DVCS (was Re: Moving to D)

[Andrei Alexandrescu]

On 1/12/11 2:30 PM, retard wrote:
> Wed, 12 Jan 2011 22:46:46 +0100, Ulrik Mikaelsson wrote:
>
>> Wow. The thread that went "Moving to D"->"Problems with
>> DMD"->"DVCS"->"WHICH DVCS"->"Linux Problems"->"Driver
>> Problems/Manufacturer preferences"->"Cheap VS. Expensive". It's a
>> personally observed record of OT threads, I think.
>>
>> Anyways, I've refrained from throwing fuel on the thread as long as I
>> can, I'll bite:
>>
>>> It depends on a number of factors, including the quality of the card
>>> and the conditions that it's being used in. I've had video cards die
>>> before. I _think_ that it was due to overheating, but I really don't
>>> know. It doesn't really matter. The older the part, the more likely it
>>> is to break. The cheaper the part, the more likely it is to break.
>>> Sure, the lack of moving parts makes it less likely for a video card to
>>> die, but it definitely happens. Computer parts don't last forever, and
>>> the lower their quality, the less likely it is that they'll last. By no
>>> means does that mean that a cheap video card isn't necessarily going to
>>> last for years and function just fine, but it is a risk that a cheap
>>> card will be too cheap to last.
>> "Cheap" in the sense of "less money" isn't the problem. Actually, HW
>> that cost more is often high-end HW which creates more heat, which
>> _might_ actually shorten the lifetime. On the other hand, low-end HW is
>> often less heat-producing, which _might_ make it last longer. The real
>> difference lies in what level of HW are sold at which clock-levels, I.E.
>> manufacturing control procedures. So an expensive low-end for a hundred
>> bucks might easily outlast a cheap high-end alternative for 4 times the
>> money.
>>
>> Buy quality, not expensive. There is a difference.
>
> Nicely written, I fully agree with you.

Same here. It's not well understood that heating/cooling cycles with the 
corresponding expansion and contraction cycles are the main reason for 
which electronics fail. At an extreme, the green-minded person who turns 
all CFLs and all computers off at all opportunities ends up producing 
more expense and more waste than the lazier person who leaves stuff on 
for longer periods of time.


Andrei