New Computer VS Refurbished VS Upgrading

Buying a New Computer vs. Refurbished vs Upgrading

The first and foremast important thing to take into consideration when considering a new computer is the age of the old one. Depending on the age of the old one upgradability may not be an option at all. Any computer less than 5 years old the only upgrades I would consider would be memory (ram) and/or a video card.. Now, the video card is only important if you play graphic intense games, and you would only need to upgrade if you have purchased a game that needs a better one. Now, if the game requirements are pretty close to the requirements of your system you may want to consider a new computer anyway. When you have minimum requirement the game will usually play slow and choppy. Also, if you are buying a video card for an older system never spend more than $100, the more expensive cards are probably more powerful than your system, and keep in mind the power needed for the video card you may need to buy a better power supply, as well. Now, if you are not a gamer ignore what I just said. RAM is the only upgrade you will need and you can usually get it for a reasonable price. Now, Ram will only increase the speed of your computer if you are maximizing your existing resources.

To find out how much memory your computer is using press <ctrl><alt> and <del> all at the same time. This will work best if you hold down the <ctrl> and <alt> and press the <del> after. Your windows task manager will pop up, or you will have an option to choose task manager. Once in the task manager click on the performance tab, under PF Usage you will see how much memory is being used up by your computer. Now, if this is close to or higher then the amount of memory in the computer it is bogged down. This would be a good time to get more memory. I generally suggest having double what the PF usage says. This will free up a lot of resources and make your computer seem faster. A computer never really gets faster without putting in a new processor. Now, if your computer is still slow you may want to consider a total recovery on it. You probably have some type of software issue, and if that doesn’t help then something is wrong with the computer’s hardware.

If the computer is older than 5 years then you should be considering a new computer. Sure, upgrading might help a bit but you are investing in something that might be only good for another year or so. The parts have 5 years wear and tear and although they may last another 5 they may also only last another month. The only reason to upgrade really would be because you can not afford a new one. In which case, yes, an upgrade is better than nothing. Check prices on new computers though they have dropped a lot in the last 5 years.

Now, refurbished…The word always gives me shivers. Refurbished computers are either made from defective computers coming off the line or from older computers being rebuilt. Both of which have a much higher defect ratio than a new one. And usually a shorter warranty period on them. Do not buy the older rebuilds, they are way over priced. The price for an off lease rebuild should be $50-$100. But they are usually $150-$300, trying to take advantage of the consumer that does not know better, and are shopping for a cheap computer. The new refurbished computers that are defective off the production line are usually only around a $100 cheaper or so. If they were half price I would say it is worth the chance but to save 10-15% is not worth it. I am not into gambling when it comes to buying a computer. Check my blogs, http://hubpages.com/hub/So-You-wanna-buy-a-new-computer and http://hubpages.com/hub/So-you-want-to-buy-a-printer