Why should I upgrade my computer?

[Ethernet]

I am reading more and more how I "need" to upgrade. At this point I'm not sure why, so perhaps you guys could give me some reasons why I need to upgrade.

The only games I play really are Team Fortress, Fire Arms and Counter-Strike (which are all efectivly Half - Life). I sometimes play Quake III and Totoal Annihilation. In every game I can play in 1024/768 with no slow down... so why should I upgrade?

I picked up 128 meg of ram off the for sale forums, thats my latest upgrade so right now my system specs are:

Celeron 466 @ 466
192 Meg PC-100 RAM
Diamond Viper II 32 Meg AGP
Maxtor 13 GB 5400 RMP Hard Drive
Sound Blaster Live! Value

Why do I need to upgrade when all my games play fine? I'm not really apt when it comes to computers, I know a little but I don't know why I need to upgrade.

Thanks for reading.

 

[zippy]

If you are happy with it, don't upgrade. That is my motto...unfortunately, I hang around with these nut cases here so I find myself frequently dissatisfied with my machine and have to upgrade it.

 

[DarkManX]

no one says you have to upgrade, someone of us here think upgradeing is almost as important as breathing.

 

[Wizkid]

almost?

 

[Cosmic_Horror]

there are two reasons that people upgrade..

1- because they need to

2- because they want to



1- if you are happy with the speed of your system and you find that the games you play run fast enough then you don't need to upgrade...

2- because you take pleasure in making your system run faster and enjoy spending money on computer related things.

I don't really play that many games anymore, due to a lack of time, (i tend to spend my free time online surfing rather than playing games these days) so my celeron300A @450 Mhz is serving me well.

How ever i enjoy upgrading my system (it is a hobby for me) so i hope to upgrade by september or at worst by the end of the year. I have no need to upgrade, but i still wish to.

 

[Ulysses]

If it ain't broke why putz around with it ?

 

[OS]

If you need someone to give you reasons to upgrade, you probably shouldn't upgrade Your computer looks just fine the way it is, and let me say that computers are the worst thing to put money into, they devalue almost instantly and they suck up large amounts of time.

 

[Kill_Phil]

yes, the perfect tool of the slob\couch potato of the future!

 

[Sillyputty]

Actually, people upgrade because:

They need to.
They want to.
They think they need to.
Peer pressure.

I agree with zippy. Don't upgrade if you are happy with your current rig. Are you happy with your computer? Do YOU care if someone says you NEED to upgrade because you have X CPU and GPU, when you should have Y instead? Outersquare hit the nail on the head on this, too.

I time my upgrades on a nice little price/performance scale. I buy when the components offer the performance I want at the price I am willing to pay. Am I ready to retire my PIII 450/580 for a Thunderbird 700/950, a new powersupply and a GeForce 2 GTS? Looking at the low cost of entry, I must admit that I'm tempted. Very tempted.

Yet, this coming Fall will bring in new offerings such as DDR RAM support for AMD chipsets, a new gen of video cards, and low, low prices on CPUs. Fall also happens to be the time when the industry releases its new line-up of goods, thusly driving down the prices of the previous-gen parts.

Depends on where your priorities are.

 

[chimoon]

• Test1
• Test2

 

[Jeff H]

Ethernet, you've seen a couple of posts indicating people upgrade because they want to, or they need to. My guess is the former is the reason most of the time. And, that's not a bad thing <g>.

My gaming has fallen off to practically nothing, due to time constraints and job demands. Practically the only game I play these days is LinksLS. My computer time these days is spent on the internet, surfing. I recently upgraded from a PII-450 (actually a PII-300 SL2YK, which ran @ 450MHz flawlessly) to an FC-PGA P!!!-650. Why - because I wanted to. Now, I've ragged on Intel for their incipid blue &amp; green Pentium !!! ads, where they claim a P!!! will enhance your internet experience. After a couple of internet sessions w/ this 650, I have to admit there's something going on, because things do seem to pop up on the screen faster than they did w/ the 450.

Bottom line: if your system is doing all that you want/need, leave it alone. However, if you have the $$, and get some enjoyment out of tweaking your machine, go for it!

 

[KarsinTheHutt]

If you don't feel the need to upgrade, then don't. Your system isn't cutting edge, but its far from obsolecence.

 

[StanTheMan]

For me, I always try to upgrade my memory. I'm a bit paranoid for not having enuff RAM, bcos my machine used to be a 386DX 40, RAM 8MB, hd 120 MB, double spaced, running win95. I still can imagine how horrible that was ;P

 

[StanTheMan]

For me, I always try to upgrade my memory. I'm a bit paranoid for not having enuff RAM, bcos my machine used to be a 386DX 40, RAM 8MB, hd 120 MB, double spaced, running win95. I still can imagine how horrible that was ;P

 

[tom3]

If you've got to ask your self this question &quot;Why should I upgrade&quot;, chances are, you shouldn't. You will always get better hardware for lower prices if you upgrade when you feel the need to upgrade.

Edit Didn't realize someone said the exact same thing a few posts before me..

 

[PowerJoe]

Whenever someone asks me (either in person or on this forum) whether he should upgrade, I ask &quot;What do you want to achieve with this upgrade?&quot;
- Computer not fast enough in everyday use?
- You want games to run better?
- Some features you want to add (4-point sound, DVD playback, whatever...)

In person, I usually meet with people who do need to upgrade (Say, a P100), and then I suggest some machine based on their budget/needs. On this forum, I often tend to discourage people from upgrading, with arguments like &quot;What will it get you?&quot;. I often state the I'd be happy to relieve them of any excess money burning a hole in the their pocket...

Now, if you want to upgrade, knock yourself out!

-PJ