This is a question that everyone faces sometime in their life.
You have had your computer for 5 year now.
You feel that your 5 year old computer is outdated, slow, and just plain old frustrating.
You then take your computer to your local repair shop just to hear that the total repair cost is the same as buying that brand spanking new computer at a major electronics store.
So what should you do? Buy the new computer right? Not so fast.
Let me explain why.
What you don't realize, is that the physical computer parts are not the value of the computer.
So now you must be wondering what is.
The answer to that question is the software.
Let me help you understand a little more.
Real conversation with one of my customers: Me: OK Ma'am we have completed the diagnostic on your computer.
We have determined that the motherboard is defective and needs to be replaced.
Customer: OMG!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! How much will it cost to fix? Me: Parts and labor you are looking at $175.
Customer: $175 dollars, I saw a new computer at a local electronics store for $265.
Me: It will be a better deal for you to have your computer repaired.
Customer: How is that? What this customer fail to realize is the new computer doesn't have any of the software she needs.
On her old computer she has Microsoft Office Pro, Photoshop CS5, and she can't find the installation disk for these programs.
So lets do a little math.
Microsoft Office Pro 2010 is $300, and Photoshop CS5 is $600.
So the customer would have to add $900 to the total cost of the computer.
You can't transfer programs from one computer to the other unless it's the same exact model, so that will be out of the question.
The customer would also have to transfer all of her data from the old computer to the new.
Data consist of files you save on your computer(word documents, excel documents, pictures, music, and videos).
Programs are the applications that you use to prepare and open your data(Microsoft Word, Microsoft Excel, Photo shop, and etc).
To conclude, Buying a new computer is not always the best option.
First you should evaluate the software on your old computer, and make sure that buying new is a better option than the present.
Technology changes rapidly, as long as your old computer works for you, and is fast enough for your needs, you should stick with it.
If you upgrade when technology upgrades, you will be purchasing a new computer every 6 months.