Discussion What should you do with an old desktop PC ? (4 TIPS)

[LadyLoztris]

Got the erratic solution in your brain, whether thinking if you should do something to an old desktop of yours??

Good news that I've got you covered!!

SOLUTION 1: Install a lightweight Linux distro.

You might be thinking, should we trust that one guy who started working in Tom's Hardware in Jan 2023?

Yeah, dude, you can trust me.

Installing Linux might be a decent or good idea, depending on each distro you want to install, I've recommended you install Zorin OS/antiX Linux or Ubuntu (ubuntu for those either 2010s-12 desktops or something) These are the lightweight linux distros ever heard of it, It is way better than Windows, but Linux sometimes has differences than Microsoft Windows, ya know right??? You might switch to windows later but it's alright, it is your opinion.

SOLUTION 2: Upgrade your PC.

Have you ever wanted the best and the luckiest desktop you've ever wanted, It's simple, upgrade it!!!

There are some parts that I don't recommend you upgrade, Here down below:

Parts that are expensive (CPUs, RAMs, HDDs, or GPUs)
Parts that are considered a downgrade (CPUs/GPUs/OS)

Yeah, you heard me, Buy the cheapest PC parts, only for an upgrade, not a downgrade.

SOLUTION 3: Donate it to a school.

Got a school with no desktops and laptops??? You should donate it to a school or a recycling center, You should either donate a laptop or a desktop, Simple as that, you are the best for a school.


SOLUTION 4: Clean the Mobo for the best performance

Maybe clean your power supply, if it is dirty, and also the motherboard too, or the heatsink (heatsink for only laptops I guess), It is necessary to clean because if your donating it to a school, you can clean it if you want, We aren't forcing you to clean it or anything...

 

[USAFRet]

OK...once you have Linux installed, then what?

The operating system, be it Windows, Linux, or Apple, is only one part of the whole thing.

Yeah, dude, you can trust me.

And why should we?

 

[LadyLoztris]

after when you install linux, you can do whatever you want.

I forgot mac os x, but it might be strange installing it but okay.

ty for reminding me.

 

[USAFRet]

after when you install linux, you can do whatever you want.

I get that.

But apart from the OS, people use software.
Not everything is cross compatible.

Many things are trivially the same.
Many things are not.

 

[LadyLoztris]

I get that.

But apart from the OS, people use software.
Not everything is cross compatible.

Many things are trivially the same.
Many things are not.

I forgot to say one more thing, maybe installing the GPUs (that aren't compatible with Mac OS X) might be a bad idea if I ever install Mac OS X on a desktop, so this is why I would heavily prefer either Linux or Windows.

 

[LadyLoztris]

after when you install linux, you can do whatever you want.

I forgot mac os x, but it might be strange installing it but okay.

ty for reminding me.

By the way, it's not whatever you want, you can use some software too (have you ever heard of Wine?)

 

[USAFRet]

I forgot to say one more thing, maybe installing the GPUs (that aren't compatible with Mac OS X) might be a bad idea if I ever install Mac OS X on a desktop, so this is why I would heavily prefer either Linux or Windows.

Apple software is pretty much off the table here.

 

[USAFRet]

By the way, it's not whatever you want, you can use some software too (have you ever heard of Wine?)

Yes, I have heard of WINE. Probably a lot more than you think.

 

[DSzymborski]

I'm sorry, I don't see any other option than to close out this guide. I can't find anything here that has any likelihood of being useful for anyone reading it. For an article about what to do with an old PC, it's shocking how little attention is given to, well, anything that someone might want to do with an old PC.

If this is something you're interested in, then set up with an online publishing site and sit down and put real work in on an actual guide that might assist someone someday. But we are not a collaborative publishing platform.

And whether it was an accident from not being in your first language or not, do not write in your posts in a manner which tells readers that you speak as an employee of Tom's Hardware unless you are.