Issue 50.11
In all things tech, there is a question that I get asked all the time. “Should I fix this, live with it, or should I get a new one?” The answer depends on a lot of things.
The most important question in most cases is “Is repairing or upgrading what I have, going to cost as much or more than replacing it?” You need to factor in the reality that, if your computer, printer, monitor, etc. is more than a few years old, it will likely not last long, even if you fix it up. If the repair is reasonable and the computer is not older than three or four years, it is usually a good idea to fix it. Remember to factor in the cost of keeping or transferring your pictures, documents and programs to the new system if it is needed.
Conversely, a customer recently brought me a computer that was 7 years old that was working, but just barely. It was very slow and would lock up several times a week, requiring a restart. Repairing the basic problem would have cost about $75 because it would not likely need replacement parts. It would have still been very slow because of a lack of memory, hard drive space and processor speed, but it would have worked. Upgrading to a faster processor, memory and motherboard was possible, but would have cost around $250 to make it up-to-date and another $150 to upgrade to Windows 7 from the XP operating system they were using, if that was important to them. By comparison (and what they chose to do), I found them a comparable new computer for $400 which included Windows 7 and the Microsoft Office starter program. The added benefit was that they had a full one-year warranty on everything. Upgrading the old system would not have guaranteed that some other part (such as the power supply, hard drive, dvd or network card) might not fail in the near future.
On the other hand, I had another customer who had been using her computer for almost 10 years and it was still running okay. Her children were trying to get her to buy a new computer and she wondered what I thought. She was well into her 80s and felt like it was a waste of money. She only used the computer to email her kids and occasionally type a letter or notes for a Sunday School class. It was reliable and fast enough for what she needed. I indicated that, as long as she had a good backup of the stuff that mattered to her, she might want to keep using it as long as it kept working well, saving the cost of a new computer and the cost of transferring her files from the old one to the new one.
When it comes to printers, you can use a similar approach, but the evaluation is different. Because the printer companies sell their lower-cost printers at a loss so they can make money from you on ink sales, it is seldom cost-effective to fix more than very basic problems with a printer. Replacing print heads can often cost $80 to $150, even on printers that may cost less than $100 to replace. The equation changes however, on higher end printers (in the $200-$500 range) because the repairs are still in the same cost range, which makes it more reasonable.
The old tube type monitors use a lot more energy than the new flat panels and most people are replacing them for that reason, however, the expected life of the newer type is four to five years while the old tube type can last 15 or more years if they were built by a good company. Most people feel like it is a good trade-off, but you have to make that determination considering your own financial situation and how much you use the computer.
In any case, ask for advice if you need it, and always remember to back up anything important to you.
Shaun McCausland has worked in the computer industry for over 30 years, 20 years of it locally with Bits ‘N’ Bytes and Musicomp and currently does in-home and on-site computer consultation, service, training and repair. If you have questions you can reach him at 435-668-7118 or through his website at www.bitsnbytescomputers.com.