Yes you can do everything, but not without added complexity, that will end up failing faster.
We have peaked in all tech. Nothing will ever get as good as the raw peak in longevity:
- SSDs ~2011 (pure SLC)
- RAM ~2013 (DDR3 fast low latency but low Hz = cooler = lasts longer)
- CPUs ~2018 (debatable but I think those will outlast everything else)
My guess is that the most long lived computer gen could be one that still uses through hole components. Not a very useful machine by any metric though I bet.
http://move.rupy.se/file/radxa_works.mp4
Or in a uConsole.
Also Risc-V tablet:
http://move.rupy.se/file/pinetab-v_2dmmo.png
Not as battle hardened as my Thinkpad X61s but maybe we'll get a GPU driver soon... 3 years later...
cf. the Pi 4: 2–3X CPU performance, full 5Gbps USB 3.0 ports, a PCIe Gen2 x1 connector, dual 4-lane MIPI connectors, support for A2-class SD cards, an integrated RTC...
A dud?? What's the issue? The price?
3588 is waaaay more performant per watt, close to Apples M1.
The IO has been moved outside the SoC which causes alot of issues.
SD Card speeds are enough for client side use.
I actually run it ~10% underclocked, barely affects performance, but greatly reduces heat/noise. These cards are configured to deliver maximum performance at any cost (besides system instability).
My next GPU I am probably going mid-range to be honest, these beefy GPUs are not worth it anymore cost and performance-wise. You are better off buying the cheaper models and upgrading more often.
More VRAM, and NVLink (on some models). You can easily run them at lower power limits. I've run CUDA workloads with my dual 3090s set as low as 170W to hit that sweet spot on the efficiency curve. You can actually go all the way down to 100W!
But had to upgrade to 3050 because 2GB VRAM is to little for modern titles.
Fun fact: One 6600 core can saturate the 1030 for skinned mesh animations.
But only saturate the 3050 50% = perfect because the world takes much less CPU (you upload it to the GPU and then it's almost one drawcall; more like one drawcall per chunk but I digress) = OpenGL (ES) can render on it at lower motion-to-photon latency without waste = one core for rendering, one for gameplay, one for physics and one for the OS, audio and networking.
So 14nm 6600 + 8nm 3050 is actually the combination I would use for ever.
HL:A runs at 90 FPS with that combo too on the low res Vive 1.
Not that VR is going anywhere, but still peak demanding application.
Check out the new AMD RX 7400 https://youtu.be/jNfmz0BowxM&t=997
Also the 6600 can be passively cooled in the Streacom case I allready have, the 5600 is to hot.
See PUBG that has bloated Unreal so far past what any 4-core computer can handle because of anti-cheats and other incremental changes.
Factorio could add some "how many chunks to simulate" config then? If that does not break gameplay completely.
I just "re-cycle" them.
Bought a 7700X two years ago. My 3600X went to my wife. Previous machine (forgot which one it was but some Intel CPU) went to my mother-in-law. Machine three machines before that, my trusty old Core i7-6700K from 2015 (I think 2015): it's now a little Proxmox server at home.
I'll probably buy a 9900X or something now: don't want to wait late 2026/2027 for Zen 6 to come out. 7700X shall go to the wife, 3600X to the kid.
My machines typically work for a very long time: I carefully pick the components and assemble them myself and then test them. Usually when I pull the plug for the final time, it's still working fine.
But yet I like to be not too far behind: my 7700X from 2022 is okay. But I'll still upgrade. Doesn't mean it's not worth keeping: I'll keep it, just not for me.
Thinkpad X61s(45nm) DDR2 / D512MO(45nm) DDR2 / 3770S(22nm) DDR3 / 4430S(22nm) DDR3
All still in client use.
All got new RAM this year and when the SSDs break (all have SLC) I have new SLC SSDs and will install headless linux for server duty on 1Gb/s symmertic fiber until the motherboards break in a way I can't repair. Will probably resolder caps.
I still run a 6600 (65W peak) from 2016 as my daily driver. I have replaced the SSD once (MLC lasted 5 years, hopefully forever with SLC drive from 2011?), 2x 32GB DDR4 sticks (Kingston Micron lasted 8 years, with aliexpress "samsung" sticks for $50 a pop) and Monitor (Eizo FlexScan 1932 lasted 15! years RIP with Eizo RadiForce 191M, highly recommend with f.lux/redshift for exceptional quality of image without blue light)
It's still powerful enough to play any games released this year I throw at it at 60 FPS (with a low profile 3050 from 2024) let alone compile any bloat.
Keep your old CPU until it breaks, completely... or actually until the motherboard breaks; I have a Kaby Lake 35W replacement waititng for the 6600 to die.