Doing the Math
Sunday, October 16, 2005
The computer I built in the summer of 1999 is finally starting to drag when I want to do basic things. Since I initially put it together, I've added 512MB of RAM to bring it up to 640MB, and added hard drives to bring total disk storage to 200GB. At this point, I am trying to decide if it's worth it to try to upgrade it one last time and get another year of service out of it. I have a decent computer in my office and a whiz-bang laptop when I have need for real power, but I'd like for this one to last as long as possible.
To be specific, for around $50, I can buy a new 1GHz processor, which will add about 50% more CPU power to the old girl. I consider this price, and then start thinking about how much it would cost to just install a new motherboard and CPU, but then that price keeps creeping upward because I'd also have to buy new RAM. (The old style isn't compatible anymore.) I think to even get it up to a paltry 1.5 GHz, I would have to spend around $150, and probably closer to $200 for a 2GHz upgrade. And then we're looking at the price range for some cheapo bargain machine that actually has some decent horsepower.
For now, I think it's probably best to try to format the main disk and reinstall the whole system, on the hope that all the detritus of running the machine for the last two and a half years (since my last full reinstall) is what's causing to to perform so badly. If that doesn't work, $50 seems a reasonable price to pay to for a few more months of use.
To be specific, for around $50, I can buy a new 1GHz processor, which will add about 50% more CPU power to the old girl. I consider this price, and then start thinking about how much it would cost to just install a new motherboard and CPU, but then that price keeps creeping upward because I'd also have to buy new RAM. (The old style isn't compatible anymore.) I think to even get it up to a paltry 1.5 GHz, I would have to spend around $150, and probably closer to $200 for a 2GHz upgrade. And then we're looking at the price range for some cheapo bargain machine that actually has some decent horsepower.
For now, I think it's probably best to try to format the main disk and reinstall the whole system, on the hope that all the detritus of running the machine for the last two and a half years (since my last full reinstall) is what's causing to to perform so badly. If that doesn't work, $50 seems a reasonable price to pay to for a few more months of use.
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