Weekend Open Forum: Have recent CPU security concerns made you reconsider your next build?

[William Gayde]

Unless you've been living under a rock, you've likely heard of the massive Spectre and Meltdown security flaws. They affect nearly all modern CPUs and can allow hackers to view sensitive data stored on your computer. After the vulnerabilities were discovered, the response from manufacturers was swift and wide reaching. Intel recently announcing that 90% of their CPUs have "received" a patch, but there is still lots of work to be done.

While Intel took the brunt of the fallout, elements of the attack can be used to target nearly all modern CPUs regardless of manufacturer. That being said, have these huge security concerns changed your mind on building your next computer or upgrading your current system?

In addition to that, have skyrocketing RAM and GPU prices made you reconsider as well or are you biting the bullet and going for it regardless?

Permalink to story.

https://www.techspot.com/news/72833-weekend-open-forum-have-recent-cpu-security-concerns.html

 

[mrtraver]

These so-called security concerns would not have any impact on my next build. This may be fixed with the next generation of CPUs, but then there will be something else. As complex as today's CPUs are, there will always be something that hackers/NSA can exploit to get to sensitive data. I'm not going to bunker down every time someone screams that the sky is falling and everything created since 1842 is susceptible.

RAM and GPU prices definitely would prevent me from starting a new build right now.

 

[alabama man]

I bet intel did this on purpose to sell newer processors. There's really been no reason for upgrade in years. Both are affected so it's not like you have choice and intel will probably be better for gaming when I make my next rig. Hope we could get more competition in the market.

 

[yRaz]

No, I'm still probably going to upgrade to AMDs zen 2. Plenty of PCIe lanes and they should have the virtualization instructions in need. Intel took them out to force people's hands into buying their xeons and I'm not playing their game.

 

[TomSEA]

Nope. But the cost of components skyrocketing because of the crypto-currency craze has.

 

[Evernessince]

These so-called security concerns would not have any impact on my next build. This may be fixed with the next generation of CPUs, but then there will be something else. As complex as today's CPUs are, there will always be something that hackers/NSA can exploit to get to sensitive data. I'm not going to bunker down every time someone screams that the sky is falling and everything created since 1842 is susceptible.

RAM and GPU prices definitely would prevent me from starting a new build right now.

This is the good old false equivalency argument. Just because PCs will always be hack-able does not change the gravity of the current meltdown and spectre issues, which are likely the widest reaching security incidents in history. Yes hacks will always exist but not on this level and downplaying it is to bury your head in the sand.

On topic, bad time for buying new. Great time for buying used. People have been dumping their 4000 series CPUs and motherboards at basement pricing when upgrading to the new Coffee Lake.

 

[EClyde]

NO

 

[JaredTheDragon]

Have any known infections actually stemmed from Spectre or Meltdown? I'm not aware of any known viruses or malware that utilizes them, though I haven't researched it directly. It just seems like someone would have said, "...as evidenced by a stream of new viruses/malware", or something along those lines.

I don't see them as very important. I think the bigger issue is what Intel execs have done along the way, and how that affects the financial end of things for these companies. We already knew they was ridin' dirty, but now we know how they did it.

 

[wiyosaya]

I am not considering a build right now.

 

[DDG4005]

I upgraded both my PCs last May with new motherboards, RAM, and CPUs. I have no regrets despite the news of the vulnerabilities that were discovered.

 

[Carmaine]

Just like some others, I'm not considering a new rig ATM cause of the component prices. The Spectre Meltdown issue doesn't bother me. Haven't even installed any of their update patches from Microsoft or Intel. Don't see a reason to.

 

[gobbybobby]

No.

 

[captaincranky]

Wndows 10, and Satya Nadella's pushy, brutish,clumsy, and ruthless tactics by which he somehow managed to ram it down the public's throat,are what influenced my next build. There won't be one.

I'm going to head over to The Pirate Bay now, with my dual core Pentium E-6300 and G-41 IGP rig, with about 20 tabs open in Firefox, and maybe 75 instances of Opera running, to see if those Roger heads, will try and hijack the rig as a miner...

Won't they be surprised! Maybe they'll be able to guess what finger I'm holding up! (y)

 

[trgz]

Er no, why?

 

[BSim500]

"In addition to that, have skyrocketing RAM and GPU prices made you reconsider as well or are you biting the bullet and going for it regardless?"

Neither. I used to be one of those "enthusiasts" who obsessively buy only the latest stuff then sit there tweaking and benchmarking that last 0.5%. Life's too short though and these days I only upgrade when it feels slow. Given I've been fast losing interest in the direction AAA gaming is "evolving" into, and that's all that drives performance for me, I'm at that place in being easily able to afford an upgrade even at inflated prices (doubly so since saving a ton of cash not buying over-hyped MT / Lootbox laden AAA cr*pware), and yet because of that having no real reason to upgrade. So I'm holding off, not due to hardware pricing, but simply watching where the 2018-2019 AAA "premium" gaming industry ends up...

