When do you consider your Mac outdated?

[wrldwzrd89]

I've come up with different levels of being outdated:

1. Your Mac model has been replaced with a newer model.
2. Some (but not all) current Macs at lower levels than yours (if applicable) beat yours on at least 1 item on the tech specs page.
3. Some (but not all) current Macs at lower levels than yours (if applicable) beat yours on ALL items on the tech specs page.
4. ALL current Macs, regardless of price level, beat yours on ALL items on the tech specs page.

Are any of these four the trigger for you to consider your Mac outdated? Do you upgrade/replace your Mac at any of these points? Do you have additional points to add to this list? If you have additional points, and they come in between ones I have already listed, feel free to copy my list and renumber as necessary.

 

[brap]

...

I'd love to say "When it stops doing everything I want - I've yet to upgrade!".

But I can't.

I'm an upgrade whore; 2 revisions is usually too far behind for me.

 

[PickledSquirrel]

I consider my mac outdated when I spend more time on my present mac drooling over new machines on various webpages, than I spend actually working on the one I've got🙂

-Squirrel

 

[maya]

It outdated the time it released in reality, however as for me its outdated when there is either a new processor generation or the MHz road map is about 3-5x the speed of my present which also includes the ram, HDD, etc... 🙂

 

[munkle]

A new form factor...as this normally signifies a significant change, rather than just an evolutionary progression.

 

[Mechcozmo]

Outdated? Never!

Sometimes a few product cycles, then yeah it is "outdated" but Macs last so long and can do so much they are never really "Junk" like a 3-year-old PeeeCeee

 

[iShater]

I think all of the above applies when we think if a system is outdated. The question is at what point do you take action and upgrade.

For me the path has been every 3 years as long as the new system doubles everything on my current system as a base model. So for me, May 2006 my iBook will be 3 years old, and by then I am sure it will be a 1.6GH system, 512MB RAM, etc. etc.

The biggest thing for me though is whether I have the money to upgrade and if my system can still do everything I need it to. These last two points are the deal breakers/makers for me. I would never consider upgrading of the 3year/double category was not met.

 

[Blue Velvet]

This is a painful subject to even consider... 🙁

Having bought a dual G4 1.42 3 weeks before the G5s were released, it's a rather sensitive topic... still at least it's got FW800, Superdrive, 2gb RAM.

I will consider this machine outdated when I can no longer run the latest OS & apps on it – but will probably replace in about 2-3 years time depending on my bank balance.

So my choice would be number 4.
(ALL current Macs, regardless of price level, beating mine on ALL items on the tech specs page.)

 

[jadam]

My comp feels outdated when I can't run the latest software without the comp feeling like a bitch.

Case in point, when Tiger is released my ibook will be officially outdated for me. No coreimage support, no corevideo, games wont run(and cant that well on it right now).

 

[ravenvii]

To me, "outdated" means it couldn't take full advantage of the latest OS. "Really outdated" means the newest OS is no longer supported.

But I don't really base my purchases on whether my system is outdated or not. It's basically based on how long I had it and how much money I have at the moment. Whim of the moment in other words 😀

 

[musicpyrite]

https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/86665/
Same exact thread topic. 😀

I usually consider my main computer out of date when I get enough money to buy a new one. So about every 2-4 years. The outdated computer is either dedicated as a file server, or given to a family member.

 

[Norouzi]

I don't consider my Mac outdated till I can't run a current OS on it. I used my 8600 quite succesfuly until 10.2 was released then it was time to upgrade.

 

[zelmo]

I consider my mac outdated when I spend more time on my present mac drooling over new machines on various webpages, than I spend actually working on the one I've got🙂

-Squirrel

Dead on! Anyone who claims any formula other than this one is just full of it.

I don't think I've lasted more than 3-4 years on any Mac I've ever owned. Typically, I'll upgrade when I simply can't take it any longer, because all of the cool new hardware is making me crazy with envy. At that point, our current Mac will mysteriously start to fall into disarray. My wife and daughter will then complain a few times, I will studiously work to revive said Mac, and my wife will ultimately come to the conclusion that it is time to upgrade. Marriage is all about teamwork and common goals.

Reminds me, if I start the "program" now, I'll be ready to get a Mac mini and 23" Cinema Display right about the time our G4 iMac 800 goes belly up and the mini goes G5. 😀

 

[Raid]

As a guy currently using a 466Mhz G4 and a 500Mhz Ti-book, outdated usually is a state of mind. I've upgraded the video card on my tower and added RAM to both machines (neither of them yet maxed out on RAM). They still both get the job done and run the latest system so I don't really consider them completely outdated. However I have been keeping a close eye on the recent drops in prices. I'll probably get a new desktop in the next year or so, but I'll keep my old G4 running.

I guess you should put me half way between

outdated when I spend more time on my present mac drooling over new machines

and

Outdated? Never!

 

[rickvanr]

I consider my mac out of date when the newest version of mac os will not run on it, for instance, my B&W albeit slower then a G5, still does the things I need it for, and loads 10.3, on the other hand, my performa 6400 does not, and has been obsolete for years.

