When to have your PC upgraded and when to purchase a new
computer instead?
When you decide to upgrade your old desktop computer, ask
yourself these things:
- Is it already three years
old? If so, it may be time to upgrade everything by simply
replacing it! Remember, the computer industry changes so rapidly,
and costs continue to plummet, that it is often best to upgrade
by replacing everything at once instead of piecemeal. You
will also want to avoid potential warranty issues with some
new, some old parts. An “upgraded” computer
can quickly become a money pit!
- If you upgrade one part, will you
need to upgrade others to make them all work together? Upgrading
can quickly become a struggle to coordinate older parts with
newer ones because standards change and incompatibilities
arise! Upgrading is not just a matter of putting in one newer
part; the parts have to work together - so you may have to
upgrade a few components at a time to keep everything in sync!
And even though your computer may be “technically”
upgradeable, the parts may no longer be manufactured. For
example, your computer manual may say that your 486 can accept
a second hard drive, but you may have great difficulty finding
older-styled controller cards to put older-styled hard drives
into the system.
- Will the cost of upgrading
exceed the cost of buying a new one in the near future? Beware
the trickle-effect of upgrading. Especially, watch the service
hours involved! An upgrade part may only be $100, but when
you add an hour or two of technical service, your upgrade
can cost you $150 instead! If the cost of upgrading parts
and service time exceed 30% of the cost of a new computer,
it is probably worth simply replacing everything and starting
your next three-year journey!
DO NOT expect to upgrade your laptop. Usually you are stuck
with what you initially get in a laptop - and even if you
can add more hard drive space or RAM at high costs (the parts
are physically smaller and more expensive to buy) you probably
cannot ever upgrade the processor. So consider your laptop
investment carefully because it may be worth configuring for
slightly more than you need and want to spend to protect the
unit’s usefulness over a longer period without upgrades.
If they own a computer that’s more than two years old,
some people feel they are behind the times and must spend
a thousand dollars or more on a new model. The fact is it’s
not true.
Consider what it is you ultimately want, or need, to do with
your current computer. If you are only using it for email,
surfing the web, using a word processor, and burning CDs,
a “faster” computer isn’t going to improve
any of these tasks. It can’t make you type faster.
It isn’t going to make your Internet connection run
any quicker. Also, a task like burning your own CDs actually
relies more on the speed of the CD burner, not your computer.
Have a question or problem? Write me at BaliPCAdvisor@GMail.com.
I’ll try and answer as soon as I can.
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