Can This Older Computer Be Saved, or Should I Toss It?

Recently, the high school in which I work purchased a whole bunch of new computers. These new Dells replaced a bunch of older Dells that ranged in age from 5-9 years old. While they all had some use, some of the computers had more potential than others.

But the tech coordinator was ready to throw them all out. Huh?

As soon as I heard that, I asked permission to do some work on them and repurpose them in my classroom. With a little bit of time and a simple $25 upgrade per computer, I got ten of these computers up and running. They're practically good as new.

What to Look For - Processor Type/Speed

One of the expensive things to upgrade on a computer is a processor. The processor itself can cost a decent amount, and you'll probably have to buy a newer motherboard to accommodate the newer processor. Together, this can cost you $1-200, even for a modest upgrade to an old computer. If the processor is no good, I typically leave a computer to collect dust.

So what's "good enough"?

For my classroom, I was looking for a computer that could surf the internet, create documents (word processing, spreadsheets, presentations, etc), and play multimedia files. To do that effectively, you'll want to look for a processor that's a Pentium 4 or newer. A Pentium 4, an Intel Celeron, an Intel Core, or any kind of AMD processor is probably new enough for you.

The second thing you want to look at is the clock speed. That's the number with either mhz (megahertz) or ghz (gigahertz) after it. If it's measured in mhz, leave the computer alone. It's a dinosaur. A computer with a 1.0 ghz processor will be ok for basic functionality, but ideally you want something around 2.0 ghz or higher.

What were the computers that I repurposed? Half of them were Pentium 4, 2.2ghz machines from 2003. The other half were Pentium 4, 2.8 ghz machines from 2004. They were perfect for my purposes.

What to Upgrade? The Memory

If you've got a decent processor in the computer, then it is probably salvageable. The thing you'll want to look at upgrading is the RAM (Random Access Memory, or just "memory").

The working memory of your computer limits the amount of stuff that can go on at one time. Having a low amount of memory will cause your computer to run sluggishly, because it has to wait to process the information that all of your applications need to do their work.

The bare minimum you should have to repurpose a computer is 512mb (megabytes), but I typically aim for 1gb (gigabyte). More is better, but not always necessary. For the purposes I outlined above, 1gb of RAM is plenty.

People tend to fixate on the clock speed when buying computers and they ignore the memory. As a result, a lot of older computers will have decent processors but very little memory. The Pentium 4 2.2ghz machines I found had great processors in them but only 128mb of RAM. And that's why the computers seemed to run ridiculously slow.

The good news is that this can be upgraded quite cheaply. A gigabyte of RAM can be purchased for around $25-30 from an online retailer like New Egg. For more on this topic, check out the article I wrote about where the find the cheapest memory.

For each of the computers I wanted to repurpose, I ordered a single 1 gb stick of RAM, installed it in the computer, and it was good to go. Sure, I spent a little money out of pocket, but for me it's worth having all those computers available in my classroom. If you're just upgrading one computer for your personal use, buying a stick of RAM is a heckuva lot cheaper than buying a whole new system.

Note: Make sure you get the right kind of memory. Older motherboards usually use 184-pin DDR RAM, while newer motherboards will use 240-pin DDR2/DDR3 RAM. The RAM inside your computer should be labeled "DDR" or "DDR2," which will help. You could also compare what the RAM looks like to a picture of what you're ordering online. It's pretty easy to recognize the difference between the two.

The Next Step?

After you've installed your memory, do yourself a favor and clear off the old operating system and install a new one. Over time, the operating system accumulates a lot of digital junk in it that slows down the system's operation, and it's nearly impossible to clean all this up without starting from scratch. Back up your documents/data, toss the install CD into the computer, and start from scratch.

You could use the same operating system that came with your computer (i.e. Windows XP), but you may also want to consider a version of Linux (like the latest version of Ubuntu). I find that Linux tends to run smoother on older machines than Windows. But that's a topic for another day...