 

[Jovian9]

I usually consider my Mac outdated when I have to pay an extra $150-$350 to continue having a warranty on it (the 2 year AppleCare warranty after year 1). I usually try to upgrade around the time my 1 year warranty is up. I look at it this way:
A. I spend $150-$350 after the first year to get the AppleCare Warranty and keep my same machine (with 1 year old specs)
B. I sell my machine on eBay (where value tends to hold fairly high on recent Macs) and spend around $300 (usually around this amount) and buy the latest release of whichever Mac I want (with new specs and a new 1 year warranty). Usually I buy a machine with similar pricing to what I get out of my Mac (I try to never spend more than $500 when upgrading).
-I end up spending a little more year-to-year to do this, but my Mac stays up to date and I do not have to always buy the latest OS or iLife if I happen to upgrade around that time.

-I do consider the AppleCare warranty (for 2 extra years) IMPORTANT if I'm going to keep the machine. I've bought the AppleCare warranty before and have had to use it after the one year warranty was up to have an LCD screen replaced and a SuperDrive replaced. Both would have been costly without AppleCare.

 

[angelrendon]

Dead on! Anyone who claims any formula other than this one is just full of it.

I don't think I've lasted more than 3-4 years on any Mac I've ever owned. Typically, I'll upgrade when I simply can't take it any longer, because all of the cool new hardware is making me crazy with envy. At that point, our current Mac will mysteriously start to fall into disarray. My wife and daughter will then complain a few times, I will studiously work to revive said Mac, and my wife will ultimately come to the conclusion that it is time to upgrade. Marriage is all about teamwork and common goals.

Reminds me, if I start the "program" now, I'll be ready to get a Mac mini and 23" Cinema Display right about the time our G4 iMac 800 goes belly up and the mini goes G5. 😀

You may be insane.

 

[point665]

Im on number 4 and I have a iBook 800 combo 12.1 inch g3... less than 2 years old. Im thinking about getting a Mac Mini but my friend who always says to stop putting money into my Dodge Charger and buy a Powermac g5 says to put the money in my car and not buy a Mac Mini.

 

[chv400]

Its outdated when i can afford a "NEWER" one. Right now I have a B&W with a 600 mhz G4 Card 512 RAM Sonnet Tempo HD Pioneer Super Drive 40 gig HD, 80 gig HD, 160 gig HD ATI 9200 w 128 vRAM.

Unfortunatly I'm starting to enjoy playing games mostly ones like Halo so its time for a replacement even though i can play halko quite well on it but it would be nice to have some shaders so i can at least see the fire coming out of the flame thrower. The Mac Mini looks promising...

 

[relimw]

I consider mine outdated when the new processors are 4-5x faster... I would've bought the dual 2.5, but Steve promised the dual 3, and I thought, well, this system runs fine for now, I'll wait a year, get the dual 3.... And I'm still waiting 😱

My dual 500s still do most everything I *need* them to do, but any of the new fps games all want 867 or better, so it's time for me to upgrade soon... Steve better have that dual 3 for me at WWDC this year... 🙂

 

[Bear]

When is the system obsolete? When I have no use for it anymore. Of course it just may not be my main system. I like the idea of keeping a system around to test things on - like new versions of software. So if there is an issue, I don't mess up my main system.

So, it seems my current Mac has a 2+ year life span as my main system. I'll probably be replacing it with whatever the next PowerMac update is.

 

[quagmire]

I will feel my powerbook is outdated is when it finally goes G5. I feel macs go outdated is when the architecture changes significantly in the Processor like when the G5 is based off the Power5 instead of the Power4 or when the G6 comes out.

 

[revenuee]

i'm hitting six years on my current model -- i'de love to upgrade but it still does what it has to do ... i'll probably upgrade in my 4th year of university -- that way i can still take advantage of the EDU pricing -- i'm in my second year now -- plus i'm waiting for the G5 laptops -- so i may be waiting a while

not to mention that i still have to buy several lenses for my DSLR -- since my computer can still process the images -- a wider lens selection, and better lenses is a better investment

 

[Perushka]

I have seven computers in my house, one is a PC which I got for free. My Macs range from an old powerbook wallstreet to an iMac G4 17" 1ghz. I have a Pismo with added RAM and a 40gb HD, a PB Ti 867mhz, an iMac G4 15" 800mhz. My old powerbook was at a friend for a year, and I was gonna throw it out until I discovered Yellow Dog Linux, which I am gonna load onto it just for fun. All my other machines run Panther fine. (By the way, does anybody remember when the iMac G4 17" 1ghz was selling? I forgot how old it is.) I could really use a higher end machine like an iMac now, but I think I'll wait at least until the first revision, maybe more. In the meantime to ease my pain, I'm considering selling a lot of old crap on ebay. If I come up with enough cash, maybe I'll get myself a 12" iBook.

 

[Apple Hobo]

I'm getting by with a 4+ year-old 400MHz G3. 😱

My iMac is far from speedy, but I can run it very hard without missing a beat.