Time for an upgrade?

At what point is it time to upgrade your aging desktop? Is it based on financial limitations or performance needs? Does your PC do what you need it to (in a timely manner)? Is it better to build your own box or buy a whitebox machine? And if it is time for an upgrade, at what point do you say enough is enough?

Unfortunately I don’t have any one answer to these questions. But I can offer a couple suggestions that should probably be taken into consideration when buying/building a new PC…

1. Do you need it? – Now, I must admit that I don’t always live by this rule, but it is a good way to determine if its truly time to throw down. The important word here is ‘need’ though and how you happen to define it. Some might say they ‘need’ an upgrade because their computer won’t even run the latest version of Quicken. Others may say they ‘need’ an upgrade because they keep gettin’ fragged due to low frame-rates on their favorite multi-player FPS. Bottom line… this is a personal thing and it depends on how you use your computer.

2. Start with a budget – As with any major purchase, establishing a budget before you start is extremely important. This single step will save you a lot of the decision making headaches associated with your upgrade. Computer parts tend to be priced in steps where several parts with similar technology will be priced mere dollars apart until you hit a significant price jump where the technology is newer/faster/badder-ass. Setting a budget at the beginning will help you to figure out when the price jump is too steep for your wallet. It will also ensure that you don’t accidentally go overboard and blow next months rent money on a new video card.

3. How do you use it? – If the programs in your ‘frequently used’ list include Internet Explorer, Microsoft Word, AIM and Outlook Express your upgrade path with differ significantly from someone who’s list includes Doom III, Half Life 2, Adobe Premier and a DivX encoder. Although you’ll probably want to stay a little ahead of the application curve and make sure your new machine will provide you with at least a year or unhindered computing, you may not need the latest and greatest Alienware money pit.

4. Build or Buy? – The answer to this question is based on the 3 points listed above. If you’re on a limited budget and just need something to write papers and anwer email, you may be in the market for a new $400 Dell. The latest budget Dell desktops still have enough umph to get your day-to-day tasks done in a timely manner without breaking the bank. If you happen to be a power gamer though, you’re probably more in the market to build your own box. Almost anyone can put together their own PC these days and generally for much less than a pre-built performance desktop. Another advantage to building your own box is that you provide yourself with an upgrade path in the future. Many whitebox machines are so proprietary (I won’t mention any names… cough… Compaq/HP) that one bad part can turn your whole computer into a less-effective boat anchor. The obvious downside to this however, is the masters degree that is sometimes required to determine what parts to buy. My only suggestion here is to do your homework. All AMD processors are not created equal and you need to know which CPU codename you really want before you spend that hard-earned cash. If all else fails, go ahead and ask the computer nerd in the cubicle next to yours. He may seem aggrivated at first, but in reality he actually gets off on knowing more than you and with a little prodding he may actually offer to build your machine for you.

I’m sure there are other factors that I’ve failed to list, but these four basic points should at least get you off in the right direction. Only you can know what you really need/want, but I can’t count the number of times someone has asked ‘what should I get?’. With so many options out there it can be hard to determine what will provide you with the most bang for your buck, but knowing your needs and finincial limitations will help a lot.

And going back to the ‘if all else fails’ scenario above, if you do have questions you can’t find the answers to, feel free to think of us at ModStomp as the geeks in the next cubicle (who knows… we just might be). Please feel free to ask away in the ModStomp forums.