When to Upgrade?

The computer has become a ubiquitous appliance over the past 40 years. Most if not all homes now have at least one computer along with their TV. All modern cell phones or what we call smart phones are really miniature computers with cell phone capabilities built in. If you don’t believe me look at the Apple iPhone or the Google Android.  And I dare count how many of these devices are in the world. I know I have traded in or recycled a dozen or so in my life time.

So when I hear someone trying to make an argument as to why they should not upgrade their computer hardware or the internal software like going from Windows XP to Visa or Windows 7 I have to ask my own question. Why do you trade in your old cell phone every two years?

Obviously you want the latest the cell phone companies have to offer. But let’s look at this a little closer. You upgrade a cell phone because it now has more bells and whistles. It can do more then its predecessor. Maybe the design is better maybe not. It easier to use? Or maybe your a gadget freak. Who knows there are 1000’s of reasons people do what they do.

OK so let’s examine first hardware upgrades. Like your automobile, computers wear out. The average person trades in their car when the paint starts looking dull or about 100,000 miles. The IRS sets the fair trade up value for computer hardware. The government expects the average computer to be replaced at least every 3 years.

Now obviously if the computer is still working good after 3 years like my MacBook Pro then why trade? No one is saying you have to. But if you notice your computer is running a little slower than normal you may want to clean off the old Operating System (O/S) and start fresh.

Most hardware issues arise from overheating, dust and exposure to the elements. Dust for example is a huge killer for both desktop and laptop computers. In the last 3 years my company has furnished me with two Dell laptops that have had to have the motherboard replaced. So in reality I have had 4 laptop computers in the past 3 years and each time the system board failed due to defective parts. Video and memory issue are at the top of the list. Of course this does not bode to well or shows why you would want to own a Dell computer. Each time the Unisys repair man would rebuild my latest Dell, the vents and fan systems built in to the case would be just full of dust. The cooling ducts were so plugged they had to be blown out with compressed air. In my opinion this is a design flaw with this variant of the the D8 Series. After each re-build the computer would run just as fast or slow depending on your perspective before the hardware failure. So obviously just replacing the hardware and leaving the existing O/S did nothing to improve performance. Even though the computer was essentially brand new!

Like your car if you don’t do regular maintenance it will eventually break. So keep your computer clean both inside and out. Especially if you want to keep it peak and last more than 3 years!

Now I have a old tower 1 GB Pentium 4 desktop computer in my basement. I built it about 15 years ago from massing spare parts. It runs Windows XP and works just as fast as my 3 year old Macbook Pro for browsing the web or word processing etc. But the key here is 15 years old. The software that is loaded on it is about the same age and was specifically designed to run with that version of the O/S and the hardware chip set.

Do you remember the day Microsoft announced DOS is DEAD. Actually DOS has lived on into and through the Windows XP years. Only when Microsoft Vista was introduced did they completely remove the reference to DOS within the O/S. If you are now or have  been running Windows XP you have been running a bloated variation of DOS with a graphical user interface.

Most desktop hardware can be re-cycled. Meaning you can continue to replace or upgrade various parts and keep using the same box. Now laptops are a bit harder to re-cycle. And when they die it is generally the end because everything is built into the system (mother) board. That is unless you have a maintenance agreement like my company with Dell.

If you loose the video controller on a laptop for example then you have to replace the system board. If you loose the video controller on a desktop you simply pull out the bad video card and install a new one. However there is one caveat to this scenario. Each time you replace a piece of hardware within your desktop. It is built based on new O/S’s and requires updated drivers to recognize the older system board. Now you have a problem because eventually the OEM for the hardware will stop making drivers that support your old system. So at this point you are forced to upgrade every thing.

I have a friend of mine who purchased a new desktop computer about a 1-1/2 years back. At the time Microsoft was trying to phase out XP and get users to upgrade to Vista. My friend insisted that he had to have XP on the machine even though Microsoft had said it was end of life. So he got what he wanted.

