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Does it seem like computer technology is slowing down?

R

ryanjg11

Gawd
Joined
Aug 16, 2002
Messages
772
I built a high-end rig for a friend about four months ago, and I was looking today, and pretty much nothing has changed! Four months in the computer industry is a lifetime. Here are my observations:

  • Memory prices remain the same and memory speeds haven't gone up considerably
  • Radeon 9800XT has been the king of the hill for many months now
  • Okay, I will admit, hard drive prices seem to continue to slide
  • Processor technology doesn't seem to be moving very quickly either (Prescott isn't anything to brag about)

So are we just about to turn the corner on some innovative new technology or are we going to be stuck here for the forseeable future?
 
no more double performance gains every 18 months :(,but wait! this means maybe my skinny wallet will get fat now that my horendous need to upgrade every year will then be every 2 years :)
 
Depends on your look on things... Sun's Looking Glass will evolve, I'd say, and it might change how computers work. Same thing with Palladium, but in a less good way...

There might be DNA and quantum computers in the making in some ten years or so, and I've heard of successfull experiments with "DNA hard drives" (storing data in biological cells containing and moving around electrically charged iron), etc etc etc.

There are loads of stuff coming out Not So Very Soon Yet (tm), it's just that current technology is reaching its limits.


Also, on the "personal computing" level, rather interesting things are happening... First of all there's the POWER architecture... seems rather promising, if you ask me. IBM presented the POWER5 a while ago, and it rox everyone's sox, basically. Then there's Itanium... maybe x86 is finally going to be given the boot?
 
Originally posted by RM_Bulldog
no more double performance gains every 18 months :(,but wait! this means maybe my skinny wallet will get fat now that my horendous need to upgrade every year will then be every 2 years :)
Click to expand...

You upgrade every year?!?! :eek: Damn!

...I usually can't go 3 to 6 months without doing something to one of my rigs. :D (mainly because I'm just weird like that :rolleyes: )
 
I've noticed the same. My P4 2.4b @ 3.06ghz with Radeon 9700np at 345/294 and Corsair 512mb XMS2700 is surprisingly good considering when I put it together and all that's out right now, even against dual channel solutions, 9800's, 2.4c's at 3.6ghz and 1gb of ram (although I would like to get 1gb... :drool:).
 
I know AMD is pissing me off royally with their slight but never ending delays on new socket 939. First it was supposed to be Q1 04, then end of march/early april, now its apparentlysometime in may, and now apparently on top of that (if rumors are too be believed) initial 939 supplies are going to be very constrained until Q3/Q4.

Grrrrrrr......

Plus a pci-e chipset to go along with the new ATI/Nvidia pci-e video cards that will be out in a month would be nice. But nooooooooo.... :mad:
 
It's slowing down!? :eek: Great.
Now I can finally get rid of those Pentium Pro 180 and K6-2 500 antique hardwares and upgrade. ;)
And after two years I'll still be happy with what I have. :rolleyes:
 
Originally posted by Surly
I know AMD is pissing me off royally with their slight but never ending delays on new socket 939. First it was supposed to be Q1 04, then end of march/early april, now its apparentlysometime in may, and now apparently on top of that (if rumors are too be believed) initial 939 supplies are going to be very constrained until Q3/Q4.

Grrrrrrr......

Plus a pci-e chipset to go along with the new ATI/Nvidia pci-e video cards that will be out in a month would be nice. But nooooooooo.... :mad:
Click to expand...

Don't expect to be able to get a computer with 939, PCIe, and ddr2 at all this year.

Just doesn't look like it'll happen
 
I think were on the verge of something big soon. Todays tech is nearing the top of its current climb. Its been said what the military is unveiling now, was made 10yrs ago(in my experience its true - i wont go into it further). I'm sure theres more coming, but it wont be just for gaming.
 
Originally posted by Monkey34
I think were on the verge of something big soon. Todays tech is nearing the top of its current climb. Its been said what the military is unveiling now, was made 10yrs ago(in my experience its true - i wont go into it further). I'm sure theres more coming, but it wont be just for gaming.
Click to expand...

Millitary technology can't be considered ahead or behind the industry. It's just different technology. They don't hold to any industry standards because they dont need to. Nothing is really "compatible"
 
Yeah I feel that same way as you do. It seemed like there always was new things like all the time. I could remember when it was huge when a new processor came out...like a 120MHz Pentium. Haha
 
Not gaining as fast and slowing down i think are two differant things. Things arent getting slower, its just that we're going more evolutionary and less revolutionary. But thats how it works for awhile, until some breakthrough happens.

However the a64 is a major breakthrough imo, even if it is only a slight increase in performance over current chipsets, its a first generation cpu. The second and third should really harness what its capable of. Its like going from a ps1 to a ps2. We dont see the gains yet, but it takes the rest of the industry a little while to catch up.
 
I do notice my rig (2.1ghz + Ti4200) is still remarkably effective in todays games, even Ut2K4.

Since one of the drives of computer technology is software and the need for adequate hardware to drive it, there currently just isn't much reason for hardware to get faster in revolutionary ways.

I'd say we'll continue to see improvements in technology geared towards 3d rendering (because commercial quality 3d rendering in real time is still a long ways off), but it's going to take time.

I don't know if I really mind --it's nice to see the expansion into gadgets like digital cameras, and have such things approach the affordable levels computers are already at.

Erik
 
My last upgrade was a new hard drive in January. I had to get it because my last drive went titsup. My last real upgrade was from a 1Gh Duron to a XP2400+ and DDR. That was last June.

I did get a new mouse, and fUnc 1030 this last week. That doesn't count tho.

Cheers,
 
i havent upgraded in about 3 years, and even then my computer sucked

athlon 1500+
geforce mx 440
old fic pos mobo, that doesn't support more than a 30 gig harddrive and no name core logic
sound blaster live
12 gig maxtor and 60 seagate(only can use 30 gigs)
very old viewsonic(60 hz max refresh)

the good thing is only play cs:D
 
Originally posted by Soup
i havent upgraded in about 3 years, and even then my computer sucked

athlon 1500+
geforce mx 440
old fic pos mobo, that doesn't support more than a 30 gig harddrive and no name core logic
sound blaster live
12 gig maxtor and 60 seagate(only can use 30 gigs)
very old viewsonic(60 hz max refresh)

the good thing is only play cs:D
Click to expand...
Hey...:D You make a point.
Hardware upgrade and technology break-throughs all occur when we need more computing power. If the current software doesn't demand that much computing power, what do we need high-end gear for?
When there's need, there's the power to create and invent. ;)
 
Originally posted by Petra
You upgrade every year?!?! :eek: Damn!

...I usually can't go 3 to 6 months without doing something to one of my rigs. :D (mainly because I'm just weird like that :rolleyes: )
Click to expand...


I'm lucky to get a upgrade every 4 years.
Before 2000 my computer was a 1995 model P100.


Around here a 256mb stick of PC-100 costs $79.99 :eek:
 
yeah every 9 months-1 year for awhile...looking to get a NV40 and a 3.4C (when price drops) and call it good for 2 years
 
im going to have the chance to get an R420 for like 100$ for trading someone my 9600XT and payment for building them a computer so ill be happy for a couple of years:D
 
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