Computer Ecoonomics 101 - Upgrade or Replace?
by Andy Trask

One of the challenges I face every day is helping my customers make difficult decisions about their computers. Now I'm not talking about decisions like choosing between Windows PC and Macintosh, or flat-screen LCD vs. conventional CRT monitor (although these too can be difficult decisions!). What I'm talking about is the more fundamental matter of the economics of maintaining a computer in today's volatile computer price market. To put it simply: When is it wise to invest in upgrades and when is time to throw in the towel and replace your equipment?

The CPU or "big box" is the area of primary concern and rightfully so not only because it is generally the most expensive part of the system, but also because it's the part that is first to become noticeably outdated by most users. What do I mean by "outdated?" Well, I'm not talking aesthetics (although I have seen some boxes that beg for a makeover!), I'm talking about the three C's Capacity, Compatibility, and Crunch-power.

Capacity is the ability of your machine to hold all the programs and files you put into it and all the devices you want to attach to it. Capacity means having enough hard disk space for the new Whizmo 9000 game your kid is planning to install and still having plenty of room left over to hold your recipe collection, your digital photos and your annual tax data. Capacity means having enough memory to surf the web, read email, maybe live chat, and do work at the same time in a word processor or spreadsheet. Capacity means having enough USB ports to hook up your digital camera, your Palm device and your youngster's digital microscope (no really! There is such a thing and it's pretty cool, check out: http://micro.magnet.fsu.edu/optics/intelplay ) .

Capacity is a feature of your computer that you have a huge influence over both in terms of managing your system's resources and performing regular "housecleaning," and in terms of making relatively inexpensive upgrades to your computer that can vastly improve performance. Whether adding a second hard disk, upgrading memory, or installing an add-in board, if your machine is less than four years old (Windows 98 & newer), it generally makes good economic sense to explore upgrade options as an alternative to replacing a machine on the basis of capacity.

Compatibility is an area that is sometimes less forgiving than capacity because it often involves forces that are greater than the user's willingness to fund upgrades. What I mean is this: If you have just gotten a new digital camera (yay!) that connects to your PC through a USB port and you are running an older Windows 95 system, you will likely find first that your system has no USB ports (aww!) and even if it does, Windows 95 does not support USB (aww!). In this case, a hardware upgrade could add a card with USB ports (yay!), and an Operating System upgrade give you a USB compatible version of Windows (yay!), but in order to do so, you would also need a memory upgrade (aww!) and chances are, a hard disk upgrade too (aww!).

The bottom line is that compatibility can sometimes be attained through hardware and software upgrades. However as you can see from the yay-to-aww ratio in the previous example, this is an area where cost analysis may reveal that simply replacing the system outright is more practical as the cost of the requisite upgrades begins to approach the cost of a replacement system.

Crunch-power is a completely different animal and is the term I use to describe the speed of your machine. Now crunch-power is interesting because although most applications, operating systems, and devices are designed to function on a machine with a slow processor or inadequate RAM memory, waiting for the computer to redraw a screen or load a program is probably the greatest day-to-day frustration voiced by owners of older computers.

In many cases, Crunch-power can be dramatically improved by simply adding more RAM memory to your system. This is a relatively inexpensive upgrade that I highly recommend for people who have an otherwise adequate machine but just wish it would run a little faster.

So with this advice under your belt, the next time you sit at your computer and wish it would run a little faster or perhaps want to hook up that new digital camera (yay!), or your kid is lobbying you for the latest release of Whizmo 9000, consider carefully the cost of upgrades versus the cost of replacement!

Andy Trask is the Head Geek at Geek Housecalls (on the web at www.geekhousecalls.com). Based in Lexington Mass, Geek Housecalls provides computer hardware and software troubleshooting, networking, installations, upgrades, and general assistance to residential and small business computer users in Boston and the surrounding North, South, and Western suburbs as well as Rhode Island and southern New Hampshire. If you have a question or topic you'd like to see addressed by The Geeks, please send email to: agtm@geekhousecalls.com

If you're interested in reprinting this or other articles from this series on a website or in a printed publication please contact Andy Trask at andy@geekhousecalls.com for information about our liberal sharing policy!

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