When to buy a new business PC

A 2-part guide to wading through the options

As a small business owner, you’re constantly weighing the pros and cons of each business investment.  One of the hardest decisions can be when to up update your old PCs or upgrade to newer technology. With new makes, models and features coming to the market, it’s hard to know when the right time is to buy. This 2 part blog will hopefully provide some guidance and good suggestions.

First, let’s weigh the pros and cons of updating your current PC vs upgrading to a brand new PC.

Benefits of updating your old PC

• Upgrading specific components will cost less in the short term than purchasing a new PC


• You’ll likely choose to update specific components to make your PC run faster or more efficiently which should improve performance

Downside of an updating your old PC

• Older PCs – especially if you’ve owned it more than 3 years – cost more to maintain and experience more downtime


• Your current PC might not be running the latest operating systems, increasing its risk for security issues


• Updating a laptop PC is often expensive or not possible

Benefit of upgrading (buying new)

• New processors speed every day tasks, are more secure and conserve battery life when on the road


• Lower maintenance costs and less downtime


• New operating systems work with existing software as well as new programs & provide enhanced security


• Easier network connectivity

Downsides of upgrading

• Higher up front cost

Since you bought your last PC, there have been numerous changes that make PCs more efficient, secure and robust. Although I might be biased, I think this is a great time to buy new. Waiting could cost you more money in the long run as repair bills and downtime rack up.

And, with the advances in hardware technology alone in the last three years, you can reap real efficiency gains as programs run faster, save battery life and make your business data more secure.  With the 2^nd Generation Intel® Core™ processors, you also get added security from Intel Anti-Theft technology (when it’s enabled) to protect you data even if your laptop is stolen.  If your business relies on presentations, these next generation processors deliver stunning HD colour and graphics.

You can’t look at the upgrading versus updating issue without talking about Windows 7. Microsoft Windows’ new operating system was launched in 2009 (yes it’s been that long already) and is still has receiving a lot of attention.

If you’re like a lot of businesses, you may still be running Windows XP but with Microsoft’s announcement that support for Windows XP is ending, you’re probably already considering upgrading to Windows 7. Windows 7 is a very stable platform, delivers more responsiveness for greater productivity, enhanced security, and software compatibility.

Does all this matter to a small business?  I’d argue it does.  You’ve got limited time and don’t want to spend time troubleshooting computer issues.  You need to focus on building your business and supporting your clients, not your technology.  It should just work, each and every time you need it.

For more information, visit www.staples.ca/BusinessPC

Watch for Part 2 next Wednesday, picking the right PC for your business needs.