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The upgrade I need next is a whole new computer. My current one is an Optiplex 760. Yep, it is ancient. With today's bloated software and at maximum memory expansion, it is still slower than molasses flowing up hill in January in Boston. Windows 10 is the end limit of OS upgrades.
Just buy a new one, you may say. It is not that easy when you are retired and running a ranch. Money is always tight. The new equipment we buy is all ranch related - "new" tractor, squeeze chute, chain saw, and stuff like that. Our newest truck is 10 years old and another one is a 2002 model. A new computer for my hobby and former profession is really low on the list.
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Lord, grant me the serenity to accept that there are some things I just can’t keep up with, the determination to keep up with the things I must keep up with, and the wisdom to find a good RSS feed from someone who keeps up with what I’d like to, but just don’t have the damn bandwidth to handle right now.
© 2009, Rex Hammock
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I don't know the specs of your machine, but you can pick up a lower end i5 for $200-$300. At worst you may have to upgrade the RAM in it, but it may handle things better than what your using. It's what I did for my previous machine, and it got me through for a little over a year.
To err is human. Fortune favors the monsters.
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Thank ![Rose | [Rose]](https://codeproject.global.ssl.fastly.net/script/Forums/Images/rose.gif) for you reply. I am aware of those machines, but I do not think they are enough.
My favorite application is Visual Studio, but it is a pig. My hobby is developing software for my own use. Some of it is actually useful. 
This machine is also used for some of the ranch-specific applications. These days, ranchers are required to keep records on every animal they raise and sell for human consumption. We even attempt to track the egg production of each of our hens. With free-range chickens, this is a challenge. Older hens who no longer produce enough eggs to justify their feed are slaughtered and turned into stew, pot pie, pulled chicken and chicken fajitas: their meat is too tough  for use as a roast or fryer.
Storage-wise, I have hundreds of gigabytes of photographs, ranch records, financial records and letters (many of my old friends still snail-mail me real letters, even though they have my email address - it is on the bottom of every page) on three external drives plugged in to the USB ports.
__________________
Lord, grant me the serenity to accept that there are some things I just can’t keep up with, the determination to keep up with the things I must keep up with, and the wisdom to find a good RSS feed from someone who keeps up with what I’d like to, but just don’t have the damn bandwidth to handle right now.
© 2009, Rex Hammock
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Jalapeno Bob wrote: My hobby is developing software for my own use. Some of it is actually useful
Maybe it could be useful for others as well! Try selling it, to finance your new computer!
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Do you build a completely new PC each time, or do you upgrade parts in between?
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Mostly I try to order exactly what I need to work from. Once in a while. over time. A person has given me something that is not quite what I need/want then I do some upgrading.
Case in Point.
Current work supplied desktop and lappy are more than good enough because they asked me what I needed before I started.
At home computer for freelancing was a hand over from a gamer. I upgraded the RAM and Harddrives but left everything else the same. Imagine that.
and yes I know the question says primary dev machine. But in my case I really do have 2 primary machines.
To err is human to really elephant it up you need a computer
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Answered: for basic things, but now I think of it that was a lie, I once replaced the video cable of a HP laptop.
Something I hope never have to do again, it was a horrible experience, although I replaced the cable with much blood sweat and tears, only a few weeks later another component of the laptop broke down, and I had to purchase a new laptop, aaaaarrrrrgggghhhh 
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Reminds me of when I brought a well used car to the mandatory bi-annual check: The guy looking over car was highly impressed: It was completely worn down in every sense, yet it was fully operational! He told me that when n this breaks down (highly likely) and I fix it, that will follow soon after, and then this and that and ...
His advice was that I take the car behind the barn and shoot it. I did.
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Coincidentally, I sold my old Skoda last week that was fully functional, but had 185000 km on the counter. The only problem I had with this car was a blown fuse that the Skoda dealer replaced for free 
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I don't know anything about hardware 
It's safer, easier and probably cheaper to just replace the whole thing every now and then.
