I am understanding that a fast computer with lots of storage is key to having it for the length of time I want it. Also I am looking at it this way. If I spend 3500 on a computer and I get ten years out of it then it breaks down to 350 bucks a year and I think that is a good use of my money. I laptop and previous pc's I didn't get four years out of and the most expensive one was 2200.

 

IMO if you want a computer to last 10 years you need to realize up front that you will need to do some upgrades along the way. As technology changes so do the requirements of a computer. I can't recommend one particular PC over another (I build my own) but I would look for one that has a fast bus speed, expandable memory and an upgradable CPU. Storage space and video card are another consideration, but will depend on what your main purpose for the PC is. Like Lou said, if you're not a gamer it wouldn't make sense to buy a computer that is tailored to gaming. Make a list of what your main intents are, then visit a few computer web sites (HP, Dell, Acer, etc.) and see what they offer for your particualr needs. Check out the specs of each machine and compare them. That will give you an idea of what specs a computer built to meet your needs will require.

 

I'm going to say that is not possible. We are in the era that a computer becomes outdated within 3-6 months of owning it. Then everything else adapts to the new specs, and you will, at one point, NEED to upgrade. Also, stuff fails. Computers can run very hot, components can and will fail without warning. It's not uncommon that a RAM stick just stops working, or that a SATA cable can go bad and make you think your whole HDD is gone.

Any computer that you buy today will be able to do all of this. Not everyone will come with a DVD burner, so that is the only thing you will probably have to look for, but I'm pretty sure you won't have any issues with any of this.

Get a larger tower with multiple HDD slots. This will allow you to be able to add additional hard drives in the future. Right now, hard drives are pretty cheap. For about $100 you can easily have 1TB of hard drive space. That will last you a good amount of time. I prefer to have my OS on a smaller faster drive though, and store my media on a second larger HDD.

I don't know the Operating System on this, but if it is a 32-bit OS, you can put as much RAM as you want and it will still be slow, as 32-bit OS stop you at 3GB of ram, no matter what you have installed. It could also be filthy on the inside and running hot, causing it to be slow. You could also need to do some system optimization. You could have disk errors, a virus, spyware, malware, your paging file could be too small, you may need to delete temp files, defrag your hdd, clean up what programs automatically boot in the background.

There are many factors to a slow running computer, not just the hardware.

It does depend on what you buy, however I could build a PC that out-specs Apple for about 1/4 the price. That is why I don't like buying Apple computers. With that said, I DO own a MacBook. I'm in the Graphic Design field and I needed Quark back in the day. Luckily I got an Intel MacBook, and I was able to open it up and add a better HDD and more RAM, but I am stuck with the slow processor for now. I'm slowly using my MacBook for a lot less than I used to and finding my way back to my built-PC because it is just faster (eventhough it is older).

 

Everything Mike said X2. Buying a computer to last 10 years is not a good idea with how quickly technology changes. Components will fail regardless, nothing you can do about it.

I'd rather buy a $1,000 laptop every 3-4 years and have the latest features and not worrying about having to upgrade parts or buy a new OS than spend $3500 on an Apple and trying to make it last 10 years...

Edit: My previous post wasn't to trash Apple. I was just making the point that Apples have all the same or similar problems that PC's do. Everything you hear about Apples not having blue-screens or viruses or whatever is all marketing. It's what the geniuses at the Apple store who drink the kool-aid want you to believe.

 

Thank you for your responses. I've got some thinking and comparing to do. I brought my I-phone to the apple store in Orlando the other night to get them to switch my contacts, pictures, and music over to the new phone. They refused as did Verizon. They said I have to move the stuff to a computer and then move it to my new phone. I explained I didn't have a computer to do that with. They said sorry. So I have been sending my pics to my blackberry which has an SD card. I won't buy another phone with an internal battery and no SD card. I have 1200 pics on the iPhone and this sucks.

 

That's VERY SORRY customer service. I have a droid through Sprint and have had to go back to the Sprint store for help a couple times and they were always MORE than helpful.