In the past, a new computer could cost as much as an inexpensive car. However today, the cost of a new computer has dramatically decreased and depending on what you need out of the computer may or may not justify the purchase of a new computer. Below is a listing of different upgrade options and why you may or may not want to upgrade. Memory upgrade A memory upgrade is one upgrade that can affect the overall performance of your computer. Increasing the computers memory can help increase the speed of a computer, help with the load times, and is an affordable and often easy upgrade. If your computer could use a small performance boost and it has less than 1 GB of memory, this can be a highly impactful upgrade. Computer memory (RAM) buying tips How to install computer memory (RAM). Video card upgrade Video cardIf you're playing computer games on your computer, an upgraded video card can be one of the best upgrades for your computer. With the new improvements and complexities of graphics in games many older computers or computers with inefficient video cards can become real slow. Adding a new video card is typically an easy to do upgrade and is a lot cheaper than purchasing a new computer. Note: In some situations you may also need to upgrade the power supply in a computer when upgrading the video card. Computer video card buying tips How to install a computer video card. New display Although a new display does not improve the performance of a computer adding an LCD or flat-panel display or increasing the size of your display can make using the computer more enjoyable. If your display is 17" or smaller, you're using a monitor and not a flat-panel display, and you have the room to do it, this upgrade is easy and a lot less than purchasing a new computer. Also, if down the road you do purchase a new computer, you will not need a new display. Computer monitor buying tips Hard drive upgrade SSDIn the past, upgrading the hard drive was a popular upgrade. However, today hard drives are becoming so large that most users never run out of disk space. If your computer is running out of hard drive space or you're not happy with the performance adding a new hard drive is a cheap and often fairly simple upgrade. Tip: If you feel the performance of your computer is lacking replacing a traditional hard drive with an SSD can dramatically increase the load time and speed of your computer. We suggest if you are adding an SSD that it be the primary drive and using the older hard drive to store files. Computer hard drive buying tips How to install a hard drive. Disc drives Adding a new disc drive such as a faster CD-R/CD-RW (cd burner) or a DVD drive can be a great upgrade to a computer that either has a slower drive or does not have a CD-ROM/CD-R/CD-RW/DVD. If you burn many discs, a new burner can decrease the time it takes to create each disc. Also, a faster drive can help with the installation or load time of any CD or DVD programs. Apart from these two examples this upgrade is more of a new feature than a performance upgrade. Computer disc drive buying tips How to install a CD, DVD, or other disc drive Broadband BroadbandThe Internet is one of the most popular things to do while on the computer and many users often don't look at their Internet connection when considering upgrading their computer. If you do not have a broadband Internet connection and it is available in your area it can be a very beneficial upgrade. Users who already have broadband may also consider faster broadband solutions. For example, if you have DSL you may want to consider changing to cable or other faster solution. Other upgrades Apart from the above recommendations, if you are looking at doing any other upgrades such as CPU, motherboard, sound card, modem, network card, etc. today we almost always recommend that you save your money and purchase a new computer now or down the road.

The decision to purchase a new computer depends on a number of factors ranging from the necessity for improved performance issues to additional functionality features. Typically, most total cost of ownership studies conclude that users should replace their computers at least every four years. Below are some different reasons that may help justify the new purchase, or why you may want to wait.

Checklist

 Is the computer(s) four or more years old?
 Do you need (not want) better hardware (e.g., SSD, Bluetooth, more slots for RAM, etc.)?
 Does the computer(s) seem to be too slow for your needs?
 Has the Internet gradually started to load more slowly?
 Is new software barely meeting or failing to meet its minimum system requirements?
 Do you want to upgrade to a more recent operating system (e.g., latest version of Windows)?

If you checked three or more of the boxes above, it's likely time to upgrade. If you were unable to check at least three of these boxes, you might want to wait a while to buy a new computer; until then, certain upgrades may be a good choice.

Tip: If you are replacing an existing computer, the monitor, keyboard, mouse, speakers, printer, and other peripherals can often be used with the new computer.

Tip: A slow computer can be caused by issues that may be remedied without buying a new machine. Make sure to go through the slow computer troubleshootingpage before you decide to make a purchase.