Upgrade or Replace?

It can be a daunting endeavor in determining whether to upgrade or to have a machine repaired or to simply buy a new computer system. At Custom Computer Consulting we will evaluate your present and future needs to determine the best options available to you. Depending on your specific needs, you may need additional RAM, more processing power and better performance hard drives. This is especially true with systems running CAD, Video Editing, and GAME playing system. A simply software upgrades that once worked no longer runs as smoothly as it did once before.

UPGRADE or REPLACE your existing computer can often be a cost effective alternative to buying a new one. Even if your computer is older it sometimes can take a few simple upgrades to bring the machine up to date. However, the older the machine the more difficult it will be to replace or upgrade the existing components. Computer average lifespan is roughly between 2 to 5 years. The lifespan greatly depends upon the system you purchase. The higher end computers tend to last longer and have the ability to upgrade while lower end tend to become outdated faster as they lack both the capabilities of being upgraded and are limited in the newer advance technology.

Custom Computer Consulting will evaluate your present computer along with its components and will assist our client's in determining whether or not it is capable of being upgrade and is the cost associated with the upgrade.

CCC - Criteria

	Cost Compression with Upgrading or Purchase NEW. If more than 50% of the cost is to upgrade. Opt to buy a new one whether than update it.
	Upgrades generally give 10% less lifespan of a new computer
	The availability of older components become harder to find and in some cases can cost more money
	Not all components on the market are not always backward computable
	Desktops have a greater amount of upgrade capabilities compared to laptops
	Software considerations when updating. When updating some software suffer efficiency issues as requires more resources to run them. This includes both operating system as well as program applications.

Custom Computer Consulting recommends if the client's computer is less than two years old it is most likely capable of being upgraded. If it is more than three years old it becomes more difficult as the components may become harder to find and can COST more money to repair.

CCC - Less Complicated Upgrades Components

	Hard Drives (increase in size and better performance)
	RAM (increase in memory. Limited by motherboard RAM capacity.
	Optical Drives (CD, DVD, RAM, and Bluray)
	Video Cards
	Sound Cards
	Power Supplies
	USB, Firewire, and Thunderbolt
	Processor (In some cases. It depends on the manufacture motherboard)

CCC - OTHER FACTORIES (CONSIDERATIONS)

Operating Systems, are evolving and have may new features associated with each new release that enhances the users experiences. Manufacture computer are noted for their inability or difficulty in upgrading to a newer operating system. Other factors as well include microprocessor, and lack of memory constraints.

Software Applications, as newer programs are released along with newer operating systems manufactures tend to drop support for older operating systems.

Device Protocols, are constantly being revised with newer protocols being developed. They include Bluetooth, Wireless, and USB protocols. Even though the older protocols are support by the newer device the lack the benefits. An example, the serial and parallel ports. Many of the new smart devices do not support these older protocols. It is possible to use adapters to convert USB to parallel but not all adapters will work. It is sometimes completely impossible while other times it is a trial and error to see what will work.

Computing Power, Processor Advancements, Memory capacity availability, all contribute to why it may not be worth upgrading or repairing OLDER machine. IT is simply not cost effective or to many compatibility issues to resolve.

CCC - Service Time
We usually allocate 60 minutes. In most case it will take less time but it will depend on the type of upgrade, testing of the component, and other technical issues that may arise.

CCC - To Schedule a Service (Select the appropriate ICON from the sidebar)

Last Updated on: 08/14/2015 22:56