Let's follow the currently available BEST computer through it's expected (short) life of service on the chart below.

Find your computer somewhere in this chart to get a sense of what it's worth before you continue to spend your time and money servicing and upgrading it rather than buying a newer computer to replace it.

Don't know your computer's specifications? Download and run the Belarc Advisor from http://www.belarc.com/Download.html which will list your computer's hardware (AND software, but that's another topic!), then find your computer on today's aging chart below ...
and be well advised of it's relative value!

When should you service and upgrade? When should you not?

First 1 1/2 years: Only newer computer's in their first 1 1/2 years of life are worth upgrading during this time to add new features (newer hardware or software upgrades).

These newer computers, and tomorrow's systems, are what the manufactures are spending their research and development money on.

Between 1 1/2 and 3 years old: Then, between 1 1/2 years to 3 years, it does still makes sense for you to service and repair your computer systems, but it does NOT make sense to upgrade their hardware or software.

These older computer systems are outside the appropriate range of the research and development of the manufacturer's of newer hardware and software upgrades!

The hardware and software manufacturers are no longer working on updates and patches for these older items, so new solutions to older problems on these older systems will never become available.

After 3 years old: After 3 years, any computer should still be able to continue do exactly what it's doing for another, um, maybe 20 more years or so without any further upgrades or extensive maintenance. No one really knows how long computer electronics and mechanicals will last since we throw out older computers before they all really fail! I have an original 4.7 MHz, 640 KB RAM IBM PC from the early 1980s that still boots and runs a text word processor, Word Perfect 5 for DOS, on a monochrome screen, albeit v-e-r-y slowly - I wouldn't think of trying to shoehorn modern upgrades into it, but it does still run!

But, NO heroics should be spent on servicing it or salvaging systems older than 3 years.

No manufacturers even have new replacement parts for older systems, and much older software is no longer even being supported!

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