The inevitable has arrived. It is time to do something about your older, slower computers. Do you upgrade or replace your computers? Upgrading sounds less costly, but is it the best choice? There are many things to consider when deciding between upgrading and replacing, but it doesn’t have to be a daunting decision or feel like complete surrender. There are identifiable circumstances for upgrading and equally identifiable situations in which you should just replace your computer. Upgrading will generally be limited to a few components of your computer system, like memory, hard drive capacity, video quality or CD/DVD readers and burners. Memory can be added to improve general performance. Adding memory is inexpensive and you can never have too much memory. Beyond memory, we need to take a more detailed look at upgrading.
Replacing your hard drive will require reloading your operating system (i.e. Windows), reloading your software, documents and shortcuts, and recreating your regular work environment. While this may be a considerable amount of effort, you will have to do most of these if you replace your computer. Time is now more of an issue than the cost of the component. If you are uncomfortable in performing these tasks yourself, you will want someone else to install and reload your hard drive. Unfortunately, you will still have to recreate your work environment, as no one else knows what you know about your daily work environment.
Upgrading video quality by replacing your video card or changing your monitor is a relatively painless procedure and can be done in minutes. The same applies to CD/DVD devices.
Replacement of your computer will be dictated by one or more factors. Some reasons for replacement are:
If you require more extensive performance improvements than those mentioned
If you need to upgrade to a newer version of your operating system, either by choice or because your software vendor requires it
If changing one part requires upgrading another part
If the expense of upgrading approaches the cost of replacement
When choosing a replacement, you should consider what your needs are now and in the foreseeable future. Consult your software vendors to determine their current system requirements and to anticipate any planned changes in those requirements. Nothing is quite as frustrating as getting new equipment only to find out in a few months that it no longer meets specifications. Your software vendors will often provide both a minimum and a recommended hardware specification. You should, whenever feasible, buy for the recommended hardware configuration. This will protect your investment for a longer time.
When ordering your replacement computers, remember that the representative at the retail store, catalog vendor or system builder you may have called knows nothing of your business, your software or your needs. They are selling THEIR products; they’re not trying to meet YOUR needs. The bargains advertised to entice your call may morph into something else altogether as your system is configured. Your software vendors are best suited to guide you when purchasing new equipment, after all, you will need them should you have a problem or need assistance during the installation and setup.
Key performance specs to focus on when buying a new computer:
Processor speed - the higher the number of gigahertz (ghz) the better.
Memory – more is better (up to 2 gigabytes in most cases)
Hard drive – capacity and speed, 10,000 rpms is faster than 7,200 rpms
Monitors – flat panels (not flat screen) save desktop space
Networking – of 10/100/1,000, 1,000 is faster
Your vendor should worry about FSB (front side bus), cooling fans, cache and all the other technical terms.
Simply put, upgrading can produce marginal results for a marginal period of time. Replacement is safer than upgrading, requires less knowledge and may ultimately be cheaper. However, once you decide to replace your system, keep in mind the lowest price may not equate to the least cost over time.
Vol 4, Issue 3
