One of the most frequently asked questions is whether it is worth putting more money into your current computer or to just buy a new one. Unfortunately, the answer is not always that straight forward, but here are some things to consider:

How old is your computer?
The average computer is built to last five years – more or less. But if your computer is older than that, don’t let that put you off, you might still benefit from upgrading rather than buying new…

Which Operating System are you running?
Regrettably, Microsoft retired XP a while ago, so no further security updates will be released. If you are on Vista, support is running out on 11^th April 2017 – and you might be better off upgrading to Windows 7 (or Windows 10 if you dare!) which is going to be supported until 14^th January 2020.

Do you have enough RAM?
RAM is the computer’s short-term memory – if you do not have enough, it cannot run enough processes simultaneously which slows you down… check if you can upgrade at www.uk.crucial.com.

Upgrading the RAM is by far the quickest and cheapest way to speed your computer up – so go as high as you can go (or can afford!).

Is your Hard Drive big and strong?
Do you have enough space available (Windows works best with 10% free space)? If not, maybe it’s time to tidy up, move videos and pictures to an external drive or upgrade your existing one. Why not upgrade to a Solid State Drive to speed things up too?

If your current space is enough, be sure to check the current health of your hard drive.

What do you use your computer for?
Do you need a better graphics card for the latest game, the latest software or are you quite happy as you are?

When was the last Health Check?
Your computer needs a little TLC from time to time. Book it in for a Health Check  – not only to have things cleaned up and returned to its efficient state, but to check all of the above as well so you can make an informed decision.

A final word…
When comparing the cost of a new computer with upgrading your existing one, keep in mind the time it will take to set everything up as you like it, copy over data, set up emails, reinstall software and peripherals (printers, cameras etc. – check they are compatible with the new computer!) and hunt down those installation discs and licenses and those passwords.

Have PC Harmony, so you can get on with the more important things in life!