New PCs cost hundreds of dollars, and we can all use more money in our pockets. Ask yourself if you really need that new hardware, or just want it. Before you decide to buy a new computer, read this article.
Unless you are a hardcore gamer, or a master in 3D designing and animation, buying a new machine might not be really necessary. Read along to find out what you can do with your old PC instead of buying a new one.
1. Your
old PC still works just fine
You don’t need a ton of processing power to perform the daily computing tasks. You can stream 1080p video, sling email, surf internet, and edit Office documents on your old PCs.
Also consider that processor performance increases have trailed off dramatically over the years. Earlier, CPU performance could leap by more than 30% every year, but since the past decade it’s no more the case. New processors tend to be only 5 to 10% faster than their predecessors, and clock speeds have largely remained stagnant.
Linley Gwennap, the principal analyst at the Linley Group stated
“You can hold onto your PC five, six, seven years with no problem. Yeah, it might be a little slow, but not enough to really show up [in everyday use]"
2. Give
your old PC a speed boost
PCs don’t slow down over time. It’s the software part that make things slower. It can be Windows installation that’s just become unstable after years of use; or it can be malware residing inside the operating system. When a system gets slower, check for viruses and corruption in the files of the operating system. Google the internet you and will find free ways to make your old PC run faster.
Keep your system up-to-date and install an antivirus.
Read this about anti virus programs.
3. Install
an SSD
Upgrading to an SSD can make any old PC with a lazy mechanical hard drive feels better than new again. Moving from a hard drive to a SSD fills your PC, from boot times to application launch times to browsing files. Investing in an SSD is hands-down the smartest upgrade any PC user can make.
You can now pick up new SSDs for under $100—depending the amount of storage space.
4. Windows
10 is old PC’s Best Friend
While new hardware used to be necessary for the newest versions of Windows, it is no longer the case. Microsoft’s pushing hard to fit Windows into cheap devices with low specification. Windows 8 performed well on lower end PCs excluding some of old processors and outdated motherboards.
Microsoft really wants everybody to upgrade to Windows 10 rather than sticking to on older operating systems. The Redmond based corporation
will offer Windows 10 as a free upgrade to all Windows 7 and 8 users.
5. Linux is lighter Than XP?
If you are still using an operating system that died a year ago, i.e. Windows XP, you should really dump it for security’s sake. That doesn’t mean you need a new PC to do so, however.
Older Windows XP machines might not meet the system requirements to upgrade to a more modern version of Microsoft’s operating system, but Linux demands far less from hardware. There are 3 distributions of Linux that have designed specifically for lower-end machines. Ubuntu, Zorin OS, LXLE are the 3 operating systems that you can run on your XP-machine.
6.
The World of Web Apps
Now a days, you might not even need to use desktop software. More and more services are available in the form of web apps, rather than standalone desktop software. Email, presentation creation, banking, video chatting, and more are all possible from your web browser these days. Even Office and Photoshop have online versions now.
If you spend the majority of your time online, buying a new PC won’t really offer much of a performance increase, unless your computer is particularly ancient. You’d be better off spending that money on a faster Internet connection.
Read my post for the PC Gamers:
Can We Build A Gaming PC on Console Budget?
Source: PCworld
