Think before you Buy!!!

You can close this Window after you read this but this is just a short little screen to give you a few minutes to consider your options before you spend your money. If you have a 200mhz Pentium 2 class machine, with a hard drive that is filled to the rim, and is so slow you click on a website and then go make something to eat while it is trying to load, it might be time to upgrade more than memory. While memory upgrades will speed up a machine, they are not a total cure for old hardware. Chances are if your machine is slower than 500mhz, and has more than 60% of the hard drive filled up with files, it is getting close to time to consider a newer machine. I know that no one wishes to spend money if they do not need to, ( well most of us anyway - hard to resist a good shoe sale. ) however there is little point in adding a great deal of memory to a machine that is not going to do the job in a month anyway. So you need to make a bit of common sence thinking on this matter. If you have plenty of drive space, and the rest of the machine is good, you may even find it worthwhile to upgrade processors and motherboards. With a bit of research and careful reading most can make a determination if it is within their ability to change out parts like these. I will say if you are the type that is handy with little items and detail work, plus can read and follow instructions, chances are you can do most of the hardware upgrading yourself. If you have problems changing a household light bulb, opening canned food, feeding yourself, and often need to seek medical attention after being around common household tools, then even opening the computer case might be a stretch for you to consider.           Whatever you do, back up your data first !!! Before undertaking any software or hardware upgrades, back up files you cannot replace. Things like the addressbook on your mailer, the favorites/bookmarks on your browser can be exported to text file formats if you do a bit of reading to learn how. Back up your pictures and sounds you may have stored as well as any business information you may have on the machine. If you have software you cannot replace it might be wise to back those programs up as well. If they are downloadable programs from the internet then you can replace many there if you need to do so. Keep in mind while memory upgrades seldom require any restore of system files, other hardware changes routinely do. Different motherboards use different drivers, so if you change the motherboard you may find things not working until you load replacement drivers from the Windows CD. Needless to say things like changing hard drives will usually require restoration of system files. NEVER assume your data is totally safe unless you have it backed up redundantly!        There also comes a point where so much hardware needs to be changed, unless you are really comfortable with doing hardware upgrades, ( and you would likely not be reading this if you were ) when it might be better off considering a replacement machine. Generally the savings from building a total machine to buying one already built with warrenty and software is not too large. The advantage being you know what the parts are inside any you build, and can often find some comfort in that. However the downside is that you do not have warrenties on much you build.        The entire point of this little addition to the main page is solely for you to consider your options at this point. It is very easy to throw $100.00 or more away on a machine that you would likely be better off putting that same $100.00 or so towards an upgraded machine, or a basic CPU system. Many places offer the system without a monitor, speakers and other hardware if you wish, for a small price. You can often find "barebones" systems that include a motherboard, processor, case, power supply, which if you know the basics you can add in memory, a few drives, and have basically a new machine. Check prices and do a bit of reading before you make any changes or purchases. Close This Browser Window