should you upgrade or replace?
by rick telberg
bay street group llc
when do you know it’s time to replace that aging desktop or laptop?
one definite sign is if the unit simply drops dead.
it refuses to power on at all or delivers an error message instead of a boot screen. with diagnostic and repair labor charges hovering between $75 and $100 an hour, if the cause for your problem isn’t readily apparent and easily (and inexpensively) repairable, a replacement rather than repair is often an easy choice to make.
but the decision isn’t quite as cut-and-dried if the computer still works, and is several years old. in many cases, the system seems to have gotten slower and slower over the years, and you are finding it annoying and distracting using the pc.
with computer prices as affordable as they currently are, you need to ask yourself : are better off simply replacing the unit? or does it make sense to upgrade the computer and squeeze another year or two out of it?
pcs, whether desktop or laptop models, don’t really slow down. the processor, memory, and hard disk drive still operate at the same speeds that they did when new, unless they have been damaged. what’s changed over the intervening years are the demands that the operating system, usually windows, and the applications that you run, impose on the pc.
windows 95 ran pretty well with 64mb of ram installed in the pc. the requirements for windows xp professional specify that it will run with 64mb, but at least 128mb of ram is recommended.
most power users have at least a gigabyte of ram installed. the new microsoft operating system, vista, which is expected to come out later this year, is likely to require even more ram to run well. and all this is before you even try and start to run an application. applications such as excel, tax prep, and even microsoft word, all eat memory the way a teenager scarfs down pizza.
but we still need to address the other memory logjam – hard disk space. four years ago, 10gb was a decent size hard drive. the latest version of windows xp pro requires 1.5gb of space just to install – without any applications or data files. the hard drives on even inexpensive desktops start at around 250gb in size and are available with as much as 500gb of capacity. laptop drives currently top out at 160gb, but even the less expensive laptops come with 60gb drives.
assuming that you’re totally frustrated with your current equipment, the question of upgrade verses replace is usually pretty easy to answer.
so, what will it cost you to upgrade? new ram modules are likely to run between $75 and $130 for 512mb. figure another $150-$200 for a new hard disk drive. then there’s the time and effort needed to move the operating system, applications, and data to the new drive. if you know what you’re doing, you can do it yourself with a disk cloning program, another $75 or so. if not, you’ll have to add in the $75/$100 an hour for technical help.
with new brand name pcs and laptops widely available and eminently affordable (complete with a new copy of windows and microsoft office), it’s usually a better decision to replace rather than upgrade.
but what to do with the old computer, besides donating it to your own personal museum of dead equipment? many manufacturers have environmentally-conscious recycling programs, and there’s usually a charity or school in your town that would be happy to get even a hand-me-down.