I'm really not sure how I feel about this. Rumors are that Intel is planning to start using non upgradable sockets and now if they purchase NVidia they could kill off the GPU side as well. Maybe the days of PC building and upgrading are coming to an end?

The article also says the NVidia CEO would become the CEO of Intel. He's planning to retire soon anyway.

Link to article on the purchase rumor. Well I can't seem to figure out how to embed a link on the mobile site so he is the big ugly URL!
androidcommunity.com/intel-to-acquire-nvidia-according-to-crazy-rumors-20121213/

More likely it will become a niche realm of enthusiasts, with the cheapest (& smallest) components for smd only. AMD and Intel have both said they will continue to supply socketed cpus, though it's definitely a shrinking market. The growth is in tablets, phones and servers rather than desktop pcs.

BYO became boring years ago.

True, but some people like to know they are getting quality parts and that's really the only way.

Come over here, and I'll give you a /real/ quality part!

3-8

:-@ 

Admit it, you're tempted. That rage is just a cover.

So much less boring than buying junk that has been besmirched by a half-eaten apple badge.

I consider a half-eaten apple as one-tenth of my five-a-day, and therefore good.

I don't think I've ever actually upgraded a CPU without a motherboard change anyway. Graphics cards, a couple of times I have though.

I've done it a few times. Frustrating that they keep changing the sockets (but understandable, I guess).

The biggest advantage of sockets is that it makes it far easier to choose the board you want and the CPU that you want when you upgrade your PC. If CPUs become soldered to boards, shops will keep less varieties etc. in stock and the choice you have at upgrade time will diminish IMO.

Imagine the stock levels necessary to keep 10 motherboards with 10 different types of CPUs soldered to them all available!

Yes, that is true. I think the article I first read was talking more about upgrading the CPU but motherboard selection would also be an issue if it's soldered to the board.

I hope this does not happen, I get such a buzz from upgrading and building bespoke computers and find you can always get good resale value for 1. Year old decent components.

I knew intel would be the death of the enthusiasts.

:? I was building Intel homebrews before AMD'd been invented! :{)

I meant that they are much in line with MS and want to simplify everything for the non techy world i.e. Windows 8.

I blame apple for the general trend of tech stupidity, which is beginning to encroach even on linux, oh lord.

There's nothing like the feeling of sourcing all the components that you want, receiving a big box full of your lovely shiny new computer parts, putting it all together, plugging in the power cable and booting it for the first time and finding the Windows installation keeps crashing or Windows BSODs every 2 minutes.

I used to enjoy building systems etc but now if I want a pc I want one that just works. It's not even as if super techy types have to get soldering irons/multimeters/pcb designing gear out either as building a computer is pretty much a plugging bits into the correctly shaped holes anyway. If you want to get your hands dirty, as it were, there's still plenty to keep you happy. Not giving a damn how its put together isn't stupidity. It's not giving a damn.

I had that! Then I found that if I overclocked my CPU from 2.6GHz to 3.2GHz, it increased the RAM voltage automatically and the system stopped crashing. So ironically, I overclocked my PC to improve its stability...