When Is It Time to Buy a New Computer?
Not long ago, someone asked me if it was the right decision to retire their old computer and replace it with a newer model. We looked at prices for upgrades to bring their old computer into the modern age, and compared those costs against the price of a new computer.
Their computer was running Windows 98, had 128 MB of RAM, had a 4 or 6 GB hard drive, and a 15" monitor. They wanted a computer that was capable of playing DVDs, stable, and would be good for doing homework and browsing the web. To bring their computer up to speed, we would need to purchase Windows XP Home Edition (the upgrade version) for $91.95 (NewEgg.com price), upgrade their RAM to 256 MB (somewhere in the range of $40), and upgrade their hard drive for around $80. So far, we've spent just over $200. This does not include a monitor upgrade to a 17" CRT monitor for $99 (NewEgg.com price). Let's see, now we're up to $300, and we haven't even talked about upgrading the motherboard and/or processor for faster performance.
As the list of expenses kept growing, we started looking at new, pre-built computers. At the time of this blog post, Dell Computers has a basic system, including a Pentium 4 processor, Windows XP Home, a 40 GB hard drive, a 17" CRT monitor, and a CD-RW drive for making data and audio CDs for $454. Other computer retailers offer similar deals.
We decided to make the new computer purchase online, and their computer arrived later that week. Setup was easy because the cables were color-coded, and the retailer included technical support with the computer purchase.
As the price of new computers continues to fall, in most cases it makes sense to replace rather than upgrade your old computer. The old computer is probably still useful and could be used as an email station in your kitchen.
Their computer was running Windows 98, had 128 MB of RAM, had a 4 or 6 GB hard drive, and a 15" monitor. They wanted a computer that was capable of playing DVDs, stable, and would be good for doing homework and browsing the web. To bring their computer up to speed, we would need to purchase Windows XP Home Edition (the upgrade version) for $91.95 (NewEgg.com price), upgrade their RAM to 256 MB (somewhere in the range of $40), and upgrade their hard drive for around $80. So far, we've spent just over $200. This does not include a monitor upgrade to a 17" CRT monitor for $99 (NewEgg.com price). Let's see, now we're up to $300, and we haven't even talked about upgrading the motherboard and/or processor for faster performance.
As the list of expenses kept growing, we started looking at new, pre-built computers. At the time of this blog post, Dell Computers has a basic system, including a Pentium 4 processor, Windows XP Home, a 40 GB hard drive, a 17" CRT monitor, and a CD-RW drive for making data and audio CDs for $454. Other computer retailers offer similar deals.
We decided to make the new computer purchase online, and their computer arrived later that week. Setup was easy because the cables were color-coded, and the retailer included technical support with the computer purchase.
As the price of new computers continues to fall, in most cases it makes sense to replace rather than upgrade your old computer. The old computer is probably still useful and could be used as an email station in your kitchen.
posted by Kevin at
7/12/2005 06:59:00 PM
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