My PC is a dualcore intel thing with 8 gigabytes of RAM. It's 12 years old. It was 2 gigabytes of RAM when I bought it and I have added an SSD some years ago and upgraded the Gfx card. It is still perfectly usable for my job (writing code, word processing, web dev). When I have bigger task, I design them on it and move them to online CPU/GPU if needed.
So it's quite a durable product and I'm proud of it.
Using Linux helps as it doesn't need 1 more gigabyte or RAM each time I upgrade it. And my emacs just consume the same amount of RAM as years ago. Very predictable.
Likewise. A dual C2Q Mac Pro, Nehalem and Westmere Xeons, and a Sandy Bridge NAS. Newest non-embedded x86 in the house is probably my 2017 MacBook Air. I did buy an M1 Mac, but why would I replace our perfectly performant desktops that we only need occasionally for e.g. CAD or video editing or whatever when they still work absolutely fine? It's not a lack of money, it's a question of priorities. I have yet to find the killer app that's going to force my hand. It seems likely that hardware failure will get them first.
You just reminded me that I've also got a Core 2 Duo Mac running, as well. That thing can run games better than my Mac that came out a decade later. Might have something to do with the enormous caches on the Core 2 series versus later Intel Core releases.
I also agree with your reasoning. These computers have been serving their purposes for a while, and I see no reason to take the time to replace them.
Yeah, SFF PC of that era can be had for sometimes RPi-level prices. My grandma has one and it's still more powerful than most low-end laptops people use. I've also got one as a home server, it's plenty powerful for that too. I'd recommend them to anyone who "just wants a pc".
So it's quite a durable product and I'm proud of it.
Using Linux helps as it doesn't need 1 more gigabyte or RAM each time I upgrade it. And my emacs just consume the same amount of RAM as years ago. Very predictable.