Should I Repair My Computer Or Buy New?
Should I repair my computer or buy new? It’s always a hard decision to figure out whether it’s better to buy a new computer or fix your old one. It’s common to think that what’s new is better, faster, or just attractive, but that’s not always the circumstance. With the proper maintenance, desktop computers should last a relatively long time. There is a fair amount of machines that are 10+ years old still running strong.
Most people want to work toward keeping machines running as long as possible because computers aren’t cheap. But there are several other things to review:
Price
While big box stores or online deals might advertise computers as inexpensive at $350 for a limited time only, when you look at the specs carefully, it may not be a great deal. Attempt to use a custom build calculator on a website. With that, you can then match your specs with the specs of a comparable machine to see how what the cost is.
Operating System
Keep in mind that when you buy a new computer, it may come with a different operating system than what you’re used to. Particularly if it’s been a few years since your last computer, it could be a very steep learning curve if you’re upgrading from say Windows XP to Windows 10.
Transferring Data
The other factor to recognize is transferring data and programs from an old to a new system. Depending on what software is being utilized, it can be a process on its own.
That being said, there are special signs to look for that makes the question of whether or not to upgrade your computer easy to answer. If you’re comfortable opening your computer, you can inspect for any distended capacitors. Once there are indications of any capacitors that are protruded out or excreting a fluid, it’s a fatal implication that your motherboard is going bad, and it or the system would, unfortunately, need to be replaced.
In spite of the hidden costs, you may encounter in a new PC, there are times when it makes sense to buy new rather than repairing the old one. The average lifespan of a desktop is five years; a laptop averages 3-4 years. After a few years, aging hardware is more prone to fail, software begins to outpace your system’s abilities (leading to sluggish performance and a slow boot up), and operating system upgrades have likely cycled within a few generations.
If you have a basic computer system that you haven’t upgraded that is more than four years old and in need of a hardware repair, such as, a new motherboard or processor, it’s best to begin shopping for a new computer. The cost to bring your system up to current standards is likely to exceed the cost far to replace it.
