Is it Time to Upgrade Your Computer?
By Bob Rankin
A reader asks: ‘My Dell computer is almost 4 years old and is starting to feel slower than when it was new. Is it time to buy a new one, or should I upgrade it? I’m currently running Windows Vista, if that factors in somehow…
Upgrade or Buy a New Computer?
The decision to upgrade or replace an old computer should be driven by two rational factors: need and cost. Unfortunately, many people fall prey to marketing hype and “keeping up with the Joneses” thinking. Before you choose between upgrades and buying a whole new system, make sure you really need to do either. Here’s my advice on this topic.
Even a five year-old computer is all you truly need for simple tasks like word processing, email, and Web browsing. If you don’t need to do more, and the old system’s hardware is fine, then it makes little sense to spend money on upgrades or a new system. A lot of computer performance problems can be eliminated for free with simple maintenance.
So before you gut or junk that PC, do what you can to tune it up. Defragment your hard drive, and check it for corrupted files and bad sectors. Disable running processes that you don’t need. Shorten startup time by running a registry cleaner regularly. Make sure your operating system and all of the software drivers you use are up to date. Scan your system for malware using a good anti-malware program. These steps can revitalize a pokey computer dramatically. See m related articles Seven Reasons For Computer Crashes and Speed Up Your Startup for tips on doing these maintenance tasks and speeding up your older computer.
Excerpt shared with permission from Bob Rankin.