 

[misor]

For my own consumption, no... at least in the foreseeable future since my rigs (i3-530, i3-3240, i3-3570k, pentium g630) are mostly still doing fine..

for my nephew, I'd be suggesting an intel 8600k/8700k/8400-based builds versus what comes next from amd in the coming months (march-april 2018?). coming from a Pentium g4560+nvidia gtx 760ti, the eye candy will be great....

 

[cuerdc]

Wanted to upgrade but waiting on crypto crash to pick up those cheap 2nd hand unwanted cards
Hardware prices way to high at moment to even bother looking...

 

[veLa]

No. I always go with AMD.

 

[Uncle Al]

Got a few years before I upgrade my rig. Hopefully by that time the latest security scourge will be resolved ....

 

[ET3D]

It does make me reconsider Android vs. iOS. I will probably still stay on the Android side for now, but it's better to be on a side that actually gets updates.

As for PC, this particular issue hasn't affected my plans. My plans have mainly been affected by RAM prices, but I think I settled on a Ryzen 3 2200G + B450 motherboard + 16GB RAM for my next build. How much time it will take to get that build would depend on when B450 is released and where RAM prices go.

Edit: My plans have also been affected by GPU prices. Over time, I entertained various system upgrades, including a GPU. However, a Ryzen APU is in the most interesting direction I can go in my book.

 

[hahahanoobs]

Very very little.
I'm in no rush to upgrade, but I would prefer to build a system without the exploits entirely.

 

[Satish Mallya]

I'm still sitting on an i5 2500k.

It's still chugging along happily.

I'm nowhere close to being a target of choice for people trying to exploit meltdown/spectre.

I do want to upgrade soon-ish, but not so badly as to pay the current sky-high prices.

I.e. I'm exactly where ive been for the last three years, and it doesn't look like anything other than a significant drop in prices will puch me over that edge.

 

[Greg S]

Component cost is far more of an issue than the security problems for me. The security risk is low for me, but the cost cannot be avoided. I would have considered a $1500 build sufficient overkill for my needs a year ago, but now I'm not sure that that's the case anymore. A high performance build with plenty of storage easily tops $2000.

I was originally considering the Ryzen refresh as an upgrade path, but I'm not sure I am willing to spend the money for it now.

 

[centrino207]

Component cost is far more of an issue than the security problems for me. The security risk is low for me, but the cost cannot be avoided. I would have considered a $1500 build sufficient overkill for my needs a year ago, but now I'm not sure that that's the case anymore. A high performance build with plenty of storage easily tops $2000.

I was originally considering the Ryzen refresh as an upgrade path, but I'm not sure I am willing to spend the money for it now.

It depends want you want.

A $200 or $300 video card is good enough for 90% games out there.

If you are into VR gaming or 4k gaming than you need to spend $600 on video card.

 

[captaincranky]

If any of you really need a laugh about video card prices, "OutletPC is trying to sell an EVGA GTX-1050 ti 4 GB "FTW" model card fror $405.00.... Funnier still is, that's down from $439.00 a week ago. Don't belive me? https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=9SIA85V5MM7497

I bought one of these just to have it in my newest rig, about a year ago, which netted down to about $140.00.

Since I don't game, running just movies scaled to 1440p, I haven't actually seen the fans start on the card start. Oh well, it's either defective, (which I highly doubt), or for my purposes, I now have passive VGA cooling.

I did build a PC,albeit pretty much mainstream, every couple of years just to "stay in touch" with current developments. No more
With the way manufactures are forcing prices by selectively refusing to grow RAM, I'd say the PCs I have now, are going to the grave with me.

My last, "rig I built for spite against M$" is

I5-6600K
Gigabyte X-170
Samsung 256 GB SATA 3 850 "EVO"
Seagate 2 x 2 TB + 1 x 3 TB standard "Barracuda" HDDs
EVGA GTX-1050 ti "FTW" 4 GB
Noctua tower cooler
Seasonic "Gold" 500 watt PSU

And of course, Windows 7 Pro 64 bit
Last but not least (or here's the kicker), 24 GB of GSkill "Aegis" RAM running at the "just to it'll be sure to boot speed", of 2133 Mhz, (2 x 4 GB + 2 x * GB), which cost me a grand total of about $150.00 no tax, free shipping.

No worries about security either. The only time it's hooked to he web, is to update album info on my CDs which I rip and store on it.