17 Signs Your PC May Be Obsolete

Time To Replace Your Computer?

Many years ago (this was back in the late 1980s) I saw a cartoon of a guy proudly driving home with his brand new state-of-the-art IBM 386 computer in the back seat of his convertible. In the background was a huge billboard advertising the 486. (I couldn't locate that old cartoon, but with a bit of AI magic, I got something reasonably close.) The message: his computer was obsolete before he even got it home.

Technology is always changing... it's hard to be sure if the system you have will support the newest software, operating system and peripherals. So how do you know when it is indeed time to buy a new computer, or when it is best to ignore the commercials that tout the latest "gotta-have" technology?

You May Need To Buy A New Computer If...

Here are some indications that it's time to seriously upgrade or replace your old, slow computer. A few are meant to be tongue-in-cheek, but if you can check any of these boxes, it might be time to start shopping before the dust bunnies unionize and go on strike. You may need to buy a new computer if...

    • ...your processor speed is less than 3.0 gigahertz (GHz). Most operating systems and application software these days demand a lot from your system. A speedy processor will help you browse the Internet, run your word processor and play games with ease. On a Windows PC, click the Start button, type system information and press Enter. If the speed is listed in megahertz instead of gigahertz, see if any friends need a new anchor for their fishing boat.

    • ...your computer has 4 gigabytes or less of RAM memory. Again, the System Properties window will show how much RAM is installed. I recommend a minimum of 8 GB of RAM if you use more than one program at once, or have multiple browser tabs open. Even new low-end models now typically come with 16GB or RAM to handle modern software.

    • ...you are running a version of Windows that begins with a "3", "7", "8", "9", "V", or "X" (Windows 3.1, Windows 95, Windows 98, Windows Vista, Windows XP, or Windows 7/8). These obsolete versions lack the security features and technological advances required for safe computing and protection from identity theft. Windows 10 is still serviceable, and official support will continue through October 2025. If you have a Mac that's NOT running some version of OS X, the same applies. Windows 11 was released in October 2021, but unlike previous editions, it won’t work on many PCs happily running Windows 10. If your computer is more than three years old, it probably won't meet the stringent hardware requirements that Microsoft has in place for installing Windows 11. I personally don't think it's a must-have upgrade, so if you want to keep your Windows 10 PC for another year or so, that's fine. If you decide you need to upgrade before then, you'll be looking at a Windows 11 system.

    • ...you have a monitor that's 14-inch or smaller. Most websites will not display properly on an old 14-inch monitor, and larger 20+ inch models are now standard. (I have dual 22-inch widescreen monitors on my desk!)

    • ...you try to install a program and you get the error "Operating System not supported."

    • ...you try to upgrade the Operating System and get an error message that the hardware is not supported. (See note above about Windows 11)

    • hackers are sending you thank-you cards for not applying security updates.

    • ...your computer has no USB ports. Most peripheral devices such as the mouse, keyboard, printer, scanner and external hard drives now use USB connections.

    • ...your mouse is pictured on the Museum of Computing History website, it's still using a ball, or it's held together by duct tape.

    • ...your graphics card complains when you try to play Solitaire.

    • ...your hard drive is making a persistent ticking or clicking sound. A ticking hard drive doesn't mean there's a bomb inside your PC, but it is an omen of impending data disaster.

    • ...your cooling fan is moaning like the sound track of Poltergeist. A loud fan indicates bad bearings and sub-par cooling ability.

    • ...your computer has a 5.25 inch disk drive! Actually if you have even a 3.5-inch floppy disk drive, you may qualify. Software has outgrown the floppy disk, and the mere presence of a floppy drive on your machine may indicate that it's time to take it out back and shoot it. Even CD-ROM drives are not found on many newer computers, since software installations are accomplished by downloads, and music/video is streamed online.

    • ...your computer says Radio Shack anywhere on the packaging. I had lots of fun on the TRS-80 we had in high school, but that was over 40 years ago. I actually owned an HP Model 33 Teletype (pictured here), which was the first computer terminal I used. It could go online with a 300-baud modem (about 10,000 times slower than broadband today) and saved programs on paper punch tapes.

    • You get errors such as "General Protection Fault", "IRQ conflict", "Abort, Retry, Fail?", or "Printer on Fire". The latter message originated from early Unix operating systems, and served as a placeholder for a serious but undiagnosed error. Similar to the "Something Bad Happened" error that sometimes popped up in Windows 8.

    • ...your only web browser is Netscape Navigator, and your screen saver is a flying toaster.

    • ...you have enough time to make a cup of coffee, read the morning news, and take a short nap while waiting for your computer to start up.

All of the above scenarios warrant shelling out the dough for a new computer. There are cases however, where you might have a relatively new computer, (less than 3 years old) and it is acting up enough to make you want to replace it with a new one. Before you do that, let's look at a few ways you can "soup up" a fairly new machine:

Your Computer Is Running S-l-o-o-o-w-w

This is probably the number one complaint heard by Help Desk techs worldwide. If your computer is less than 3 years old, there are a myriad of reasons for the slowdown in performance. For instance, you may not have all the latest security software installed. Operating Systems, device drivers, anti-virus programs and other applications have frequent updates releases to their original product. Keeping up with the latest releases or patches of any software you are running, is a good way to keep your computer free from viruses and spyware that can slow it to a crawl.

Hardware also has updates, called firmware updates. Check with your hardware vendors to make sure that your computer, wireless router, cable modem, printer, etc... all have the latest firmware updates. A cable or DSL modem that's overheating can throttle your Internet speed. If you find that turning off the modem and then waiting an hour or so boosts your surfing speed, you may need to replace it.

Sometimes a slow running computer is one that is lacking memory. As applications get more feature rich, more memory (RAM, not hard drive space) is required to run them. A lot of times, computers will be sold without the maximum capacity of RAM that they can actually run. Again, check with your computer's manufacturer. Find out if the memory is expandable, and how much RAM you currently have intalled. Upgrading RAM is a fairly easy and inexpensive way to speed up your computer. See my companion article for help with understanding and adding RAM: Will More Memory Speed Up Your Computer?.

Your Computer Is Running Out of Space

You are noticing degradation in your computer's performance, and you are also noticing "Running low on disk space" messages. Low disk space can slow a machine down, and also cause problems running applications. Hard drive space is getting cheaper and cheaper these days; the newest computers often come with 1 terabyte (1000 GB) hard drives as a standard. You don't have to buy one of these new computers though; you can replace a smaller hard disk drive with a larger one, or upgrade to an SSD drive. But before you do any of those things, see my article How (AND WHY) to Clean Computer Clutter for tips on getting rid of the junk and clutter on your hard drive.

Your Computer Has Less-Than-Great-Graphics and So-So-Sound

The characters in that cool, new game you installed, have herky-jerky movements or maybe there's a tinny sound when you blast the bad guys. Or perhaps the photos you download from your digital camera have a grainy, dull look when opened on your computer. On a relatively new machine, these problems can often be remedied by multimedia upgrades. Upgrading your graphics card or sound card can add a whole new level to your computing experience. A newer monitor will make everything look crisper.

It's important to know when to let go of an old clunker of a computer. It's just as important to realize when your computer needs a "tune-up". The goal is to find a happy medium between being able to experience the latest that technology has to offer, but not being pressured into throwing a perfectly good system away because of slick sales ads, feature envy or industry hype.

Your thoughts on this topic are welcome. Post your comment or question below...