The average lifespan for a computer can vary greatly depending on many factors, but in most big businesses the magic number is 3 years. If a computer starts to fail due to a mechanical issue after the 3 year period, it will cost more to repair it then it is worth. That’s a pretty draconian outlook on your hardware, and for most small businesses and home owners, its just not realistic (save for major component failures like the processor). So if your want to squeeze some life out of your PC and you don’t want to splurge on a new one, what are your options? RAM upgrades (system memory) are always the easiest way to economically give your computer a new lease on life. The more RAM, the faster the computer can work with files. How about your hard drive? You might still have plenty of free space, but that 5400 RPM hard drive that came with the computer could be replaced with a new faster 10000 RPM one. Its a good idea to replace your hard drive every few years anyway as they are the most common thing to fail in your computer, and also the most valuable because all of your files are on it (although they are relatively inexpensive themselves). These are two things that practically any computer – desktop or laptop, can have upgraded.
Ditch the color printer. I don’t mean throw it out, I just mean the ink on common inkjet printers are more expensive than gold. So why are you printing out Aunt Selma’s joke of the week with it? Most of what people print out can be done in black and white. A decent black and white laser printer will save you hundreds of dollars in ink costs. Laser printers usually cost more than 50% less to print per page versus an inkjet printer. if you don’t want to buy a new printer, you can also lower the quality of your printouts to save ink. Check the instruction manual or manufacturer’s website of your printer to see how to do that.
Paying top dollar for DSL or Cable? Most companies offer a tiered system of bandwidth. The rub is that the higher end tiers rarely ever perform as well as advertised here in Charleston. Check out www.broadbadreports.com and run a speed test on your connection. If you are getting less than what you are paying for, change your plan accordingly! Are you a cable subscriber and want to cut your costs a lot? AT&T has an unadvertised DSL plan for $10.00 a month for new subscribers. It is for their lowest tier of bandwidth, but for most home users, that is enough to get by with. I know some people who are constantly switching providers to take advantage of special offers, so keep your an eye on all of the local provider’s websites to see if anything good pops up.
Get a check-up. Preventative care can be a good way to avoid a disastrous problem before it happens. Replacing a dying hard drive before it crashes will cost you a fraction of the price of replacing one after the fact. You may also be suffering from a malicious infection that is slowing down your PC and not even know it. Just like the doctor, you should periodically get your computer looked at by a professional.
In a time when people are cutting the traditional phone cords in their home and using just their cell phones, how about cutting your cable/sattelite TV service as well? Lets be honest – traditional TV seems so archaic today. The unbelievable amount of commercials have forced anyone with a DVR to record their favorite TV shows and watch them at a later time so they can save the 20+ minutes per hour of commercial time. In a recent episode of American Idol, millions of viewers missed a surprise ending because they ran late and went into the next hour’s programming time when the DVR’s had already shut off. This is a sign of a major shift in the way people are watching TV content. Now you can watch most of your favorite shows on the internet for free with little to no commercial interruptions. Services like Hulu are bringing the big budget shows and movies, while YouTube is covering the independent home-brew stuff – kind of like the internet’s public access channel. With all of the major channels streaming their content as well on their own respective websites, why is anyone still paying Comcast over $100 a month? Even switching to the most basic services to get news or sports will save you some money. Furthermore, digital set top boxes like Apple’s AppleTV, Roku’s Netflix player, and even an XBox 360 are letting users get digital content on their TV sets.
Hopefully these ideas will spawn even more ideas to help you cope with tough economic times without sacrificing too much in the technology department.