Now 1-1/2 years later he upgrades his desktop with a WiFi card to take advantage of wireless networking and things don’t go as planned. He chose to install a let’s say cheap USB network adaptor that apparently was not designed to match his existing hardware. The WiFi drivers would not work and when he decided to return the device to the store the drivers would not un-install. Basically breaking his machine.  I get an emergency yell for help to try and resolve this problem from 500 miles away and had to walk him through Windows Safe mode to fix the issue. As it turned out he was not able to un-install the drivers so we had to fool the system by renaming the driver directory to something else. This allowed the machine to boot properly but the old drivers are still there. When my friend finally installed a new WiFi network card in to the machine along with new driver he was able to connect to the internet. But now there is a slight problem. The old network drivers are still there lurking in the background and has caused his version of Skype to fail.

So we have a cascade affect! Old drivers unsupported by the new hardware is interfering with with the latest version of Skype. Now his O/S is compromised and will have to have some major fix to the registry to resolve the issue.

If he had chose to install the latest version of Windows that comes with the latest drivers for his hardware he would not be in the situation he is and my having to rescue him.

A good example I like to throw out is this. Would you buy a brand new car with the latest in everything and tell the dealer you wanted an engine that was 15 years old because you like that engine. Of course not. So why would you do it with a new computer.

OK we have beat up the hardware so now lets discuss software. Specifically the Operating System. This is always a subject that brings in a mass of opinions. I am not going to debate on what is the best. Should you decide to purchase Windows, OS X or Linux should be based on what will your new hardware run the best and what it is designed to run. For example I find it interesting that people buy Mac’s so they can run Windows when the hardware was specifically designed to run OS X.

Having hardware that is matched precisely to the operating system is premiere. That is one reason Mac’s have done so well. You simply don’t get many Windows or Linux systems that are really designed just for one brand of hardware. Like Dell, HP, Lenovo, etc.

Even if you purchase say a Dell computer designed for Windows 7 does not mean it would run on an HP computer without having the additional drivers specific to HP hardware. Same rule applies to any brand. That is where Apple has it on the rest of the industry. Mac OS X is specific and will not run on any other hardware unless it is hacked.

Like the iPhone or other device there is always someone out there that wants to bend the rules and force fit another O/S. Hackintosh's as they are known are systems that have had the O/S force fitted to run on a system that was not specifically designed for that system.

You might as well run all your software in beta. Believe me running on the bleeding edge is not for the faint at heart.

All software vendors rely on the core O/S for the computer to provide the necessary services to operate. Like video, sound, keyboard, mouse, etc. Without these core services your computer is as useless as a car without an engine. And like your car if you don’t change the spark plugs or the oil once in a while it will wear out. Guaranteed!

There is another aspect one should consider when it is time to upgrade. As long as you consistently use the same software -- lets say Word, Excel, etc. and those versions are designed for your current O/S there is no reason to upgrade. However if you are always staying current with the latest updates. That is you let Microsoft or Apple regularly update your computer then eventually you will need to update the hardware to take advantage of the changes built-in to the newer software.

Over the past 40 years software development has jumped at a phenomenal rate. Because anyone with a little talent can learn to code there are literally millions of software products available. This choice comes with consequences though. Products that are designed by the big boys like Microsoft, Apple, HP, etc. goes through rigorous testing before hitting the market. These products use the latest technology available and are always one step ahead of their competition. That is called free enterprise and how these companies stay in business.

Today the computer is considered a commodity item. I would expect now that Walmart is selling computers to find them in your local Safeway store soon. Right on the shelf next to your favorite can of soup!

Yes that may seem a little far fetched but hey anything is possible in this consumer based economy. Bottom line -- Computer hardware and the matched software will always be getting better and faster with more capability. How you chose to use this capability is your choice. You get what you pay for as they say.

So the next time you are considering should I upgrade make sure you consider not what is behind you, but what is in front. How long will my new computer last with what is coming out!  As long as you continue to use your computer for the same purpose day in and day out there is no need to update. But if you are planning to expand the capabilities of your brain then you should make sure to include a budget item that will include regular updates and upgrades.