Intel Talks Hourglass Syndrome ''Computer Rage''

As performance computer users, we hate to feel held back from accomplishing a task because our hardware is too slow. The little hourglass (or the spinning rainbow wheel) can sometime drive us insane when we perceive that we're able to work faster than our computers.

Intel cited a technology study conducted by Harris Interactive that revealed that 80 percent U.S. adults get frustrated waiting for their technology to load. Additionally, while waiting, just over half have done something in a manner inconsistent with their usual behavior.

In fact, 61 percent of U.S. adults admitted to yelling or cursing out loud when their technology can’t keep up with them, while others hit their computer mouse (29%) or banged on their computer screen and keyboard (24%).

Intel's taken this report's findings to push its new Core processors in some of the semi-humourous videos below.

Oh, and here's a bonus video that I remember from a much younger internet, before there were Flash-based video sharing sites.

Have you ever had your own fit of computer rage? Share your stories with us in the comments below!

Marcus Yam
Marcus Yam served as Tom's Hardware News Director during 2008-2014. He entered tech media in the late 90s and fondly remembers the days when an overclocked Celeron 300A and Voodoo2 SLI comprised a gaming rig with the ultimate street cred.
  • alhanelem
    lol on that last vid
    Reply
  • VGKitov
    Well I usualy kick my PC when it freezes/boots, for no apparent reason, once I got so mad I managet to crack the front plastic of the case (don't worry it a 5 year old cheap case)

    :D
    Reply
  • N.Broekhuijsen
    "ask your kids, if you have any..." :lol:

    But the last video was still the best by far!
    Reply
  • Kileak
    Strangely, the only times I've experienced "Hourglass syndrome" was when I used Intel powered machines...
    Reply
  • nforce4max
    I can relate, I sometime hit my keyboard hard enough to see the dust come out from under the keys. I blame it on poor system I/O performance. Slow drives and poor bandwidth to the cpu are quick ways to piss me off when I am doing my gaming.
    Reply
  • werxen
    I tend to rage these days not because my computer is slow thanks to Tomshardware... but rather because mofos are head shotting me while spraying the AK from 50 feet away on Aztec. Can someone PLZ explain how this is happening again without hax?
    Reply
  • nevertell
    I don't have the hourglass syndrome, I have ubuntu.

    Seriously though, I haven't had a problem with my systems performance during actual work for the last half a year, the only thing that bugs me is how slow windows 7 starts up, not just the boot process, but, after it has initialized the windows manager/desktop environment, it still takes about 30 seconds to deal with the admin stuff.
    Reply
  • NuclearShadow
    As a very longtime PC user I would say that getting frustrated
    was a thing of the past for sometime now. Of course this is likely
    due to having to actually endure with the past and a simply perception.
    But I have learned to truly appreciate what we have today and look foward
    to what we will have tomorrow.
    Reply
  • Randomacts
    The "hourglass syndrome" is normally from a slow hardrive or fraggged up one not a slow processor.

    slow or little hurts it too.
    Reply
  • boltimuss
    Nah, I like to keep my job, plus I get the bonus of not having to pay my employer (after being fired) to replace the computer...
    Reply