How fast will computers be in 2 years?

Question

I'm debating on buying a new one now or waiting.

Answer 1

Well before it was easier to give a prediction, but now that everything is moving onto multiple core CPUs and the processor clock is become less of an indicator for the overall speed of the computer it's difficult to say. The technology is moving in all different directions now and becoming more specialized.

Now more than ever, the type of RAM, hard drive, video card, and motherboard bus speed have as much to do with the performance as the processor (or processors for that matter).

What I can tell you is the upgrade game will continue for as long as there is room to upgrade whether it's getting a PC that will run Windows Vista or the next whizz bang 3D game that comes out. If you wait, something cheaper and better will be out in a year. If you buy the latest out now, you will have a computer that will last another 2-3 years down the road and then something better will come along.

Personally, if you have any intention of getting a Windows Vista PC, I would wait another year or so when they become established for the mainstream users and prices will be cheaper and you'll likely have less compatibility issues since the hardware and OS will be better matched.

Also, it's not always how fast it runs but what it features. For instance, if you buy a computer with an HD DVD or Blu-Ray drive now it's going to be very expensive and slow in comparison to what might come out in the future. In a few years, they will probably be 8X or 16X as fast and only $30 in every computer you buy. It may even be required for some programs.

I've been buying/building new computers every 2-3 years since 1994 and I still can't give an accurate prediction what will come down the line.

Answer 2

This is a quote from Wikipedia regarding Moore's Law:

Moore's Law is the empirical observation that the transistor density of integrated circuits, with respect to minimum component cost, doubles every 24 months[1]. It is attributed to Gordon E. Moore[2], a co-founder of Intel.

What he is saying is that basically the amount they can squeeze into a small space that makes a microchip doubles every 2 years, so in theory we should see about 8-9GHZ processors by 2008.

But at that rate, the processor might even outhink us.

So, based on that fact, and the fact that a processor is already obsolete when they produce it, I would just buy a PC that suited my needs today and possibly for the next 2 to 3 years.

Answer 3

hahaha... thats a very interesting question and the answer is that nobody can predict that... What i know is the spec of PS 3 (the upcoming gaming console) is 1/8 the speed of the fastest computer in the world.Which means that the cell processor is a revolutionary processor that will change our lives in some time.What i currently know is that quad processor are already out. Check it www.voodoopc.com
you will love it. ;-) i spend hours just to build my dream pc there....

Answer 4

well we are already at 4.8ghz, and 2 years previous it was about 2ghz range. so i would guess it would be about 7ghz, but since intel is trying to make a 90 core processor rather than the current dual cores.
so it would be like 1.7ghz * 90 = 153ghz
thats just rather scary, best idea is to read http://www.tomshardware.com this has all the guides on cpus etc.

Answer 5

A popular theoretical model of computer processing progression predicts (and has been fairly accurate so far) that computers always double in overall speed in 18 months.

Answer 6

Apparently quad core processors come out early next year?

Answer 7

Except if you play a lot with new games, what they sell now is enough for you

Answer 8

they will probably will be extremly fast i would by one now so that you could sell it when you want another one