Monday, August 21, 2006
When to Update or Upgrade Your Business Computers
A couple of weeks ago a client went out and bought new and expensive software for their business. They couldn’t get it to work so they called us. There were multiple problems; two of the machines didn’t have enough hard drive space. All of the machines lacked enough RAM and three of the machines had un-supported operating system (WIN98) and we couldn’t find drivers. This prompted me to re-run a past article “Why you need to upgrade”. What I didn’t cover was how do you know when, so here are some general rules.
1- If you have a dated operating system and your system doesn’t meet the minimum requirements to install a new one. If you run Windows this would include WIN95, WIN98 and ME. Macintosh would include OS7 thru OS9. (Another note: putting a new OS on an older machine could slow you down more or not leave enough resources to run software.)
2- If you need to upgrade three or more major components. This could be a combo of say RAM, hard drive and video card. Or maybe a hard drive, operating system and a new optical drive (CD, DVD), you get the idea. Also keep in mind, a new computer will include many of the extras you would add or upgrade to.
3- If you’re contemplating an upgrade of the processor or the motherboard it is definitely time to upgrade.
4 – If the total cost of the upgrade is $400 or over, then consider a new computer. Depending on what you want, a new machine can cost $500 or more but you will be good for another 3-4 years instead of just 1 or 2 with the upgrade.
Of course there are other considerations, you can add external hard drives and optical drives if your system has enough USB ports or a strong enough power supply. If your power supply is less then 350 watts you want to consider an upgrade because of the extra load placed on it by the external drives or the new more powerful video cards.
So there you have it, old computers don’t die they just fade away. If you have a computer that is 5 to 6 years old, it may be far more cost effective to purchase a new system that will increase productivity and reliablity in the work place and save future repair costs. Many nonprofit organizations gladly accept computer donations from businesses. For more technical advice and reliable online computer repair, visit http://computerguyslive.com
Chris Kaminski has been working in computer repair and web development for the last 20 years. Kaminski is CEO and head technician for Computerguyslive.com, an online computer repair company based in Asheville, NC.
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