|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Should you replace a perfectly good laptop? (continued)
That was the exact point when I realized it's reasonable to replace a perfectly good laptop. In my case, it was easy since I was purposely carrying both machines with me. I just powered off the old Acer, fired up the new Dell, cleaned up the mess, and eventually got four hours of sleep.
Should you do it?
Your scenario, of course, is likely to be different. You might have a large photo you need to edit that won't fit into your older laptop's RAM without wheezing. You might need to do software development and your development environment is just too slow for reasonable compiles. You might be doing video editing and need a more practical machine.
"There are, in fact, justifiable reasons for replacing a perfectly good laptop with a newer model."
|
Whatever you might need to do, there are, in fact, justifiable reasons for replacing a perfectly good laptop with a newer model.
Were I budget conscious (and had I not been as fortunate as I was to have Dell's help in this test), I might have tried to "save" the Acer. For example, I could easily upgrade the hard drive. I just checked Pricewatch.com and found an 80GB, 5400RPM drive for just about $100. But, without being able to upgrade the physical system RAM, there's really no way to bring the older laptop into the modern world.
Another possibility, if you're budget conscious, is to consider selling off the older laptop to get some cash for the upgrade. The going rate for my Acer C100 appears to be about $450. However, you should be extremely careful selling (or buying) laptops on eBay. There's a lot of fraud when it comes to laptops, iPods, and similar high-value items. Be sure to check the history of the buyer and be sure to get paid before you ship the item.
Obviously, everyone's needs are different. You need to very carefully examine your needs, wants, and budget before making a decision.
For ease of use, performance, quality, and reliability, we give the Dell Latitude D410 a four-out-of-five.
OUR RATING: 4 of 5
James Booth is Editor-at-Large at ZATZ Publishing. In addition to writing for Computing Unplugged and Connected Photographer, he's the author of Do-It-Yourself Wedding Photography. A self-taught photographer, James also dabbles in digital graphics and has learned to be a PC and handheld specialist through personal trial and error. James can be reached at jbooth@zatz.com.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
-- Advertisement --
BLOGGING AND PODCASTING WITH ONE EASY-TO-USE TOOL
Now you can publish your thoughts, opinions, and comments in your own blog or podcast.<p />
- Supports multiple authors and multiple blogs or podcasts.
- Generate and publish RSS feeds for iTunes and other directories.
- Post photos, images or animations.
- Get feedback and have conversations with visitors to your site. <p />
Personalize your blog or podcast with your own unique domain name -- or integrate it with your existing site by setting it up as a subdomain.
Tap here and get blogging or podcasting within minutes. |
-- Advertisement --
Sent Items Organizer
When you need to file your sent email into their proper folders based on keywords or who it's to. It's also perfect for shared mailboxes.
It also adds a "Send And File" toolbar button while you're composing (similar to the way Lotus Notes used to work) for quick and easy filing.
Find out more! |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
