pixel_workbench wrote on 2020-09-25, 05:02:
The way I see it, your typical gamer will have moved on a while ago to Ryzen, Skylake, or similar modern hardware. And the mass market users who are not gamers are likely happily using laptops, or some modern desktop for things like video editing and such. But the 1155 platform would be of interest to those looking to build an overkill XP rig. Or maybe your next in line youtuber looking for a test platform to make videos like "550ti still got game in 2020???"
It seems unlikely that your average Joe is still buying up Sandy Bridge era hardware because he can't afford anything newer.
Don't underestimate how many regular non-gaming people still use desktops. Yes, sales of new desktops have plummeted, which on the surface makes it look like everyone has moved to laptops, but sales only say something about machines entering the ecosystem, and the big change has been at the other end: if you are not a gamer, you don't need a new computer. Apart from steady RAM bloat of web browsers, requirements for general computing (office, communications, OS functions) haven't significantly increased in a decade. Even operating systems haven't, considering that 2009-era Windows 7 automatically updated to Windows 10 for most people. If you're not doing anything challenging, you simply don't replace the computer. That is unlike any other time in computing history, where a 3 year-old system usually started feeling dated and within 5 years you could basically forget running an up-to-date OS and applictions
And - crucially - if you do need a new computer, 2nd-hand is a very valid and widely chosen option, either from classified ads or from refurb resellers. Basically, PCs have become a mature market a lot more like cars. The fact a lot of people simply don't (need to!) buy new anymore has at least as much impact on sales as people moving to laptops. It's not a matter of not being able to buy new, they just don't need to anymore. And that keeps the price up of usable 2nd hand systems and parts, simple supply and demand.
Why are laptop sales not similarly affected? Because they physically fall apart or electrically die and need replacing long before the actual hardware reaches obsolescence, which reduces the 2nd hand market and keeps sales up.