Buy a New Computer or Repair the Old?

Being in a computer support career for lo these twenty plus years I could not begin to count the number of times that co-workers have asked for advice on their home computer.  The conversation often starts out like, “this isn’t about work, but my home computer…”  Then it goes on from there to explaining what was wrong and what advice I might give them to fix their problem(s).

I’m a nice person, so I genuinely listen and try to offer some elementary help.  I even offered my services for pay for home users at one time and made some money at it apart from my real job.  Then, I got busy with writing and let it go.

But the questions still come, and the most prevalent is from those who want me to give them advice on whether they should buy a new PC or repair their old one.  I always say “it depends.”

What is old?  First I ask for details about the “old” PC.  When was it purchased?  What operating system does it have (I am a Windows fan)?  How much RAM does it contain?  How large is the hard drive?  Once I have all of these bits of information, I can pretty much pinpoint how old the PC is.  Earlier models have older operating systems, along with slower processors and lower amounts of RAM and hard drive sizes.  This might be the point at which I stop them and say “put a fork in it, it’s done.”

Or, if the PC is just a few years old, then it might be worth investing some money into.  By adding additional RAM, a PC can spring to life with new speed.  This is true because the newer operating systems like Windows XP are memory hogs and if you do not have a minimum of 1GB to begin with, you are at a serious disadvantage and will experience a general slowness.  If everything is up to date hardware and software wise but they have a slow system, then I start probing for Internet Security, virus and spyware software questions.

For what do they use a PC?  If it appears that a new PC is going to afford them a greater amount of processing power for their dollar, then we talk about what they are going to be using the PC for.  Most home applications are standard, less processor intensive applications that do not require the higher power or speeds unless they are big on gaming.  In which case, I bow out.  My expertise is not in gaming in any way shape or form and I have no advice to offer to anyone wishing to enter that forum.

What do they want to do that they cannot do now?  Then, I ask if there is any one thing that they wish they could do on a computer that they cannot now.  Most of the times this involves faster Internet surfing.  This includes downloading of music and uploading of home pictures to sites in which they can order prints.  We have a talk about high-speed Internet and what is available in their area.

Cost to repair vs. buy new.  Finally, we take a quick look at the cost of repairing vs. buying new.  I have them look at this from a balance sheet standpoint.  On the left are the upgrade costs which often are less than buying new – maybe as much as half.  But they are adding to an older PC and will maybe get another year or two at the most from it.

On the right-hand side of the balance sheet, if they buy new, they can get a good four years or so out of it easily.  This also involves consideration of the good buys that can be found on the Internet or big box retailers.  There are very good bundles which includes PC, flat panel monitor, and in some cases a printer or multimedia package.  Then, I tell them stick with the major brand names when making purchases from these locations.

Where to buy.  If they choose to shop around and see what they can find from a local dealer, I tell them to look for someone who has a good reputation for offering great service.  This way, they will have someone local to which they can take the PC back to in case it develops problems.  This is not something that you can generally do with the big box department stores.  They barely know how to get the PC out of the box and onto the display shelf, let alone trouble-shoot or fix a problem.

All in all, a discussion like this sends them on their way satisfied with a plan of action.  Most times, they come back and thank me for the talk.  But never have I had the opposite experience.  So I must be doing something right.