Should I change my old W 98 computer for a new one?

[Outdoorsman]

I bought it around 6 or 7 years ago and it still works fine, just a bit slower than it was. I was wondering if I should keep it and upgrade (if I can) to the latest version of XP - or buy a brand new computer.

Can anyone advise on upgrades and / or what would be the best brands of new computers I should consider - say around �600?

Thanks...

[theren_911]

I don't think your current PC would run Windows XP happily.

But saying that, I managed to get windows 2000 running on an old windows 3.x computer, lol.

I would buy a new one or it just wont work properly though. Take a look at PC World or Dell for good consumer offers. Or if you know what you're looking for, check out Aria.co.uk or ebuyer.co.uk for some decent systems.

[fo3nix]

if it still does what you need, then stick with it.

if you want to do new things with yuour computer that win98 can't do (whatever that may be), then buy a new computer; an apple mac if that'll do what you want it, or if you want specific programs or uses only on windows, then go for XP.

if you just want to use an iPod or something that requires 2000 or XP with your computer, then you would be best putting 2000 on.

[tomd]

Don't buy a Mac for simple home use - they're worth the money for graphic design, or audio work, but for a home computer used for simple tasks like Web browsing, Word processing, etc they're overpowered and overpriced.

It'd be like paying �30,000 for a Mecedes to drive down the shops with.

[stevie21]

If it's at all an option for you then I'd maybe try formatting your hard drive and reinstalling your operating system.
This'll proabably speed things up a bit.

Failing that, I'd buy a very basic PC. Even the most basic PC these days is going to be a million times better than the one you have. To be honest I wouldn't dream of spending anywhere near �600 on a computer unless it was imperative that it have top grade components for specialist functions like gaming or video editing.
For day to day use, something like this would be about 3 times better than the PC I currently use (which already has XP Pro on it) :
http://tinyurl.com/dqzhq

The only thing I'd change is that this comes without Windows and if you plan to install XP (you'll need to get that separately) then put more (RAM) memory in there.
WAY cheaper than �600!!