Q: My computer is 6 years old and its windows XP with an AMD athalon 2.13 GHZ processor with 512MB of RAM. It runs pretty good still for being six years old but i was wondering should i get a new one thats up to date or just get a new one when this one dies. Doesn't matter to me if i get XP or Vista on a new computer.
A: If it does what you want it to do, then keep it. Although you could use another 512 of RAM, and that would speed it up a whole bunch. Lots of people have to have what they think is the best, and that costs nothing but money, and what may be the best today, tomorrow is outdated and worth very little. I repair and build computers, and really, I see people every day that have to have the best, and as I say to them, there is no best, as fast as you can buy high priced parts, they are outdated. Also, you would be surprised how many 600 and 700 MHz computers there are still out there doing just fine. If you were a heavy gamer, them maybe there is reason to upgrade, but with the 512 of RAM you have, it tells me you are not, so why bother wasting money. The other day I built a system for a young fellow that spent over one thousand dollars on a video card. He wasn't a gamer, but he wanted to be able to play any game out there, and had his mind set on this one particular brand and model. I tried to talk him out of it, saying the video card he was buying would be a lot cheaper in the near future, and if he didn't need it now, why not wait. His remark was, his friend had a computer, and he wanted a better one, no matter what it cost him, and it did, so what can I say............