:help: Lately I’ve been having lots of problems with my home computer. This has made me think about how long is the useful lifespan of a computer. Since my PC is already over five years old, is it really time to buy a new one? Most websites say 2-3 years is the normal usage time of a PC. Or can it still be saved?
I was thinking maybe if I fix stuff, like removing Norton, or updating some hardware, things will get better. Or is this too much hassle? I truly do not know. The place I usually get it to be fixed -where I bought it, too- say it’s up to me.
I used my home computer a lot when I was in school. Now it is just storing pictures and music, or used for chatting as in MSN or Skype. It is not even an intelligent typewriter with Internet connection.
I am open to suggestions and will be very grateful for any ideas.
I have went through quite a few computers, including both desktops and laptops, none of which lasted less than five years. Ultimately though, you would want your machines to work for you, not the other way round. So if you anticipate a lot of work to put things right, maybe it’s a good idea (timewise) to start anew.
Depends on what you uuse it for and how intensive … memory will die eventually, CPU too … sometimes it’s not possible to replace this because it’s just out of date, not made anymore … in fact everything will die … 3-5 years I would say …
What you do is upgrade each component in turn over the years. Then your computer lasts a lifetime.
Which only works if you have a spacious PC case; notebooks don’t work that way, as the components will only be made by the firm for a while, and the screen and keyboard, being integral parts of the unit, are not cost-effective to replace, and eventually parts become no longer available.
Try cleaning out some crap. Stuff builds up over time, “crap cleaner” will most likely free up some memory. You can search for it on the net, its free to download and probably will deletle more than 1 or 2 Gb of crap.
Uninstall crap you dont need, XP is ok, and 5years is not that long, computers like cars need a bit of servicing from time to time to keep them running smoothly. If you hard disk space is ok, and your ram is no problem and the CPU runs at a reasonable speed, a little maintainance will keep it running smoothly.
Which only works if you have a spacious PC case notebooks don’t work that way, as the components will only be made by the firm for a while, and the screen and keyboard, being integral parts of the unit, are not cost-effective to replace, and eventually parts become no longer available.[/quote]
It’s true that you can’t extend the life of a laptop indefinitely as you can with a PC, but you can certainly extend it well beyond 3 years. These days you can replace laptop RAM, hard drives, and even CPUS, none of which have to be purchased from the company (hard drives and RAM which work in laptops made 10 years ago, are still being made). This extends the life of your laptop considerably, though it’s true that you can’t extend their life indefinitely in the same cost effective way you can with a PC.
It’s also true that there are some parts of the laptop which are often not cost-effective to replace, but even that depends on the laptop. You can find replacement keyboards and screens these days quite cheaply for most models. The part you don’t want failing on a laptop is the motherboard (very expensive to replace from the manufacturer), or the chassis (frequently not cost-effective to replace). But motherboards frequently outlast the other components, interestingly enough. It’s possible to get a laptop these days and run it for at least five years, even more.
In the case of a PC, of course, you can always upgrade one component at a time, so extending the life of the computer indefinitely. Not only that, but you frequently end up with piles of spare parts from which yet another PC can be constructed, so the older parts aren’t wasted.
I know someone in the US who runs a print shop and they have 30-40 PCs and Macs, some nice and shiny new, but they also keep 2-3 PCs that are about 10-12 years old running Win 95 that they still use a fair bit.
I’ve been waiting not so patiently for something to go on my computer so I can buy a new one this year, and get VISTA installed as well. I’ve been running the same one for about 4 years. Die already!!!
Updating only works for a limited time with desktop computers as well. CPU types change and new ones don’t fit on older motherboards, same with memory. I have upgraded a few things over the 4 years I’ve been running mine, but it does get to a point where you can’t upgrade anymore.
[quote=“Mer”]I’ve been waiting not so patiently for something to go on my computer so I can buy a new one this year, and get VISTA installed as well. I’ve been running the same one for about 4 years. Die already!!!
Updating only works for a limited time with desktop computers as well. CPU types change and new ones don’t fit on older motherboards, same with memory. I have upgraded a few things over the 4 years I’ve been running mine, but it does get to a point where you can’t upgrade anymore.[/quote]
Really depends on what kind of motherboard/cpu as well since more popular or better selling motherboard types and CPUs get produced for a much longer period of time then ones that sell badly. You can still find 4-5 year old CPUs on the market and older DDR memory on the market as well even though all the new motherboards use DDR2 and new CPUs.
A big factor is how much heat gets trapped in your system and how well it is cooled and ventilated. Heat is the biggest killer of hardware in a computer. Making sure your box is well ventilated is very important as well as keeping it clean of dust. I’m sure if anyone opens your brand new computer up in 6 months sitting under a desk at home or the office you will find loads of dirt. Just get some aerosol cans of pressurized air and blow the crap out. Make sure you do this outside of your work area as you just blow the dust out and it gets sucked back into the computer.
I have an older system about 8 years old running fine. A few minor upgrades with memory and I’m still able to run some of the newer games and applications on it. It’s mostly for surfing the web and word processing though.
Yeah, Nam said the same thing to me. Costco carries the air, btw.
This concept is the crux of design life issues on engineering projects. When a contract stipulates a design life of x years, but with regular maintenance intervals where certain parts are to be replaced, at what point would it become a new piece of equipment?
