[SOLVED] 11 Yr Old Dell XPS i7...Upgrade Computer or OS?

[monicakm]

My Dell XPS i7 machine is 11 years old and I don't know how much life the internal components have left. My computing needs aren't as intense as they once were. I rarely do much more than browse the Internet, shop and read/send mail. Very light Photoshop use. An occasional need for Word Pad. My Galaxy Note 9 is my "computer". But, I don't want to give up having a desktop computer and I'm willing to buy a new one if installing W/10 on this aged computer isn't the smarter option.
Thanks

 

[Eximo]

Doesn't have to be an expensive machine to replace an 11 year old system.

Look at a cheap used i5 desktop with Windows 10 on it. Dell is always selling refurbished units.

techbargains.com has coupon codes, etc to pick and choose what model you want.

I should add at 11 years, the power supply is probably end of life, as is the storage. Unless you have swapped them out at some point.

 

[Tyrvidar]

If you want to upgrade yourself and save a few hundred bucks then continue to read. Otherwise try to find yourself something with a Solid state drive, it will make a world of difference for a generic PC users like yourself. You can take a 10+ year old computer, put a SSD in to it and it will feel way more zippy than a $700 machine with a standard hard drive.

If you're savvy with hardware at all, you could simply upgrade this machine for 50 or 60 bucks. My brother still heavily games on his first gen i7 machine. For 50-60 Bucks you can do the following and your machine will probably seem more zippy for your needs than you could imagine.

1. Replace your old HDD with a new SSD. Get a 256-500 gig drive 30-50 bucks( doesn't sound like you need much... hell if you aren't doing any significant storage you could go with a $15-$20 120 Gig SSD).
2. 4 gb+ USB Drive (couple bucks if you don't have one already)
3. Download the windows 10 USB tool, put the USB drive in, run the tool for a Windows 10 bootable install drive. https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/software-download/windows10
4. Doesn't sound like you ever upgraded to Windows 10 when it was free Get a OEM (1 computer 1 use) License from Ebay (Windows 10 Pro). $5-9I'd go with Windows 10 Pro or Home whatever you want.
5. Get on Youtube and search " How to install Windows 10" if you need further help

Presto, new computer (blow the dust out of the machine while you have it open).

 

[monicakm]

Wow! SO not what I was expecting to read LOL I can't show this to my husband...I'll never get a new computer Is it really wise to upgrade (and trust) this 11 year old i7 machine with W/10. How long can I expect components to last? I'm surprised it's lasted this long and with no signs of any problems. Yep, a zippy SSD would be great and I intend to have one as my main drive no matter what I decide to do. BTW, I'm not a gamer.
I've been very involved with the manual aspect of upgrading/building my computers since 1992 and Windows 3.1. This latest Dell is a mid tower tho and not as easy to get to things. Plus, I have MS and cognitive issues are preventing me from remembering how to do these things.
Humm, I may give some thought into just replacing the hdd and installing W/10 after all (for now).
Can this set up run W/10 as well as it runs W/7?


XPS 8300
12GB RAM]
i7-2600 @ 3.40GHz
quad core

 

[ScrewySqrl]

It will run win 10 just fine.

I would also look into replacing the power supply, just from age