I was wondering when people consider themselves to have a new PC. Technically I’ve had the same PC for close to 20 years now, but every part’s been upgraded several times over.
I figure everyone’s got a different mind about it. For me, I’d have to say when all of the big three—CPU, GPU, mobo—have completed a phase, my brain thinks of the previous setup as “the old PC”.
For me it is when i change the CPU or when i reinstall on a new bootdisk.
This is pretty much my PC atp, the only parts of it that are original are the side cover that has been sticker bombed over time and one of the ssds that was worth keeping for extra storage and is now my linux partition drive. Everything else has been replaced at some point including the case, which is the same model as the old one, just with the original side plate bc stickers. I have actually referred to it as the PC of theseus in conversation lmao
This is just the Ship of Theseus.
Theseus’ battlestation
according to microslop, when you change the mobo
Mobo because it’s like the keel of the ship.
Although it falls to the same problem if you swap in the exact same mobo lol.
Ah yes, the classic Chip of Theseus problem.
PCtheus
The PC of Theseus!
Technically my my PC is the same PC I used decades ago. It started as a Pentium 3 with… 64MB of RAM if I remember, and something like a whopping 10GB hard drive. It’s still the same PC of course, I swear!
I remember when I got a Voodoo 3d card with like 128mb of memory for my Pentium 233 WITH MMX. Played Ultimate Online like a boss.
Not very many Voodoo cards came with 128mb and only in the Pentium III/4 era. You may be remembering your total RAM.
I’m impressed the case has handled the changes. Cases back then weren’t much to work with.
I have scars still from working in sharp edged computer cases in the 90s…
I built my current PC in the very first case I had back in the year 2000. Everything fits and all the screw holes still line up with modern hardware. The only downside is that it does get pretty toasty under heavy load.
Pic
Just pop the side onto a drill press, add a few holes. That metal isn’t too thick
I’ve been thinking about that. Or maybe a bottom mounted fan, would be a shame to ruin the look.
Not if you have pets. You’ll need a screen to stop hair getting into the case if you have cats/dogs.
That’s still easy enough to get at most home hardware stores.
No, the case can rotate out as well.
PCeus
Chip of Theseus
If I had to limit it to physically, I’d say the motherboard. It’s the only thing in the box that everything has to be compatible with. Everything else is the extension.
Personally, I believe in a machine spirit. It’s a nebulous concept and it muddies the water here, but really the object is new when it no longer feels like the old. If I install a new is some day and my fans don’t breathe the same, my lights don’t blink like they did, or the chirp of my drives sounds alien, then I know I’ve lost the ghost and will have to learn a whole personality. Same is true for all my objects.
Personally, I believe in a machine spirit.
The machine spirits need to be kept pleased. Praise be to the Omnissiah.
The timeless “PC of Theseus” question. For me, it’s when I replace the motherboard. Especially if it involves a new case.
IMO, it’s when you replace the motherboard. It’s the real heart of the machine; without it, all your other parts ain’t doing shit. And since you can get by longer on the same motherboard while still leaving everything else to be upgraded, getting a new motherboard very often necessitates getting at least a new CPU and possibly RAM if you’re making a generational leap that requires a new socket type.
I always thought of the CPU as the beating heart and the MoBo as the vessel/body.
At the same time: upgrading CPU often requires a new MoBo too, so I guess they are bound together anyways.For the original question I’d say CPU + MoBo swap is a new machine. GPU and RAM are upgrades.
Definitely when I upgrade the mainboard + CPU, which usually also means new RAM. It’s pretty expensive, you have to change several parts in one go and it’s much more noticable in general usage than the GPU.
mainboard + CPU
To me thats the line. Unless you are like, a very active enthusiast, most people, once they get their CPU installed cooler installed, etc… you probably aren’t’ swapping that out. Its pretty much a computer at that point.
Yeah, you pretty much need to be some kind of early adopter for your CPU socket to seriously consider upgrading just your CPU. Otherwise, there’s just no point. I actually looked it up for my last mainboard, thinking the socket is so old that maybe you can get a somewhat better CPU (i.e. Intel i7 or i9 instead of i5) for really cheap. But the parts market doesn’t seem to work like that, looks like they’d much rather trash their leftover CPUs than make an attractive price.
As long as it’s the same hard drive (or image), it’s the same computer. New computer whenever it’s a completely fresh install. I’ve had the same case since 2013ish. It’s had a few new computers in it.
I upgrade my computer either when it’s not working as desired or I come into some extra cash and wanna treat myself to a boost.
Sadly with the new memory and storage costs I’ll probably ride this system out for ~10 years. (I pray she survives that long)
Replacing the motherboard.
I would’ve thought that too. But recently I had to swap a new mobo in after a failure and no other parts got done. Felt like the same PC just working again.
Yeah I think upgrading the mobo would be more accurate, when it’s a big enough change that you need to replace RAM and the CPU as well.
But you probably had to disconnect about everything, so in a way, they all became simple parts, in a way. Then, once your new mobo is connect, it becomes a new whole, a new PC.
I’d say mobo and GPU changed is a whole new PC.
