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Gauge -> RE: Any Techies Here? Calling All Geeks! (11/10/2006 10:13:44 AM)
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quote:
I realize that my system is seriously outdated, and that I'll need to upgrade at some point sooner than later. Buying a new system is not a financial issue for me. The truth is that I get some kind of perverse pleasure in marching to a different beat in this disposable world of ours.
Hell, just last month I finally dumped the car I bought new 13 years ago, and I felt like a traitor for doing it.
You know, I just might take your advice and add a bar or two of RAM. While I'm at it, exchange the 28K modem with a 56K.
Believe me when I tell you that I am not trying to force you to buy a new computer, as stated before, I advocate fixing what you have. However, when it comes to older machines, the upgrades are actually beginning to cost a lot more than one would think.
Let's take a short shopping trip, shall we? OK... a 56k modem card will run somewhere around $40 or so. Not so bad so far. If... (and this is a HUGE if) you can find 32M RAM sticks you will pay somewhere in the neighborhood of $20 to $30 per stick. Now, I am pulling these prices out of my head right now so don't hop all over me and tell me I am full of shit because I am just giving you rough figures. If you go for one stick of 128M RAM then figure between $30 and $40. Now all of this is not so bad at this point... but then you must pay someone (unless you are comfortable doing the upgrades yourself) to install all of this stuff. Add anywhere from $50 to $100 (and I would lean closer to the $100 figure) or so to the price tag. You will have spent nearly $200 to basically put lipstick on a pig.
Your affection for your current system is admirable if not noble, however you must take into account a few things. If you actually spend $200 on the upgrades another $300 and you get a new computer with the capacity to handle today's changing software and Internet. You may well get another year or two out of your computer, but if you actually expect the computer market to go down much further than it has and make your "investment" pay off, then I would think that over again if I were you. Notably, computer prices have radically dropped because the market is basically saturated and people just do not NEED them like they have in the past because they have a machine now that can still handle the technology that is out there now. But the Internet software/web coding/plug-ins etc. are changing rapidly and old machines (over 6 or 7 years old) are just not going to be able to keep up without having their machine run quite a bit slower trying to process everything. Do not expect to see a drastic reduction in current computer prices within the next 5 years unless they perfect the super-conductor... then everything will fly right out the window and even your toaster will never be the same again. I mean, full systems: PC, monitor, keyboard, mouse, speakers and printer for under $500 is a damn sweet deal.
Your analogy of the automobile was a good one to show your loyalty but it was not a great one for a comparison to computers. You see, an automobile, if it is maintained and treated well will last a good long time. The fuel that cars run on isn't changing to the point that everyone must scrap their old cars and get new ones, but that day may well soon be here as we search for alternative fuels. There will also come a time when your mechanic will turn to you and ask you if you really want to spend $3000 for a new engine or if you would rather just get another car. Software for computers is changing quite rapidly and the old computers just cannot keep up, period. No matter how you slice it the computer world is totally different from cars... a computer you bought last year will be "out-dated" within that years time. Will it still handle what you need it to? Of course it will... most computer users just do not need all the power that they have in their PC's.
All I am saying is think twice, buy once. Evaluate what you want to do carefully because one of the worst feelings in the world to me is throwing good money after bad.
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