I was in the market for a new desktop computer recently. This is due to the reason that my current desktop was getting slow and the latest applications were lagging quite a bit when I ran them. But then a friend suggested me to upgrade my GPU and RAM. I followed his advice and I was pretty satisfied with the results I achieved. The new RAM and GPU were about 150$ and I experienced a considerable jump in performance after the upgrade. So, I saved up quite a bit by upgrading components instead of buying a new computer. Has anyone of you tried upgrading instead of buying new?
Yes, upgrading the parts of your PC is far more cost efficient than buying a new one, that's why I prefer PC's than Mac. Anyways, if you really want to speed up and extend the lifespan of your computer I would suggest you spend a little more cash on SSD's I guarantee you, that old PC of yours will run like a race car.
In my opinion, it depends. If your computer is several years old, it's much more cost effective to just buy a new one. On a computer that old, upgrading isn't always possible, considering modern parts may not work well with your motherboard. You have to consider that when considering whether to upgrade or not. Another thing to consider is OS limitations, like the fact that XP doesn't support more than 4GB of RAM.
Yes, it certainly depends on some things, such as you mentioned. Upgrading can be a bit of a pain too if you don't do your research and buy a part which isn't compatible with another part, and it just becomes a whole issue. If you know tech, or know someone who does, ask them. Otherwise, upgrading is probably less hassle for you.
Yes , PCs are amazing in terms of getting bang for your buck vs improvement and performance. As long as you know your motherboard socket type you are generally good to go with picking good upgrades. Too bad its not that way with laptops, they are the exact opposite of the spectrum of cost efficiency. Like right now I am building a 600ish dollar computer that will probably run Crysis at my preferred resolution at high with decent FPS, I did save money in a few ways that would have otherwise cost me an additional 150$ or so but with that said, I have an 800ish laptop that was given to me until I finished my computer. It has an integrated graphics card and cannot even run WoW on medium and at lowest settings it runs raids like a literal slideshow.
That's why I hate laptops. They're frigging expensive, have a short life-span and you can't upgrade them! As for upgrading a PC, since I don't do much except browse the net on it, if my old PC stops working, I'd prefer buying a second hand PC from someone who wants to get a faster more powerful 'machine.' I think before upgrading, for those who don't use their computers much should consider getting a used one. They come for as low as the $150 you guys say it costs to upgrade. It's cheaper.
For the moment it will save you some cash but in the near future you will have to upgrade the whole computer by just buying another one. You will just see that you are missing a lot in terms of processing power that you just want to get a new computer. I have upgraded mine since then and am enjoying the new features. Of course if it is a desktop it is way cheaper to upgrade than when it is a laptop.
