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When to upgrade...

A

amnichols10

macrumors regular
Original poster
May 19, 2008
233
28
Currently got the black MacBook when some extra memory installed. The HD space on the cpu is just about used up and I wanted to get some people's opinions on what are some good indicators that you should upgrade your computer to the current or more power Mac that is out.

This is just something that I'm picking my brain about and wanted to know what others used for criteria. Thanks
 
Yeah I'm gonna do that. Besides that though when do you say "ok now it's time for a new mac". Do you ride your current one till the wheels fall off, when software is too advanced for your current OS. Or just when the thing brakes.:)
 
Duff-Man says...if disk space is the only problem you are having and the computer otherwise does what you need it to then I would:
- clean out junk from the drive that I don't need/use and/or
- archive some rarely used stuff to cd/dvd/external drive and/or
- pop in a bigger drive

If you have the extra $$ to spend then by all means buy a new Macbook (or MBPro if you desire) and sell the old one as they hold their value fairly well but I'm guessing you've still got a lot of mileage left in what you have....oh yeah!
 
amnichols10 said:
Yeah I'm gonna do that. Besides that though when do you say "ok now it's time for a new mac". Do you ride your current one till the wheels fall off, when software is too advanced for your current OS. Or just when the thing brakes.:)
Click to expand...

It all depends on the type of person you are. Some people like to have the latest and greatest, so they buy every time a new version comes out. Others buy only when they need it.

I usually upgrade my main computer every 2-3 years (which is currently an iMac). My secondary computer (which is currently a Macbook Pro) I only update when it falls apart or when it gets too slow for my needs.
 
amnichols10 said:
Yeah I'm gonna do that. Besides that though when do you say "ok now it's time for a new mac". Do you ride your current one till the wheels fall off, when software is too advanced for your current OS. Or just when the thing brakes.:)
Click to expand...

Whenever I feel like I need more, or in the case of my last purchase, less. But if you're considering a new machine just because you're running out of disk space, just buy a new HDD.
 
If it otherwise does what you want it to do, but in a larger, faster hard drive to extend its useful life. You've already paid for the machine, you may as well use it until it no longer meets your needs.

Doing otherwise is like trading your year old car for a new one simply because the ashtrays are full...:)
 
the best time to upgrade is just after an update that way you get the most computer for your money. this is true if you buy a refirb as well when the new models come out the slash prices in the refirb section. since you have a working computer i would wait until the next update.
 
jbrenn said:
the best time to upgrade is just after an update that way you get the most computer for your money. this is true if you buy a refirb as well when the new models come out the slash prices in the refirb section. since you have a working computer i would wait until the next update.
Click to expand...

themoonisdown09 said:
It all depends on the type of person you are. Some people like to have the latest and greatest, so they buy every time a new version comes out. Others buy only when they need it.

I usually upgrade my main computer every 2-3 years (which is currently an iMac). My secondary computer (which is currently a Macbook Pro) I only update when it falls apart or when it gets too slow for my needs.
Click to expand...


Cool thanks. I figured that the life time of a mac would be 3yrs give or take a year. Thanks for the info.
 
I'm a poor student, and I'll be a poor student for another 2 years and I can't see my computing demands increasing all that much in that time.

So I'll use my 3.5 year old iBook for another 2 years at least (unless something extremely expensive breaks) then after uni I'll think about replacing it but again, I'm poor.
 
amnichols10 said:
Cool thanks. I figured that the life time of a mac would be 3yrs give or take a year. Thanks for the info.
Click to expand...

Mine lasted 5 1/2 and I got rid of it when I needed a piece of software the old one wouldn't run (Aperture). Someone else is now enjoying it and I got a set of pretty good golf clubs.
 
amnichols10 said:
Do you ride your current one till the wheels fall off, when software is too advanced for your current OS. Or just when the thing brakes.:)
Click to expand...
I rode my first computer, a Powerbook 12", until the wheels literally fell off. I used it for five and a half years until last November when I got my Macbook. I am planning to use this Macbook for around four years as well.

Of course, if it breaks out of warranty, it may make more sense to buy a new computer if the cost of repairs are high. This didn't happen with my Powerbook which was one reason why I kept it so long.
 
ChrisA said:
Don't buy a new computer just because the HD is full. Buy a new HD. They make drives 10X larger than what you have.

Buy a new computer when you can no longer run the software you want to use.
Click to expand...

My upgrade question isn't based on the fact that I need more HD space.

That's being said you can upgrade to a new HD and get that installed in the computer? I was only thinking that this could be done via external HD.
 
amnichols10 said:
Yeah I'm gonna do that. Besides that though when do you say "ok now it's time for a new mac". Do you ride your current one till the wheels fall off, when software is too advanced for your current OS. Or just when the thing brakes.:)
Click to expand...

I have used my powerbook hard for the last 4 years, but it won't run the programs i need efficiently enough anymore. I'm taking the plunge for my upgrade now as I prepare for graduate school, and hope that I can use these machines for a similar length of time.
 
Cool thanks. I started another thread called "HD upgrade". If anybody has any suggestions check out the thread. I'm open to any and all advice.
 
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