Future-Proofing a PC: Possible or Not?

I've seen people asking how they can "future-proof" their computer.


Before I treat this seriously, I'd like to give the basic response that most "techies" will give you to this question: "Wait six months.....and then when you're ready.....Wait another six months....."

So,..to answer my own question in the Subject Field, I say no,...future-proofing is not possible.

Actually,...we should back up and answer this question first: When people ask to future-proof their computer, what are they asking?

I think there's 2 avenues of thought:

1. I want to build or buy a computer that I can use for the next 5-7 years as is
2. I want to be able to upgrade my computer with the latest processor and use the same motherboard, ram, case,....

and one major reason for both:

I want to be able to do what I do now on my computer 5-7 years from now

• I use excel, word, browse the internet, do my budget, pay bills,....basic stuff

    or

• In the case of a home theater PC, I want my HTPC to be able to run XBMC so I can watch movies 5-7 years from now.

I think it's important to first see what was going on ~10 years ago with computers.

Wayne Caswell wrote about future-proofing your home 12 years ago.
In his article he mentions the state of computers 12 years ago:

• Processor -- PC clock speeds increased over 100 times - from 4.77MHz to nearly 1GHz. Computing is now embedded in dozens of ordinary household appliances and hand-held and mobile devices. In the next decade, almost anything with a plug will get smart and networked, and so will some surprising devices that today have no power or electronics.

• Memory - Chip capacity has multiplied by 2,000 times - from 16KB to 32MB. Postage stamp-sized Compact Flash memory used in cameras and MP3 players will soon hold 1GB, up from 32MB today and enough to hold full-length movies.

• Storage - capacity is nearly 200,000 times greater - from 160KB diskettes to 30GB hard disks. No longer do we measure storage capacity by the number of stored typewritten pages, but by the number of hours of video stored.

• Telecommunications - At 1.5Mbps, ADSL modems are 500,000 times faster than the 300bps telephone modems of 1980. The home phone line networking that was introduced at 1Mbps just two years ago is already at 10Mbps today, going to 32Mbps next year. Switched Ethernet now delivers dedicated bandwidth of one gigabit per second to each device. And fiber optic network speeds will be measured in terabits per second - 3 billion times faster than the old PC modem.

So you can see, the huge changes brought about in just 10 years.
Now I'm not suggesting that you NOT buy the best computer that is within your budget,...what I am saying is that you should NOT get fooled in into buying 64G of RAM when you only currently need 4G of RAM.

I also like to argue this point by using a car example:
You don't need to buy a Jaguar to get to work everyday when all you really need and can afford is a used Ford Escort. They both do the same job. Sure the Jaguar has some really cool toys and such,,...has leather seats,...but you're buying something that isn't necessary.

Why do I care? Well, I suppose I'd like to see you buy what you need and not get sucked into believing that you need to buy a Ferrari of a PC.

Your thoughts?