How often do you upgrade?

I have a terrible story. The other day my step-fathers elderly mother had friends over while I was there. One of her friends got talking to me and somehow he got talking about his new computer. Terminology was a little wierd but his new computer has 1 gig of ram! Same as mine, then I saw today that TES IV released the system specs and my video card is nowhere in sight!

Basically I am feeling the terrible need to upgrade (though I can't since I just upgraded to a dual core and a new heatsink after 8 - 1 year of owning this computer).

So how often does everyone here upgrade? and why?

Do you upgrade as soon as the newest stuff comes out, or when something breaks, or when you can't run a new game or program?

i upgrade when something breaks. when something breaks, it usually a chain reaction so i end up getting a whole new system with gutted parts.

When I have the cash.

I try to stay on a once a year schedule. Then again I have only built 2 computers and the first was a super budget computer. I am going to build again in May or somewhere around there (when AMD releases their next socket) and hopefully with this new system I won't have to upgrade for 2 years.

I usually upgrade then something breaks, or because I need to upgrade to be able to run the latest game/program. Usually about once every 6 months, but everything seems to be breaking right now :S

well I built my first computer around fall of 2003, and Im thinking of upgrading this summer or so

Usually when something breaks. Where I work, there are so many people that stay with the latest and greatest that I can usually find something barely surpassed for pretty cheap.

I upgrade when i can, the last thing i got was a firewire card. I want to upgrade the family pc, but my mother wont let me touch it for fear of it 'going wrong'. I've built 3 computers, one fairly powerless, due to old parts, and 2 fairly decent ones, one for me, and one for my mate (he paid me to do that, i'm not that gernerous)

Yeh I know what you mean Nick, my mom hasnt trusted me with technology untill about a year ago. And before that I have built many pcs out of a lot of scrap.

Arg, I almost wish I wasn't trusted with technology. Ever time my stepdad or mother have a problem with one of their... many computers I get called up but half the time I have no idea how to fix it.