Kendrick I.T. Ph: 214-773-7377

Should you upgrade your computer?

The answer to this question is quite different now than it was a couple of years ago. In 1998, a computer cost well over $1,000 and it often made sense to upgrade whenever necessary. However, the prices for new computers have dropped to an all-time low and it seldom makes sense to upgrade anything more than your memory or hard disk drive space. All the major computer manufacturers offer very fast computers that will handle even the most graphics intensive programs on the market with ease and they sell for less than $500 with a new monitor included!

If you are considering upgrading to the new Windows XP operating system and doing so on a PC that is more than 3 years old, I almost never recommend that for several reasons:

The price for the Windows XP upgrade is approximately $200, although you will occasionally find it on sale for around $170 (even less on E-Bay).
Some of the internal hardware in your current PC may not be compatible with the new Windows XP operating system and will need to be replaced, adding more expense to the upgrade.
If you pay someone like me to install the upgrade, you can add $50 to $100 to that price and your cost is now over half that of a brand new system, including a monitor!
Your old system may not meet the minimum system requirements for Windows XP. To view the minimum system requirements for Windows XP Home, click here; for Windows XP Professional, click here.

By all means, you should be using Windows XP, however you decide to get it! It is by far the most stable operating system that has ever been produced for the personal computer (at least in my opinion). The advantages are far too many to list on this page, but you can click here to visit the Microsoft website where you can see a comparison of Windows 98 vs. Windows XP. If you are not sure whether you need XP Home Edition or XP Professional, click here to find out.

If you decide to buy a new PC, I strongly recommend Dell. I have installed more Dell systems than I can count and they are by far the most reliable of anything I have seen on the market (except those custom built by me, of course!). If you would like to comparison shop, you can follow these links to the major manufacturer's websites:

There are several very important points you should consider before you buy. With very few exceptions, Dell and Gateway can only be purchased via the internet or telephone, while the others are usually only available from retail outlets such as Office Depot, Wal-Mart, etc. Your least expensive purchase will almost always be on-line since there are no costs for shipping and handling at the retail level and everything is computer automated. You can also expect to pay more if you decide to order by phone! Click here to view the page with more important information about ordering a new PC (it will save you time and money).

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Updated: Tuesday, May 28, 2013