Upgrading Your Computer

I never thought I'd see the day when personal computers (PCs) would become disposable. While this may become the wave of the future, I don't think we're quite at that point yet.

Recently the picture tube in my 17" monitor started to go out on me. I paid $800 for the monitor 3 years ago, and the extended warranty on it ran out in May of this year. A new 17" monitor costs about $250 today, depending on the brand.

I went to a local TV/VCR repair shop that also works on computer monitors and I was told it would cost $25 to look at the monitor even if I decided not to repair it. I figured it was worth taking the chance. It turned out the picture tube wasn't completely out yet, and that for about $69 they could rejuvenate the picture tube, although it wouldn't be good as new. I didn't have the money to buy a new monitor, and I was desperate, so I told them to go ahead and fix it.

Well, when I got it home, right away I realized that the repair man hadn't exaggerated. The monitor was far from back to normal. Although the screen can be clearly viewed and read, all the colors are completely muted. So I'm going to have to buy a new monitor. At least this one should last a couple more months until I can save up the money to buy a new one.

Lately I've been thinking about upgrading my computer. Upgrading your own computer isn't for the novice, but if you know anyone who will agree to be your mentor or you can take a class or two in troubleshooting and repairing PCs, you will definitely save yourself some money in the long run. I've also found it to be a very rewarding experience when it works! I'm fortunate enough to have had several mentors as well as a class or two, and I've never regretted it. If I can upgrade a computer, anyone can.

Most of the time it doesn't pay to have someone else upgrade your computer for you. If you just want a hard drive added or additional memory installed, you could probably get someone to do it fairly inexpensively. On the other hand, if you want to add more than two expensive components, for example, you might want to consider buying a new computer.

For about $550 you can now buy a brand new 350 MHz computer (not including the monitor). That $550 computer, however, doesn't include any extras. The ads are kind of misleading at first, catching your attention with their "low" prices, but those extra components add up quickly. Here's a list of what I'm looking to add to my computer (currently 166 MHz, 80MB RAM, 1.6GB hard drive, 28.8K modem, no storage device):

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