What is best moneywise? To buy a new PC or upgrade the old one if possible?
2006-06-20 04:07:59 · 9 answers · asked by Weyguy 2 in Computers & Internet ➔ Hardware ➔ Desktops
To be honest with you, you can upgrade your entire 1993 pc to a new one if you'd like, it's very unefficient and unpractical.
To answer your question:
The choice of whether to upgrade or not depends on the condition of your PC and how old it is (do not look at software, that is unimportant when you decide whether to upgrade or not). Take a look at these factors and ask yourself each...
-How old is the PC? (If it is Pentium II or earlier or year 1999 or earlier, I'd say forget about major upgrades and go for the new PC, the most you should add is perhaps a RAM stick)
-Has my PC required a lot of repairs? (If the answer is yes, then I suggest you reconsider upgrading. This is because if you PC breaks often, upgrading for it is risky as in case your PC does break, these parts may not be needed if you were forced to buy a new PC).
-What do I need for my PC? (When you upgrade, upgrade smartly. It is very foolish to through in a Pentium EE (extreme edition) if you only have 64MB of RAM and an integrated video card. At the same time, it is not going to help if you spend $10 dollars on a stick of 64 MB RAM when your processor is Pentium 4.) You have to think about what your computer lacks right now.
The following are the most common upgrades, their uses, and their price range.
1. RAM (usually bought in 256MB - 526 MB DDR sticks for newer PCs) RAM is a good upgrade if you enjoy running several programs at once and would like to prevent frequent lagg due to too many windows open. Prices usually range from $30 - $100 depending on what brand you buy and what size you get. In fact, RAM could also be a decent investment for an older Pentium 2ish computer, spend about $20 and buy a 128MB SDRAM stick.
2. Internal/External Harddrive (usually bought in 40GB - 250 GB sizes). An extra hard drive is good for those that enjoy storing large gaming files, video files, multimedia files; though it is useless if you just plan to store documents, usually your normal hard drive would be big enough for that. Prices range massively due to the large range of sizes and brands, I'd say usually $100 - $200. However a note of caution, do not upgrade hard drives for older PCs, their motherboards cannot recognize much of the drive and usually results in you only being able to use a fraction of the actual capacity.
3. Video cards (usually in 128 -512 MB sizes, nvida or Radeon). Video cards are only good upgrades for newer Pentium 4+ pcs as they are used for high graphic programs (which can only be run on pentium 4 or highers). It is good for those serious gamers and movie watchers who want detail. Before buying, make sure you have available video slots and sufficient power supply. Prices range drastically from $130 to $700 dollars.
4. Power supply - Not an often upgrade though if you want to throw in lots of extras for your PC, this $100 investment is crucial.
5. DVD-RW drive - Usually around $200 max, this drive is good if you have an extra bay as it allows you to burn CDs and DVDs.
6. CPU - The least common upgrade and probably the most expensive. CPU upgrades are really unpractical, though if you really like your system (quality, looks, etc, and the other hardware is fully loaded), a CPU upgrade may be an option. The processors range anywhere from $200 to $900, just make sure your motherboard can handle the CPU.
And there you have it, what to consider if you upgrade and what to upgrade. If you find that none of these upgrades would help your system to the point where you are satisfied, I suggest you buy a new PC.
2006-06-20 04:27:03 · answer #1 · answered by Leon Wu 4 · 2⤊ 0⤋
Yes, Eventually.. when depends on you, if you require your PC to run new software eventually you will need to upgrade, Also if you surf the web a lot as internet technology grows it requires more and more from your PC. you may be able to surf the web with an old computer you will notice it will be slow and some sites will be difficult to view without the latest flash software and such. If you just need things like word processing and email, upgrading every 5 - 7 years is a good rule of thumb, but if you want to do things like run the latest games, you're looking at an upgrade every 2 - 3 years, and that can be pushing it a bit. But if you're doing a lot of gaming it is usually more economical to build your own and upgrade components one or two at a time as needed.
2016-03-26 22:44:24 · answer #2 · answered by Beverly 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Everything in a computer can be upgraded, it just depends on how much money you want to spend and how much time and effort you want to put forth.
The most common elements that are upgraded are usually:
The Memory or "RAM"
The Video Card
Hard Drives (Adding addition storage space)
Extra Optical Drive (CD/DVD Roms)
From here you can list eveyr other computer part but from here on out you may as well go ahead and rebuild a system because all other parts rely on other components that may need to be upgraded to match.
2006-06-20 04:12:45 · answer #3 · answered by galwaypiper 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
the things that can be upgraded is the motherboard the cpu the ram the videocard the soundcard the harddrive and the powersupply.most times in order to upgrade one thing you have to upgrade one or more other things . upgrading can be cheaper only if the parts you are buying can work better and dont need additional changes to what you already have.
2006-06-20 05:12:58 · answer #4 · answered by mack j 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
It all depends. If you just want to upgrade the memory, then I would keep the computer. Or if it's a CD burner or a hard drive..same thing. If it's a motherboard...get a new computer instead. For most parts, I suggest upgrading.
2006-06-20 04:32:46 · answer #5 · answered by GJneedsanswers 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
when ever u want to upgrade ur pc u first u have to inform the configuration of ur pc if ur pc is PI or PII I suggest you to buy a new PC with Monitor the existing monitor life may be near to dead as a monitor picture tube life is 55,000 hrs only.if u own a PIII system I suggest you to buy a new PC without monitor. If u want a Latest Best configuration computer then sell of ur computer just go for a new PC with 17" monitor. If u are a home user try to buy microsoft media centre (ofcourse it depends on ur budget)
2006-06-20 04:14:57 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Most everything can be upgraded. But, if you need to upgrade your motherboard or processor it is best to just buy a new computer. Memory, hard drive, video card, sound card, etc. can be upgraded, and pretty easily.
2006-06-20 06:20:23 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
i would buy a new one, upgrades are a bit**. but it also depends on ur need and finances. sometimes more memory is all your need or maybe a new processor. with an upgrade you can upgrade the entire mother board and its components, better yet just buy a new pc.
lol
2006-06-20 04:13:29 · answer #8 · answered by futurehero5200 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
nowadays it's better to buy a new pc than upgrade the old one, try to bit some of them on www.eBay.com for best price
2006-06-20 04:12:08 · answer #9 · answered by Jubei 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