Techie comes to terms with middle-of-the-road computer

For a few months now, I have been badly in need of a new computer. Mind you, when I say I need a new computer, my existing computer is probably still in more than tolerable condition for most noobies. But I’m a techie, remember?

I need the latest and greatest. I live on the edge. I’m an early adopter.

Which is why a 3-year-old computer running Windows XP simply won’t do any more.

The need for the best

I typically spend 2-3 times more on my computers than the average Joe walking into Best Buy. Why? Because I am a power user. It is not untypical at all to find me at my computer with 10-15 applications open at any given time. And that doesn’t include the tabs within some of those programs. One time I counted 18 open web pages in my Google Chrome browser.

I also spend more to future-proof my computer. In other words, I want it to last longer than the average computer. If that last sentence sounds contradictory to everything I have said up until this point, it is.

And that’s what I’ve finally come to realize. Spending $2,000 – $2,500 on a computer makes no sense to me any more. Why? Because Microsoft is releasing a new operating system every few years. And other software companies seem to constantly release new updates that demand more and more of my computer. And don’t get me started on how often new technologies are introduced that cost a pretty penny to upgrade.

No longer worth it?

So what’s the point? As Regina Miller, my favorite Geek in Pink told me recently, “Your $2,000 computer won’t physically last any longer than a $500 computer.” And that’s spot on. Just because I spend $2,000 on a computer doesn’t mean the hard drive will last any longer than one in a $500 computer.

So after much deliberating today, I finally bit the bullet and bought a new, middle-of-the-road computer. What’s middle-of-the-road to a techie? An HP Pavilion Elite e9270f running 64-bit Windows 7 with an Intel Core i7-860 processor and 8 GB of memory. Oh and let’s not forget the 1 TB (that’s terrabyte as in 1,000 GB) hard drive and Blu-ray optical drive.

While some of those specifications may mean nothing to you, they mean everything to me. Because this computer cost just over $1,000. The one I originally spec’d out, cost just over $2,400.

So the plan is to run this computer full-bore for a couple of years and then start all over again with a new middle-of-the-road computer.

Of course, it didn’t hurt any that I also order twin Samsung 23″ monitors to go with my new middle-of-the-road computer.