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Wow. it's a cinch only you knows what's going on in there
"A little time, a little trouble, your better day"
Badfinger
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I was just trying to scare Sander.
That's from the movie Pi.
Here's my actual computer[^]
If you'll pardon the mess. That was when I was putting it together and testing it on the floor at my bench, which is pretty messy most of the time.
To err is human. Fortune favors the monsters.
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Gamer! Looks like the 900 model computer case?
"A little time, a little trouble, your better day"
Badfinger
modified 6-Jun-22 17:06pm.
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Whoops, I totally misread you. It's a Thermaltake Level 20VT. I don't know if I'd call it a gamer case, so much as a trendy open chassis, apple-like case
Not really. Although I can see why you'd say that. I do buy barebones gaming systems as dev workstations because they usually have good build quality, and great performance for good money. It's the best value I've found in terms of getting a rocking machine that can do double duty as a dev server.
The fans in this machine are already lit because they came that way when I bought the bare unit. This isn't the original case, but I just scalped the fans from the old setup it came with.
The guts were from a barebones system
This was what I bought to begin with, and where the fans came from.
CUKUSA Mantis[^]
I've since replaced the keyboard, the system drive (NVMe), added another hard drive (HDD), the power supply, and the case. I've also added a video card because I develop mods for a particular game - but that's coding too. Also to play with OpenCL and such.
To err is human. Fortune favors the monsters.
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Understood. What sort of motherboard are you using? I do share your philosophy on buying systems. I sometimes, build up from case and reuse other gear but I also get lazy and spend more on a more complete system. Gaming systems are sometime the best to start with. They do not need to be fully tricked out but with good basics like cooling, fans, etc.
https://cukusa.com/checkout/cart/[^]
"A little time, a little trouble, your better day"
Badfinger
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The mobo is a Micro-ATX ASUS Prime A520M-K. It's last gen because I bought it right before the roll over - i needed a machine or I would have waited a couple of months.
CUKUSA is good stuff, although if you want their deals, look for their gear on amazon. You can't customize their "specials" but they've got a good variety for sale on there.
To err is human. Fortune favors the monsters.
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Nice one Sigourney. 
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Sander Rossel wrote: It's safer, easier and probably cheaper to just replace the whole thing every now and then.
Safer? I don't know of anyone getting hurt building a PC, unless they dropped it on their foot. Back in the 90's, the IBM model 70's were dangerous, as they had cast iron in the case to make them heavier.
Cheaper? That is a mixed bag. I rarely find a PC that contains everything I want, so an off-the-shelf purchase means either paying more than I want, or settling for at least one lesser component. When shopping for components, I look for what I want at the best price, and get something satisfactory on all points.
The actual assembly of parts is easy enough -- anyone who can read can do it. Figuring out what to buy? THAT is not easy! It used to be that assembly was hard while buying (choosing parts) was easy, but that has reversed.
A non-IT acquaintance asked me why all IT people don't build their own computers, and had trouble understanding that (like everything else) it's a specific skill set and not everyone has it, nor does everyone want it.
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BryanFazekas wrote: I don't know of anyone getting hurt building a PC, unless they dropped it on their foot.
Maybe you won't get hurt, but if you are careless, your PC might. I once opened my PC case to plug in another hard disk, after having turned the power switch off. When I bent over the opened PC case, my keyring slipped out of my pocket, down on the, mainboard. That's how I learned that the PS main switch does not turn off all the power to the mainboard. The power that is still maintained is enough to make significance damage, if shortcut to the proper places. My billfold definitely felt the electric shock.
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BryanFazekas wrote: Safer?
Not for me, for the PC, like trønderen said 
BryanFazekas wrote: Cheaper? That is a mixed bag.
Not if you factor in the time you've lost picking parts, assembling the thing, cursing...
Time is money, and assembling your own is definitely the more time consuming.
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