There was a time when a new CPU release would have power users and PC enthusiasts rushing to make the upgrade, but these days, it seems as though a new display technology, faster storage or more powerful graphics are the driving factors.
And it's arguably not because the CPU space is short on innovation, but rather the fact that recent chip architectures have been so good that there's no feeling of urgency when a new generation comes along. My personal laptop, for example, a ThinkPad X1 Carbon from 2012, employs a dual-core Intel Core i5-3427U that's over four years old and yet is only now starting to show signs of slow-down when multi-tasking.
On the desktop, I'm using a quad-core Intel Core i7-4770K, and though said chip is over three years old, my PC still feels suitably quick, and I'm hoping it'll see me through to at least 2018. Five years between upgrades isn't what the likes of AMD and Intel want to hear, and it isn't great reading for a PC industry that has historically relied on CPU product cycles to help shift systems.
Then again, maybe I'm just slow off the mark. To canvas your opinion, this week's question is: which CPU is inside your PC(s)? Let us know the model number, how long you've had the chip, and whether or not it's still sufficient for your needs.
