We all end up encountering this problem at one point or another. You buy all of your computer hardware planning to scale it up as your needs, business, or assets grow and then out of nowhere one of your components starts acting up. It’s at this point that you have to decide to either repair the part (even temporarily) or replace it. While in most cases, repairing your technology is the cheapest route, it is not always ideal. The world of computer technology is constantly advancing at an exponential rate, so it is very likely that (unless you invest in only top-of-the-line, state-of-the-art equipment) some of your components are a little out of date. In light of this, unstable or failing parts can present the perfect opportunity to upgrade your system and increase its overall lifespan and performance capabilities. Here are the top 4 things that you should absolutely consider replacing before repairing them.
Hard Drives – Unless you run nothing but solid state drives in your rackmount server or computer, you should always replace faulty or failing drives. Because hard drives contain rotating discs that spin at very high speeds, they are subject to natural physical wear and tear over time. This typically results in reduced read/write speeds and a much less reliable drive. The moment you notice a spinning drive acting up, it is time to consider replacing it. While it may not seem like the most urgent matter at the time, one of the worst things that can happen is loss of data. Because of this, it’s always good to keep backups of all of your data. Keep some static drives as backups and keep the more active drives up-to-date and well maintained and you can avoid the headaches that come with data loss.
Power Supplies – The power supply may seem like a one-time purchase that never needs maintenance, but that’s not always the case. People tend to overlook the power supply when it comes to building their systems, opting for top of the line motherboards and HDDs but skimping on one of the most crucial elements. A worn out or unreliable power supply can cause severe consequences like data loss or even worse, hardware failure. If you want to keep all of your components up and running for the long haul, replace your power supplies whenever you perform system overhauls or at the first sign of serious wear. Some signs might be a drop in voltage or seemingly random system lock-ups.
Fans – Your computer fans work hard to keep your system cool, and if your veteran system has been running day in and day out, chances are the fan has seen better days. Fans accumulate dust and other particles as they run and they rarely see a break, which wears on fan motors over time. Just as your car will overheat if your radiator isn’t doing its job, your computer can suffer irreparable damage as a result of fans that aren’t functioning properly.
Motherboards – If your motherboard is getting old, it may be time to consider an upgrade. While this is definitely the most intricate upgrade you can perform, often calling for a handful of other components to be upgraded as well, it is still worth the work if your current motherboard isn’t performing up to par. As mentioned before, the rate at which computer components become obsolete nowadays is so extreme that there really is no use in repairing a motherboard that is already old enough to malfunction. The best part about this upgrade is that you get to really see some results once it’s all said and done. An upgraded motherboard usually comes with some seriously enhanced performance.