It could be argued that if a car was maintained and over its lifetime its engine, alternator and gearbox were replaced, that it was still essentially the same car, but if you are talking about a PC where the only thing that remains the same is a case that cost 5% of the total, then you can hardly claim that the computer lasted a lifetime…
I read somewhere that said its not good to blow dust off of computer parts because dusts can get blown into places they shouldnt be, the best way is to vacuum it off…
I saw a real small portable hand-held vacuum at one of those ‘sells bits of everything’ stores the other day, Fu-Xing and He-Ping corner in Taipei. It looked kind of cheap and crappy though. It’s an idea though.
Which only works if you have a spacious PC case; notebooks don’t work that way, as the components will only be made by the firm for a while, and the screen and keyboard, being integral parts of the unit, are not cost-effective to replace, and eventually parts become no longer available.[/quote]
The same goes for desktops … try to find a new CPU with the same mount … or SD RAM for a reasonable price … forget it … companies manufacture in way that you have to buy a new motherboard unless you go to a second hand store, but eventually you run out of options …
bump it … double post … sorry!
Which only works if you have a spacious PC case; notebooks don’t work that way, as the components will only be made by the firm for a while, and the screen and keyboard, being integral parts of the unit, are not cost-effective to replace, and eventually parts become no longer available.[/quote]
The same goes for desktops … try to find a new CPU with the same mount … or SD RAM for a reasonable price … forget it … companies manufacture in way that you have to buy a new motherboard unless you go to a second hand store, but eventually you run out of options …[/quote]
And dont forget microsoft remembers every change you have made and there will be a point when your legal copy of winblows is challenged by them and you have to call for a new validation number (I think 5 or so clean installs as well). Happened to me a couple of weeks ago. I had changed the video card (ati 1650xt agp card…woo hoo new life!) previous I had added ram, new hard drives, various tv cards, firewire…so on and so forth. This time when I entered the serial number it came up as being used on a different computer! I called MS…she asked me for a discription of the changes I made…I told her…she agreed…gave me a new number.
If I change the mobo however that will be it and I would have to buy another license or a new copy of XP.
[quote=“Mer”]I’ve been waiting not so patiently for something to go on my computer so I can buy a new one this year, and get VISTA installed as well. I’ve been running the same one for about 4 years. Die already!!!
Updating only works for a limited time with desktop computers as well. CPU types change and new ones don’t fit on older motherboards, same with memory. I have upgraded a few things over the 4 years I’ve been running mine, but it does get to a point where you can’t upgrade anymore.[/quote]
The trick is to upgrade your motherboard (last). Then you can keep up with the next development cycle.
[quote=“Tyc00n”]This concept is the crux of design life issues on engineering projects. When a contract stipulates a design life of x years, but with regular maintenance intervals where certain parts are to be replaced, at what point would it become a new piece of equipment?
It could be argued that if a car was maintained and over its lifetime its engine, alternator and gearbox were replaced, that it was still essentially the same car, but if you are talking about a PC where the only thing that remains the same is a case that cost 5% of the total, then you can hardly claim that the computer lasted a lifetime…[/quote]
Yes, I must acknowledge that I said ‘your computer lasts a lifetime’ with tongue in cheek. It’s like the axe which has been in the family for three generations, and during that time has had two new heads and three new handles, but it’s still the axe which has been in the family for three generations!
Without getting metaphysical, the point is that you’re not forced to use your computer for three years before having to throw it away. You can upgrade it part by part, and thus spread out the cost of ownership considerably over time, whilst keeping it current.
Eventually you have to upgrade, of course. But that’s why you should get into the practice of upgrading regularly, one element at a time, to avoid being caught in an upgrade deadend, from which you can only escape by purchasing an entirely new system.
[quote=“Blackrobe”]And dont forget microsoft remembers every change you have made and there will be a point when your legal copy of winblows is challenged by them and you have to call for a new validation number (I think 5 or so clean installs as well). Happened to me a couple of weeks ago. I had changed the video card (ati 1650xt agp card…woo hoo new life!) previous I had added ram, new hard drives, various tv cards, firewire…so on and so forth. This time when I entered the serial number it came up as being used on a different computer! Laughing out loud… I called MS…she asked me for a discription of the changes I made…I told her…she agreed…gave me a new number.
If I change the mobo however that will be it and I would have to buy another license or a new copy of XP.[/quote]
That’s why you change the motherboard last. In six years I’ve only owned two copies of Windows XP, and I only bought the second because I lost the disk to the first. During that time I’ve changed out at least four hard drives, four CPUs, three video cards, four motherboards, and I don’t know how many sticks of RAM (at least 10). I’ve only had to ring Microsoft once, and it was entirely hassle free.
Thing is, outside of a few components – the motherboard and CPU being the most expensive of these-- almost everything else is cheap. It’s not much more expensive to just buy new – and indeed it’s hardly worth keeping an older computer-- if you are looking to upgrade its most vital, expensive components.
Hmm I don’t think the motherboard and CPU are even very expensive now. I’d go more for the video card if you want anything decent while motherboard and CPU can be gotten for a very good price/value point.
In anycase when I clean the inside of my computer I always try to take apart as many components as possible to clean them. Some more novice users may not be able to do this and a vacuum would help. I think a vacuum/dust blower combo would work best as the dust would be more readily dislodged by the dust blower and the vacuum would help keep it out of the nooks and crannies. I just don’t think a vacuum ( unless you have a high power shop vac ) would be effective agaisnt some of the dust build up especially in the cooling fins of a CPU fan or something similar.
Don’t I sound nerdy.