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I don't think that people understand what they are buying. There is an expectation that Walmart wouldn't sell something that cannot work at all, but they do. D

I don't think that people understand what they are buying. There is an expectation that Walmart wouldn't sell something that cannot work at all, but they do. Don't buy 5 years old hardware second hands, it's poor investment and I speak from experience. Hardware has a limited lifespan then it just dies. The hard drive, the motherboard or the screen fail without notice and you're screwed.

CydeWeys 9y ago
You're right that people don't understand what they're buying. $200 new, modern Windows laptop is a market segment that cannot exist -- it's like a $5K new automobile in the US. Except there are standards in the automotive market in the US, so no one is allowed to sell the kind of trash that would be a $5K car. You can buy such a thing in, e.g., India, but it's exactly as bad as you'd think it would be, with terrible emissions and crash performance. As for hardware endurance, I don't think you're giving quality hardware enough credit. I've owned a lot of computing hardware in my lifetime, and the only failures I've ever experienced have been fans going bad (which is easy to fix) and spinning hard drives crapping out. Oh, and I dropped a laptop really badly one time and broke it that way, but that's not really the hardware's fault. Solid state components last quite a long time.
- user5994461 9y ago
  It's funny you say that because I was already writing that there are cars in Indian selling for much less than $5k before finishing to read your first sentence. Entry cars in Europe are in the range $5k to $10k. Not sure closer to which ends. They are certified for regulations and safety. I certainly had some hardware and I've seen everything die sooner or later. My order would be rotating hard drive, then gaming GPU, then display, then motherboard. Never seen any computer reach 10 years without any replacement. You're significantly past half life when buying 5 years old.
  - CydeWeys 9y ago
    The cheapest car in Europe appears to be the Dacio Sandero, which works out to around USD 8,500. There's several problems with the base trim level that would render it unacceptable on the US market: No A/C, no radio, no automatic transmission, and a truly anemic engine that takes 13 seconds to go from 0-100 km/h. That engine might be acceptable on a city car in Europe, but most US drivers are going farther (and faster). But hey, at least it's certified for collisions and emissions; you can't say the same for the Indian cars we're referring to. I've seen plenty of computers last >10 years. So, we'll see how this one goes. Even if one component does need replacing at some point, it'll likely still have been the best choice. Nothing else offers that kind of performance at a remotely comparable price point unless you're willing to build a PC from scratch.
    - user5994461 9y ago
      The low end Dacia are a demonstration of making affordable cars by abandoning options like motorized windows, A/C and radios. They are very successful. I think you can pay a bit more to have all options, which is still a good deal for a brand new car. Yes, Europeans generally speaking have smaller cars than Americans. All cars have manual transmission. Not 10 years with all original components.
deleted 9y ago
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CydeWeys 9y ago

You're right that people don't understand what they're buying. $200 new, modern Windows laptop is a market segment that cannot exist -- it's like a $5K new automobile in the US. Except there are standards in the automotive market in the US, so no one is allowed to sell the kind of trash that would be a $5K car. You can buy such a thing in, e.g., India, but it's exactly as bad as you'd think it would be, with terrible emissions and crash performance. As for hardware endurance, I don't think you're giving quality hardware enough credit. I've owned a lot of computing hardware in my lifetime, and the only failures I've ever experienced have been fans going bad (which is easy to fix) and spinning hard drives crapping out. Oh, and I dropped a laptop really badly one time and broke it that way, but that's not really the hardware's fault. Solid state components last quite a long time.

user5994461 9y ago
It's funny you say that because I was already writing that there are cars in Indian selling for much less than $5k before finishing to read your first sentence. Entry cars in Europe are in the range $5k to $10k. Not sure closer to which ends. They are certified for regulations and safety. I certainly had some hardware and I've seen everything die sooner or later. My order would be rotating hard drive, then gaming GPU, then display, then motherboard. Never seen any computer reach 10 years without any replacement. You're significantly past half life when buying 5 years old.
- CydeWeys 9y ago
  The cheapest car in Europe appears to be the Dacio Sandero, which works out to around USD 8,500. There's several problems with the base trim level that would render it unacceptable on the US market: No A/C, no radio, no automatic transmission, and a truly anemic engine that takes 13 seconds to go from 0-100 km/h. That engine might be acceptable on a city car in Europe, but most US drivers are going farther (and faster). But hey, at least it's certified for collisions and emissions; you can't say the same for the Indian cars we're referring to. I've seen plenty of computers last >10 years. So, we'll see how this one goes. Even if one component does need replacing at some point, it'll likely still have been the best choice. Nothing else offers that kind of performance at a remotely comparable price point unless you're willing to build a PC from scratch.
  - user5994461 9y ago
    The low end Dacia are a demonstration of making affordable cars by abandoning options like motorized windows, A/C and radios. They are very successful. I think you can pay a bit more to have all options, which is still a good deal for a brand new car. Yes, Europeans generally speaking have smaller cars than Americans. All cars have manual transmission. Not 10 years with all original components.

deleted 9y ago

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