Comments on: Ten Downsides of an Aging Computer

By: Five Year Old Computer Slower Than New Computer

Five Year Old Computer Slower Than New Computer — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 03:43:46 +0000

[...] Another way of addressing the performance challenges of a five year old computer is to upgrade some of the components with newer, faster ones. This could cost $100 – $300 or more. However, many of the basic system components such as the CPU speed, RAM speed and memory bus speed cannot be modified. While partial solutions such as increasing RAM from 512MB to 2 GB can make a performance difference, the upgrade will have limited impact in a five year old computer. Hardware upgrades on a system this old may be a bit like rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic. Some of these items were addressed in my earlier tech tip Ten Downsides of An Aging Computer. [...]

By: carnival of struggling bumbling newbies - September 26, 2009 : ===>> SuccessPart2.Com

Sat, 26 Sep 2009 15:34:11 +0000

[...] presents 10 Downsides | Aging Computer posted at HTS Tech Tips – Computer Tech Tips for Non-Geeks, saying, “An increasingly common [...]

By: Mike McEvoy

Mike McEvoy — Mon, 15 Jun 2009 06:14:31 +0000

gmanwizard, you make some excellent points. Yes, with the right care and feeding you can keep a computer running fine for a number of years. An important point of consideration in the repair vs. replace question is whether you will do the work yourself or if you have to pay to have it done. Kind of the time vs. money debate. If you have the knowledge, time and inclination you can copy your data from your system, do a clean re-install of Windows, install only the software you want and then restore your data. To pay someone to do that could cost you between 50% and 100% of the cost of a new computer.

Now, with regular tune ups, cleaning out Temp directories, running Disk Cleanup, Running DEFRAG, and a few other items you can definitely keep a system running much more effectively. However there are plenty of people who believe their computer is like their refrigerator and that they can just ignore it for twenty years.

No arguing about the Vista performance issues. Vista is a real albatross for Microsoft, but that should change dramatically once Windows 7 begins shipping in October.

Regarding RAM, an interesting thing happens with older RAM modules. As memory manufacturers shift their production lines to newer, denser modules the costs for older RAM modules actually increases, or decreases less, than the newer modules. An example: many older computers use DDR PC2700 whereas newer systems use DDR2 PC5300 or PC6400. 2GB of DDR PC2700 is more expensive than 2GB of DDR2 PC5300. At some vendors it’s a difference of 2:1 or more. So RAM for older systems actually is more expensive.

Another point of differentiation is whether you are using the computer for personal stuff or business. Business downtime costs real money along with lost opportunity costs. Personal downtime generally doesn’t have any dollar amount attached to it.

Thanks for your comments. There are many shades of gray in the upgrade/repair/replace discussion. Many times it comes down to personal knowledge, time, and of course budget.

By: gmanwizard

gmanwizard — Thu, 11 Jun 2009 07:07:29 +0000

1. If taken care of shouldn’t slow down too much. I’ve had my pc for five years now and its still faster than the new pcs my family buys because they don’t know how to take care of them.

2. I would like to point out that my old desktop with xp has far fewer weird quirks than my new laptop with vista.

3. Again it depends what you do with your computer. You install junk and get spyware, your computer will slow down, you keep it clean, it won’t be a problem.

4. RAM is cheap and the easiest component to upgrade, you could easily find 2 gigs for under 20 bucks.

5. CPU’s are usually upgradeable, but true once u’ve reached the limitations of your motherboard your kinda sunk. Also It’s more worthwhile to spend a little extra on a new computer, than a bunch for just upgrades.

6. I agree with this one to an extent. If it’s crashed and you can’t easily find a solution, you may be better off starting off fresh. But if it’s just a cd-rom or RAM, again those are cheap and easy components to fix.

7. I havn’t found this to be an issue, but it’s possible.

8. I really only have my main 15 or so programs for music, web browsing, videos, powerpoint, etc. Anything else, with the exception of games, would be garbage. Don’t install things carelessly.

9. Havn’t found this to be a problem either.

10. Yep, and is it that difficult to blow some air on it and clean’er up?

While for most computer users these would be problems, in most cases aging computers, if used carefully can last until their parts die. My only quirk is that I can’t play new games, but that’s to be expected.