How Does A CPU Become Outdated?

CmdrJeffSinclair · Jun 9, 2015

When and how does an older CPU finally enter the realm of being outdated and becomes increasingly less efficient?

I've read that CPUs can become "old" when they lack instruction sets that newer applications use, but is that all?

An example of my confusion---
What if I bought a 5960X and 10 years from now 8 cores were still uncommon but obviously the 5960X was considered outdated junk...would that 5960X still perform fine since applications do not use its 8 cores or would it still be obsolete since it lacks the latest instruction sets and advancements that newer CPUs would have even though they are not actually more powerful?

This has been eating me up lately and a solid answer would be awesome!! Thanks!

USAFRet · Jun 9, 2015

When it no longer does what you need it to do.

i7Baby · Jun 9, 2015

There's no 'solid answer' as such. It depends on you yourself.

After 10 years there will be better performing CPUs that everyone else will be clamouring for. Like there is today.

An i7 980 is still a good CPU. But at the moment its just not popular. It has less upgrade paths and doesn't perform quite as well as the i7 4790k.So not many people want it. So its price drops - it has less value. Even though it performs the same as it did 5 years ago.

Cons29 · Jun 9, 2015

as stated there is no one concrete answer. for me, another flag to know that the cpu is outdated is that if it is already hard to find good boards for it. or maybe the remaining ones are cheap and not that good, or maybe you have like 1-3 choices only.
the biggest factor is that if it is not enough for you

CmdrJeffSinclair · Jun 9, 2015

So a CPU then does not become outdated from age or lacking the latest Instructions or CPU advancements...it only becomes outdated when I need more out of it but it can't provide that need? So my old laptop which was junked a couple weeks ago was dying because it was underpowered? The CPU would throttle on YouTube videos and crash all the time on Java and other scripts, but it played games like a charm. I was thinking it was dead because of being outdated rather than being underpowered

ssddx · Jun 9, 2015

number of cores alone is not a good basis. neither is frequency (ghz) clock of the cores. both of that information is valuable however perhaps more important is how strong each core is and how well the processor is designed.

generally you will notice the slowdown more in cpu heavy tasks such as rendering, photoshop, cad, video editing or some multiplayer games. while even old hardware can still get the job done current hardware will always have an edge.

lets take for example my i7-920 system which is now 5 years old. it handles current cad programs, photoshop and the little video editing tasks i need it for perfectly fine. i'm running a slight overclock (2.67->3.21). compared with a new current chip it is certainly not as snappy and longer on processing tasks however it is still more than acceptable for my needs currently. in games it also performs well (paired up with a gtx770 i bought cheap before the 970's came out) and i can normally run most games on ultra or at a bare minimum medium. i might get the occasional jitter but performance is also acceptable.

generally at around the 5 year mark it is pretty easy to notice the slowdown. at the 8-10 year mark even if your system was once top of the line its worth looking at new hardware. the average replacment of hardware for many power users is about every 5 years since this is when parts start to become rather obsolete in terms of performance levels.

now there are things you can do to minimize this perceived loss of performance such as using a ssd and overclocking but the loss is still there.

i think usafr stated it the simplest. when is it outdated? when it no longer does what you want. if you're a power user this will come sooner than later. if you are not, then you might get more time out of a system.

CmdrJeffSinclair · Jun 9, 2015

i7Baby :

how could a T9600 be insufficiently powered to run YouTube videos and Java and other scripts? When I junked my laptop I thought it was because it was just outdated and so could not do those "new" things that new CPUs come ready to do out of the box. So the CPU must have truly been dying literally then it sounds like

Wolfshadw · Jun 9, 2015

Just taking a different approach here. When the software you need to run no longer runs (securely) on your build is when it becomes, "outdated". I'm sure the processor is still technically capable of running the software you require, but since software updates are no longer available, it's obsolete.

Case in point. My old Dell laptop. It's perfectly capable of doing what I need it to do (secure finances), but it cannot be upgraded beyond Windows XP and Windows XP is no longer supported by Microsoft, I've had to semi-retire it.

Case 2: Components in my HTPC will not work with Windows 10. When Windows 7/8.1 support ends, I will likely need to switch over to Linux in order to keep that system secure. It still does what I need it to do, but the software support often ends long before the functionality of the system does.

-Wolf sends

Saberus · Jun 9, 2015

My take: When the new designs outpace it, performance-wise. They may run at the same speed with the same cores, but the new chips just get more work done in a given time.

i7Baby · Jun 9, 2015

T9600 should be OK - http://www.cpubenchmark.net/cpu.php?cpu=Intel+Core2+Duo+T9600+%40+2.80GHz. But not great.

Depends what its being used with.

CmdrJeffSinclair · Jun 9, 2015

i7Baby :

My T9600 stutters and lags horrifically on YouTube videos and crashes with lots of Java applications. These are specific, but really anything at all that is updated constantly seems to have some bad effect of its performance and there's a marked increase in CPU usage. It games just fine, but streaming issues may boil down to other hardware issues but I was wondering if my T9600 was simply burning out (dunno why it would) or if it's just outdated and cannot handle all the new types of information out there. It is 8 years old, which is like a trillion years for a computer.

