I Tried 10 Year Old Tech

TL;DR

Testing phones, consoles, laptops, and a gaming PC from 2016 reveals most are barely usable today without upgrades.

Key Points

• 1.The average 2016 gaming PC struggled badly with modern games. Built around a Core i3-2120 and Radeon HD 7790 with 1GB VRAM, it could barely run GTA V at 720p low settings and failed to run CS2 due to a CPU bottleneck below minimum specs.
• 2.Cheap upgrades dramatically revive a 2016 PC. Swapping in a Core i7-3770K and GTX 1660 for roughly $120–$130 pushed GTA V to a smooth 100 FPS, making the whole system usable for around $250–$300 total.
• 3.The iPhone 6s running iOS 15 still runs apps like Pokémon GO but is a security liability. Apple dropped software support, meaning no security updates — making it genuinely unsafe for everyday use in 2026.
• 4.The PS4 holds up surprisingly well as a 2016 console. Launch models sell for under $100, support live-service games like Fortnite, include a Blu-ray player, and benefit from a massive library optimized specifically for its hardware across a full decade of titles.
• 5.The 2016 Razer Blade Stealth was innovative but nearly useless today. Its Thunderbolt external-GPU concept was ahead of its time, but it crashed running any game, batteries are prone to ballooning, and it can only handle basic web browsing.
• 6.The 2016 MacBook Pro is a poor value despite still functioning. The notorious butterfly keyboard, lack of USB-A/HDMI, and slow performance mean spending ~$200 on one makes little sense when M1 MacBook Airs — three to four times more powerful — sell for $250–$300.