Upgrade or "If it ain't broke..."

[ozone]

The best time to buy...

... is BEFORE you absolutely need it. After being a graduate student for 6 years, working for a couple, and now a faculty member, computers have a habit of failing right during critical times. If you are in a major corporation and you have lots of IT support, great.

If you're more or less "on your own" and you will be to some degree as a graduate student, an extra $2000 now to get the latest and greatest might protect you against the inevitable failure, drop, or other disaster that ruins two weeks worth of data collection, analysis, and effort. 😱 Your graduate thesis is a one time deal. Always have a back up computer that you can trust and that you know. 🙂

 

[thejadedmonkey]

I have a late 2006 MBP (purchased early 2007) that I just replaced. I was getting concerned about its age, and I found a good deal on a Dell for less than a grand. I had the money to spare, and I felt like the peace of mind was worth the update. Nevermind this thing's much faster than my original Core 2 Duo!