloquially as AppleCare+, then as soon as one component fails, throw it in the trash and unwrap another Mac. They are generally reliable, but no one knows how to repair them (Apple Geniuses included). So cross your fingers and hope today's system is just as good as the ones produced 5 years ago, because there is no way to tell until you get bit.

 

[pshufd]

why would they offer 4k? Mac OS doesn't scale to 4k

It does on portable monitors and there are third-party programs to provide additional resolutions.

Why would they offer 4k? Because people want it.

 

[pshufd]

In the desktop world you sorta can keep a PC going as long as you are willing to do forklift upgrades like a new proc needs a new motherboard and does it fit the case and now you need a different MHZ ram because your old ram is to slow never mind it not fitting the notch on the motherboard and now you need a bigger power supply. On laptops the only thing I have seen that's replaceable on the newest models is hard drive(some) and the ARM ones are almost all system on a chip.

 

[1BadManVan]

It's got 6 TB of ancient SATA3 SSDs and 6 TB of NVMe Gen 3 and those are also pretty old. I imagine those SSDs are still worth a decent chunk of change today.

Oh for sure, they’re worth a pretty penny this year in the current crisis. But overall, the majority of the core components still got replaced to keep it working for whatever standards you need it to run at today.

Nothing wrong with reusing old parts and saving a bit of money. Just saying, the actual pc itself as a whole did not last 15 years and remain usable for your work load.

I don’t expect my gaming pc to remain usable for my needs either in another 5 years and it was a fairly high end build at the time in 2022

 

[pshufd]

Oh for sure, they’re worth a pretty penny this year in the current crisis. But overall, the majority of the core components still got replaced to keep it working for whatever standards you need it to run at today.

Nothing wrong with reusing old parts and saving a bit of money. Just saying, the actual pc itself as a whole did not last 15 years and remain usable for your work load.

I don’t expect my gaming pc to remain usable for my needs either in another 5 years and it was a fairly high end build at the time in 2022

The nice thing is that you can take it with you.

If you buy a Mac with a lot of storage, that storage depreciates and you can't take it with you to your next machine.

 

[1BadManVan]

The nice thing is that you can take it with you.

If you buy a Mac with a lot of storage, that storage depreciates and you can't take it with you to your next machine.

Absolutely agree there. Though I still won’t be replacing my m5 air with any windows laptop anytime soon, I’ll take that sacrifice for all the other positives I have with it.

But for my windows desktop, I’ll definitely be holding onto the ssd’s to move over to the next machine. Did the same thing for my wife’s old laptop, moved all the important files to her secondary ssd in it and transferred it to her new laptop. Kept the main drive in it just to use it as a backup in case.

 

[Charlie Bonesx]

One of the main advantages of a PC is that it is modular. Even if it feels out-of-date you can replace aging components for new ones. While it probably won’t be as fast as new PCs, it still gonna be a good computer for daily stuff.

Nevertheless I am a Mac user and I can tell: Macs last too, just kinda frozen in time.

My legendary 2012 iMac is still working. By 2027 it will be a 15 years old computer. While 8GB RAM might be tight these days, I am still not noticing any slowdowns. BUT I am using it off external SSD, internal HHD died in 2014. But I am not sad about it since computer is stationary anyway so few more wires do not bother me, as well as SSD is way better than HDD

a few years ago I would have suggested installing the ssd internal

but it's so old now if you open it up some of those tiny logic board connectors might just disintegrate

 

[uacd]

a few years ago I would have suggested installing the ssd internal

but it's so old now if you open it up some of those tiny logic board connectors might just disintegrate

The main issue why I didn’t do it for all those years is that the process is too complicated. There is a high chance of cracking the IPS panel when doing so, it is glued with some type of adhesive like all modern iPhones. Otherwise I would have already put a new SSD inside and maybe 16 or 32 GB of RAM

 

[racerhomie]

Unless we are talking about cheaply made PCs (mostly laptops), then no. PCs can last as long as a Mac. From the software side of things, you could install the latest version of Windows on a 10-15 years PC, and get all the software support. It may not be that fast, but you get to decide when to retire your PC.

Most of the world purchase laptops and not desktops. And those usually survive a lot less than Macs

 

[ab2c4]

There is not an easy answer to that, depends on the brand and model of the computer. Over many decades in our family, and I have worked in IT for 30+ years I can say the following from my experience:

Apple:
-Macbook Airs have been junk for us, longest one ever lasted was 3 or 4 years I think.
-Macbook Pro's have been very reliable, highly recommend.

Windows:
-HP I would say run away from them as fast as you can (more so their laptops though), so many died around a year, occasionally you would get a good one. Their desktop models are significantly better than their laptops, I would actually recommend their desktop/tower pc's.
-MS Surface is not good at all in my opinion. I have zero respect for any MS hardware (not even Xbox's).
-Dell depends but overall they are pretty good. Much like with Apple, the more you pay for the particular model the longer on average it will hold up for you typically. Overall pretty good, just avoid their lower end laptops.
-Asus I would say I think is the best brand for a Windows computer. I have built several gaming pc's my self using Asus parts and they are fantastic. Also bought one of their laptops and it is really good, as well as great value for the specs and price.
-Lenovo is like a lottery. I have seen plenty that lasted over 10 years with no problems, while others are totally dead in the first 18 months. All you can do is hope you get a good one.

 

[Charlie Bonesx]

The main issue why I didn’t do it for all those years is that the process is too complicated. There is a high chance of cracking the IPS panel when doing so, it is glued with some type of adhesive like all modern iPhones. Otherwise I would have already put a new SSD inside and maybe 16 or 32 GB of RAM

oh yeah

was 2011 the last one without the glue?

I had a bunch of those at one point and used to work on them all the time. it was just magnetic glass and you were in