Here’s an entry where I dither on about the pros and cons of upgrading the computer system.

Mostly it’s kind of boring, except if you want to know what runs through my head when ever I make a decision of any sort.

If that’s the case, I pity you.

Pro

  1. My computer is nearly 3 years old. In this time, apple has seriously revised the machines in nearly every possible way. Though most noticeably, the new processors substantially outperform the 1.67 G4 that I have a the moment
  2. My old computer isn’t completely dead and will serve it’s next owner pretty well.
  3. I’m still using tiger, (10.4) and I’d have to spend $129 dollars to upgrade this computer to the new operating system, which I think I’m about due for. This isn’t incredibly crucial… but if my computer were going to be useable in a long term, rather than short term way, I’d want leopard and a new battery (the current one gets $120). Even though I’m cheap, and probably wouldn’t spend the 240, this is a further justification, but then that’s what this list is about.
  4. They just released new revisions today, and are unlikely to do so again till August or September. The computer I could order tomorrow, is the same as the one I could get for the next six months or so, likely at the same price. I don’t know if I want to wait that long, in any case. If I get into graduate school, I don’t think I want to be moving and upgrading in the same month (if I waited till the next release,) and if I don’t, well, uncertainty.
  5. There are some things that I’ve stopped using, or avoid using because they are painfully slow to use in the current configuration. They include quicksilver, bit torrent, media (photo/sound) editing. Also, I’m pretty quick to keep unused applications off, (My base stack is: Quicksilver, Adium, TextMate, Mail.app, Safari, NetNewsWire. Sometimes I have VLC or Preview open as well. That’s it, and that works ok, but it’s limited.)
  6. The new computer wouldn’t have a metal case and would therefore be better at picking up wireless signals. Grr. Ok, minor annoyance, and I have no problem picking up signals anywhere that I currently use the computer, but still, this is one of the many things that I’m looking forward to upgrading.
  7. I’d be able to, with the new huge hard drive, be able to keep my music collection on my computer without crimping performance. By now, I have an 80+ gig iTunes Library, and a 100 gig hard drive. For a year, I’ve kept the iTunes library on an external hard drive.

Con

  1. The old computer still works, and I really can’t imagine that there’s something new that I’d want to do with the computer that I couldn’t do with the current computer. It might not be as
  2. I plan to buy a second power cord this time around, but I have three that work with my current computer, so that’s a step down in terms of features.
  3. My income particularly given that I’m still waiting on The Word, is unsure. So spending 1300 dollars, given this, seems silly. The instant that I’m more sure, then this all makes a lot more sense. Making the order, now, without The Word, is probably not incredibly wise. At the same time, I’ve had the money for a new machine set aside for many months, incase there was some sort of sudden failure of the present computer. It is already in the budget for this summer, (see #4 above; this is probably the crux of my argument.)