Signs That It May Be Time To Get A New PC
In every computer’s life there comes a time when things start working slower than they should be, your mouse and keyboard become unresponsive, your monitor randomly goes black and your fan starts spinning like a plane propeller. Aside from these comical examples, there are plenty of smaller signs that might give you a hint that your machine is on its last leg. So, let’s go through a list of the few telltale signs that it’s time to change your hardware and upgrade to some next-generation computer parts.
Slow Applications
This is the first and most obvious sign of any device getting old. May it be because of the more recent apps eating up your memory or because of compatibility issues, when things run slower than they used to you will immediately notice. Depending on the types of applications or programs you proprietarily use on your machine, some may have either minimum or recommended requirements attached to them. You can always try to upgrade to the minimum requirements by changing parts but more often than not you will be outdated by the next update.
Hardware Compatibility
Computers, like cars, can’t be repaired and can have parts switched to better ones but mind you, not every part fit with one another. If in an effort to keep your machine alive you try to upgrade, you might notice that your power supply can’t keep up, or perhaps your motherboard just doesn’t have the required parts to plug your newly acquired upgrades. This is an obvious sign that you need to overall your whole hardware instead of trying to turn your PC into a barely functional Theseus ship.
High Repair Costs
It can be tempting to invest in repairs to make your machine last as long as possible especially if it’s a computer that cost you a pretty penny. But like everything repairs become increasingly expensive the older the parts are and the more extensive the damage is. This is why it’s important to get knowledgeable about your machine so you can evaluate when repair costs become higher than simply replacing parts or building a whole new computer. This is also why it’s good to invest in high-quality parts, often the money you invest in high-end hardware is money you will save on repairs down the line.
Operating System
We are now up to Windows 11, new OS come out every now and then and while a lot of them come with new features, there’s a much more important reason to keep up with operating systems versions: security. This is a little-known fact but some old operating systems still get support and updates, until they don’t. Why is this a big deal you might wonder? Well once operating systems become unsupported it means all the issues will never be fixed, that includes all the security breaches. These vulnerabilities can be exploited by hackers to damage your machine, hence why it’s always good to keep your ear to the ground and follow the operating system updates. This includes having hardware that can deal with new operating systems.
Powering on and off
This one is a tricky one, sometimes when you realize your machine takes an excruciating amount of time to boot up it might be because of a few reasons so before diagnosing your computer with terminal old age, try these steps. One of the reasons your computer is booting slow might be because you have too many programs that launch at start-up so check this out before throwing it away. If you’re using an HDD this might also be a reason as SSDs have now become the champions of lightning-fast start-ups. Speaking of HDD you might want to dust up your internals just in case this might be affecting your performances. Dust can also reduce air circulation and raise the temperature, causing overheating. If you’ve checked all these and still feel like your computer is taking forever to boot, then you might have your answer that your hardware is simply outdated.
Changing computers or even building your computer can be scary but, in this day, and age it’s important to keep up to date and have a machine that keeps up with your needs. So even if you invest 500 or 5000 dollars in a computer it’s important to learn about what you’re buying so you can make an enlightened decision that puts a good machine in your hands that lasts for a long time. Hopefully knowing about these signs will help you diagnose your machine and know how long it has left and how much you can still do with it despite its age. Do keep in mind that most machines have an average lifespan of 5 to 7 years depending on your usage and your needs. So, compare your current computer to newer ones and find the right one for you!