At what point IS it a new computer?

This is the modern version of the Theseus Paradox, really; if I replace the video card, the memory, the hard drive, the CD drive, the motherboard, and then finally the casing – at what point did I replace the “computer?” Easy to pick an arbitrary point, like ‘motherboard’ or ‘casing;’ but what makes those acts of replacement significant.  if I started off by replacing the casing or motherboard, would it be accurate to say that that still represents a full replacement?  And if the act of replacement is time-dependent, then is there a moment in the process that can be said to be the moment of actual transformation?

I have not a clue, but my wife and I found it an interesting enough discussion topic on our way to the mall. Plus, it distracts me from the fact that I want a 2TB SSD, and I ain’t getting one any time soon. Those things are hella expensive, huh?

11 thoughts on “At what point IS it a new computer?”

        1. Ah, but Microsoft’s definition isn’t necessarily the *right* definition ..
          .
          Mew

  3. The point at which you’ve spent enough on it, you might as well have bought a brand new computer.

  4. Moe’s Page! Come for the ̶p̶o̶l̶i̶t̶i̶c̶a̶l̶ ̶c̶o̶m̶m̶e̶n̶t̶a̶r̶y ̶geekery, stay for the philosophical headache.

  5. At the point it tells you it’s sorry, but it can’t open the pod-bay doors for you.

  6. It’s a new computer when you replace the processor ( the part that does the actual computations )

    1. … but the graphics processor does a rather large number of computations as well, so ..
      .
      Mew

    2. That would tend to be my default position, too, but then, thinking about acat’s comment about licensing would lead to suggesting it’s actually the motherboard, under the assumption that there has to be one part that counts as “the computer”, like the ATF does with guns, and the fact that, of the components that will cause Windows to decide your license has changed, the motherboard has most of them.

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