So it sounds like the issue with my CPU might not be instruction incompatibilities but actually another hardware or driver issue. So far everyone seems to say the same thing, a CPU is dead more when it becomes unable to keep up rather than when its old, meaning that age has less impact its performance than I had thought but may be a case of aging drivers that just happen to affect the CPU. My guess would be the graphic's card since support ended for them 3 years ago

i7Baby · Jun 9, 2015

Depends what its being used with.

CmdrJeffSinclair · Jun 9, 2015

i7Baby :

the CPU is included in my laptop, which I've retired but could still use if I could only understand what may be wrong with it
Alienware Area-51 M17-R1 Specifications
CPU: Intel Core 2 Duo T9600 2.8GHz
Details: FSB 1066 (Socket P/ PM45/ SLB 478)

CPU UPGRADE: Intel Core 2 Quad Extreme QX9300 (possible stutter issues for M17's though)
CPU UPGRADE: Intel Core 2 Extreme x9100 3.067GHz, Unlocked, bought this, sucked so I sent it back
RAM: 8GB Crucial DDR3 Dual Channel 1333MHz (runs at 1066MHz)
Timings: 7-7-7-20
HDD#1: 750GB Seagate Momentus XT 7200RPM SATA III 32MB cache 8MB SSD Cache
HDD#2: (Backup) 160GB Seagate Momentus 7200RPM SATA III 16MB Cache
GPU: 512MB (1GB) ATI Mobility Radeon HD 3870x2 in Crossfire X
W841 BIOS B13, Master/slave config., x8/x16 links
UPGRADE: 2x 1GB (2GB) AMD Mobility Radeon HD 4850m (one master is being sold on eBay for $400 lol what a joke)
MOBL-VM981GBMST master
MOBL-VM981GBSLV slave
OPTICAL: Panasonic UJ-230 Blu-ray 6MB Cache player/reader & DVD Burner
OS: Windows 7 Ultimate 64bit SP1, upgrade to Windows 10 reservation is set to install on day 1 release
MONITOR: 17” 1440x900 WXGA+
MONITOR IN USE: Optoma HD141X Full 1080p 3D DLP Home Theater Projector
WIRELESS: Intel 5300 802.11 a/g/n network card 450Mb/s
Details: INTEL SHIRLEY PEAK 3x3 AGN FULL MINI-CARD
CAMERA: 2MP Webcam (built in)
QWERTY Illuminated keyboard with 3 selectable colors: Navy blue, dark red and bright green
ADAPTER: 20v 19amp 130watts

i7Baby · Jun 9, 2015

Laptops get hot easily and loose a lot of performance. That's what I'd be checking on. And removing the covers and blowing the case out. And maybe getting a good laptop cooler.

jsmithepa · Jun 9, 2015

Is generally recognized a Core-Duo laptop in 2015 needs to be replaced, unless all you are doing is Word processing and email, without splitting further hairs.

CmdrJeffSinclair · Jun 10, 2015

jsmithepa :

I am retiring my laptop actually. I knew it was dying or outdated to a point of non-functionality but I was mainly concerned with getting a 5960X that it'd become obsolete long before 8 cores for gaming becomes like how quad cores are today. The concensus I've gathered though is that a CPU doesn't get outdated or slow down so something is wrong with my laptop because its symptoms are pretty severe yet there seems to be no cause. I'm not looking for a solution. In 4 months I'll have this rig here
http://pcpartpicker.com/p/Qf3KQ7

I am still strongly debating the 5820K because chances are high that I will avoid crossfire/sli setups and the 8 cores still stand a chance to be useless for such a long time that I may just want to keep that $700 for a new GPU in 3 years. Seems more efficient. In 3 years a 6 core will still be very powerful stuff but even a GTX 980 in 3 years will not be so amazing, especially if this gen dies early and next "next gen" rolls in early with new bells and whistles. Sigh...one can only hope

I still struggle with recognizing also that a powerful CPU does not make a great gaming rig. A passable CPU is just as good as a godly CPU because games really boil down to the GPU. I'm old fashioned I guess but something about comparing a 5960X vs a GTX Titan X the CPU seems so much sexier even though a Titan X would have plenty of actual benefits while the CPU would probably have next to none for the next 2+ years...right? For the most part I've heard this said more or less.

I sure wish a CPU-centric game would come out with settings and features to affect high and low CPU settings for those of us with awesome CPUs. i always wanted a Destroy All Monsters 2 to come out where eveyrthing crumbles to realistic pieces (CPU) but I don't see any of that happening.

i7Baby · Jun 10, 2015

I generally expect a PC to be useful for 5 years max. I extend the life by continually making upgrades.

McHenryB · Jun 10, 2015

CPUs don't become less efficient with time; they tend to either work or not work. But software can become more demanding as newer CPUs become more powerful.

Of course, poor performance from an existing system can happen for a variety of reasons - the CPU is one of the more unlikely causes. You really need to do a few test and diagnostics, plus measuring performance of the various subsystems, before jumping to conclusions.

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