9 Old Computer Uses: Don't Throw Old Tech Away, Reuse It!

Technology marches to the beat of a very fast drummer--dollars to donuts are that the shiny, powerful new computer you bought today will be outclassed by the end of the year, and within five years it will be a comparative dinosaur. You've got to upgrade briskly or fall behind. Of course, the result is that you're going to have to decide what to do with those old computers. The good news is, while they might be behind spec for rendering biomacromolecule chains or playing high-end games, those old computers still have years of usefulness for those with a little "Do-It-Yourself" spirit. Here is just a sampling of the many things you can do with that old computer.

First things first: Upgrades: Before buying that new computer to replace the old one, you should ask yourself whether you're better served by just upgrading. Many people complain about how their computers get bogged down an slow after years of use. But smart use of hardware and software can fix these issues and save you a lot of money. If you have a Windows PC, you should make sure there aren't nefarious background spyware programs hogging memory. Cleaning out unused preference files and repairing permissions in Mac OS X can lead to speed performance increases. At the very least, backing up your files, wiping the hard drive and reinstalling everything essentially restores your computer to its Day 1 performance; if you're willing to take the time to reinstall your files, it can be well worth it (if you have a Mac, read "Essential OS X Utilities" for more info on what programs you need to do this.)

Aside from just tidying up, you can also upgrade individual components of your computer. Are all those video files hogging space on that relatively tiny 20 gigabyte hard drive? You can get faster internal hard drives with massive amounts of storage (how about 1000 gigabytes?) for under $100. Feeling like your computer needs a little boost handling large files? Upgrading memory is fairly cheap if you know where to go. The biggest cuts in price will come from buying the components and installing them yourself; luckily, on most desktop computer models doing these minor upgrades is simple and easy to learn; Macs, for example, ship with documentation on how to do it and what tools you'll need. Great sites for looking for cheap components include newegg.com.

Before you go willy-nilly buying a new hard drive, serial bus, sticks of RAM and a new processor to boot, make sure you calculate the cost-to-benefit ratio. The more items you're upgrading on your old computer, the more the price will climb. For most upgrades, you aren't changing certain items--like the amount of L₂ cache (I won't explain what this is) your computer has--that do affect speed. Merely comparing the amount of RAM and gigahertz for the processor of two models is deceptive because things like processor cache and RAM bandwidth often matter much more than the number itself. Generally it's better to just buy a new computer instead of trying to completely overhaul it, especially if you're a more casual consumer.

Now, if you're committed to buying that new computer, here's the possibilities for the old one:

1) Storage Server: By connecting your old computer to all the others in a home network, you can use it as a storage server for centralizing documents. By keeping this computer on 24/7 you can easily synch your files across the household. While the paltry hard drives of even just a decade ago might not be large enough for your tastes, as said above, cheap hard drives are plentiful.

2) Home Automation Tool: If your old computer is a Mac running OS X, you can outfit it to do things like automatically start and stop appliances, turn on lights according to the hour of day, or monitor a security camera. Macworld has a full how-to here.

3) Aquarium: Yes, a quick google search demonstrates that there's a lot of people who are willing to turn their bulky CRT monitors or computer cases into homes for friendly fish. For inspiration watch videos like these.

4) Picture frame: Turning a slim notebook or LCD monitor into a revolving picture frame isn't hard; just turn on your photo library's slideshow option and have it go forever. For the more dedicated and stylish, you can mod your old computer to turn it into a dedicated digital picture frame. See how Macworld turned a laptop into just that here.

5) Kid's computer: Let's face it: young kids aren't going to need the latest and greatest technology. Giving them a computer that they can experiment and wreck without causing you any grief is a great gift.

6) Jukebox: If you've got a laptop or compact computer, then it's as simple as hooking up its outputs to a stereo, and you've got your own dedicated iPod replacement. Whether this is worth it depends on how big the computer is and what types of audio outputs it has. The only cost comes from the cord to connect computer to stereo. In this case, cost doesn't mean you'll be getting any more bang for your buck; generally a $10 cord will work just as well as the "gold-plated, premium quality" cables they are selling for 4-5 times the cost.

7) Bare bones system: What about just actually downgrading your computer? Stripping off all unnecessary programs and even going back to an older and faster operating system can make an old computer much more snappy. Then all you need to do is install a word processor and connect it to the old printer. It will function well, and you've got a much more reliable single-purpose machine. (If you're aiming for a legacy route, investing in a high-quality laser printer can be the best choice for pairing with the machines; they run out of toner slower and are cheaper per page while producing the best quality.)

8) Spare parts: Perhaps the Frankenstein's monster route is for you. If you find similar systems you can combine cards, processors, and memory from one computer to another and built a faster or more optimal machine. Likewise if one of your other computers suffers a hardware failure you have a source for patching fixes so that you suffer little downtime.

9) Donationware: If you're really done with the computer, why not give it to people who can use it or recycle it rather than throwing it to the curb? Express Link Up, for example, gives older computers to sick or hospitalized kids. The EPA has a good site for helping you decide how to recycle your electronics.