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For some people, buying a new computer is the same as buying a new car. They figure that if a new model of car or computer is released, then the old model must be obsolete, especially if something breaks and needs to be repaired. If it’s not the newest, the coolest and the shiniest, then it simply will not do.

On the other hand, most people need to get their money’s worth out of something before trashing it in favor of the latest model. Oftentimes, it makes more sense to spend $2,000-4,000 on a new engine then it does to spend $15,000-25,000 on a new car. Sometimes, though, you can reach the point of diminishing returns, spending more money repairing Ole Betsy than the car is actually worth.

I repair laptop computers all of the time. Compared to desktop computers, fixing laptops can be more expensive. Laptop parts generally cost more money and disassembly is more difficult. These factors can seem to make trashing a broken laptop, and replacing it with a new, cheap laptop a really good idea. Whether or not this is, in fact, a good idea depends on how you use your laptop computer, and what hidden costs may be discovered in a new computer purchase.

Some myths about new computers should be debunked, as well. Just because a laptop is new does not mean that it will run “faster” than your old laptop. Many older Windows XP laptops with Pentium 4 processors and a decent amount of RAM actually outperform new, cheap laptops running Windows Vista.

To put things into perspective, compare the cost of repairing your old laptop to the cost of a new laptop, plus any other costs that may come up. For example, your old laptop might need a very expensive part, such as a new motherboard, which is a computers’ main circuit board. I buy motherboards on eBay all of the time for $100-150. The labor costs of replacing a laptop motherboard usually run around $150-200. So, for around $300 or so, your laptop is fixed and you are back in business.

For the sake of comparison, I went to the Best Buy website and started shopping around. This week, they have a number of laptops on sale for $400, which is dirt cheap. You might be tempted to think that $400 would get you back in business, but you might also be wrong.

First off, there’s tax; add $32. Your new laptop will also need all of the things that your old laptop had. You’ll need a decent antivirus/antispyware program; add $50-60. If you need programs like Microsoft Word, PowerPoint, Excel, Outlook and Access, then, unless you have the installation CD that was used on your old computer (most folks don’t), you’ll need to buy a copy of Microsoft Office. The Home and Student version of Office costs $150, and does not include Outlook. If you need Outlook, then you’ll have to buy at least the Standard version of Office, which costs $400. If you also need Outlook and Access, you’ll have to pay $500 for the Professional version of Office.

There may also be other services that you require. If you need files copied from your old laptop to your new laptop, and your newly-purchased copy of Office to actually be installed, Best Buy’s squad of geeks will charge you $160, onsite. That $160 only includes installing one program, one external device (i.e., printer or external hard drive) and setting up one email address; everything else is extra. The price also only covers transferring files from your old laptop if the old laptop still actually works. If it’s broken, and the files have to be copied by unconventional means (something I have to do quite often), that costs extra, too. If your new laptop needs to be connected to a wireless network that shares a printer, that will cost you another $170.

Keep in mind that the prices listed above do not include teaching you how to actually use any of your new computer stuff. All you’ve paid for, to this point, are the agreed-upon services and a “Have a nice day.” After that, you’re on your own. If you don’t know how to use Windows Vista, well, too bad for you. One hour of computer training will cost $160; two hours with a geeky agent can be had for the bargain price of $250.

Suddenly, your cheap $400 laptop has turned into an $800-$1,500 adventure. Of course, the same principles and prices apply to desktop computers, as well. It kind of makes that $300 repair seem like a pretty good deal, don’t you think?