When do you need to change your computer? This question may seem trivial, actually hides many unknowns related to it.
The question is closely linked not only to the performance of the device, if they are in line with the current era, but above all to your needs.
I am for the philosophy of “as long as it goes, it goes! “, But it is not always such a predictable philosophy: especially in the workplace.
When NOT do you need to change your computer?
Very often some people, either out of ignorance, or out of little information (I challenge you to find a TV show that talks about computer science in a serious way, for example), literally throw away their computer, because they believe that it is running slow, that it does not work well. .
The update of the PC, however, must not only be done via software, but must also be done via hardware; this possibly with the help of a competent person (admitted and not granted that you, the reader, are).
The vast majority of people will need nothing more than the office suite (and for many people even the “free” versions like OpenOffice And LibreOffice will be fine), e-mail, PDF and just a few videos on YouTube.
An average user does not have great needs: it is still nice to know that the browser page opens quickly, or not to have to wait ages for a YouTube video to load.
In the vast majority of cases this problem is perfectly circumvented with the replacement of the mechanical disk with an SSD and possibly the addition of RAM memory and in some cases the processor if this does not prove to be up to par with the minimum performance necessary for the current era.
In summary: if you have no special needs, most likely you won’t need to buy anything, just replace components.
Minimum recommended requirements for the average user who does not make extensive use of multimedia content and graphics programs:
- Intel or AMD dual core processor with at least 2 GHz;
- RAM at least 4 Gigabytes;
- SSD;
- Video card also integrated Intel, AMD or Nvidia changes little: I have seen videos on YouTube run quietly even with an Intel integrated graphics chipset with 64 mb of video RAM, but at least 512 mb of RAM is the minimum for a decent video card;
The operating system no longer holds up your computer and will not make updates or versions suitable for it
If by any chance you still own a computer with Windows XP, in that case it will be very likely that it will be necessary to change it, since XP was usually sold together with personal computers on 32-bit systems, when now many operating systems including Windows and some Linux distributions are moving away from 32-bit support.
Ubuntu for example even if it abandons 32-bit support, will continue to run 32-bit applications.
Although there are dedicated operating systems that allow you to “resurrect” 32-bit devices such as Q4OS, the performance will never be as low as the recommended minimum!
In some circles, especially the environments of Linux fans, the cliché exists “put Linux with SSD on an old computer and everything will be fine“. This may be true with the minimum hardware features recommended earlier: it is not (and never will be) with a single core even at 64-bit or with a 32-bit that does not exceed 2 GB of RAM to understand.
Unfortunately, even information technology and the world of computers are by no means exempt from clichés, sometimes also deriving from veterans of the trade.
In this case, however, you are faced with a crossroads: either you try to put some system like Q4OS on your computer or Antix Linuxpraying that all the drivers are found and that you don’t have to swear to get even Wi-Fi or Bluetooth going, or you change your computer: which you will most likely want to do …
Your computer meets the minimum fees to be decent, but it’s not enough for your job
If you work in the graphic field, or do some particular profession where “the bare minimum” described above is not enough except for emails or YouTube, then it may be necessary to change computers, but here too we must evaluate the cases.
For example, if your motherboard with a dual core at 1.8 GHz has the possibility of being able to upgrade the processor with a quad-core with for example 2.4 GHz of power and maybe put a slightly more powerful video card than the integrated one (for example an NVIDIA GTX 950: which is not recent, but it is not even to be thrown away), in case the computer is a fixed one, then (if you are lucky) you will just need to replace the components.
The situation is different for laptops, where usually it is not possible to change the video card and often not even the processor update is so obvious!
If you work with graphics, as already mentioned, for example with Blender. you will most likely notice that rendering with a laptop’s integrated video card will take a long time and may not be optimal for the health of the device in the long run.
So: in the case of the desktop computer, it is very likely that an update of the components will be enough, in the case of the laptop it is very likely you will have to change it if the computing power is not sufficient for work performance.
Your computer is no longer eligible for today’s video games
Often, even computers that are not very recent but with a good video card, do not require a change of hardware (always you do not want more performance, but here we go more in the field of passion than necessity).
Usually, however, even if with some compromises, it is possible to continue playing video games without many problems in recent titles, even if not with the latest configurations.
And if your computer struggles to run even some two-dimensional games, or with deliberately sparse graphics, then in that case it may be necessary to change the hardware or buy a new computer.
When the smartphone fails to replace the personal computer
With the advent of smartphones, someone thought: “haha, I don’t need the computer anymore, now the phone is enough“, With the Covid-19 pandemic when it was necessary to have at least one laptop to communicate with instant messaging programs.
The smartphone (and with it the tablet) it could be very cumbersome and cumbersome for certain operations, such as long emails, long texts in Word and such like.
Moreover, even conversations on video call programs, which can last for hours (job interviews, online meetings, etc.), are not really good for the smartphone; the purchase of a personal computer may become necessary in this case.
In conclusion
As you can see, there is no single answer to the question of the title, and your situation must be evaluated.
Many situations, certainly, have not been considered because the possible cases could be thousands.
So, before making the decision to change your personal computer or upgrade its components, be sure to hear from your trusted technician to assess the situation.
#change #computer