Everybody knows how fast technology can lose its value. It only takes a couple months before you brand spanking new computer is considered a lower end model. And nobody wants to spend their hard earned cash on something that has peaked after such a short time of ownership.

The solution? You really have a couple of options, but the first thing you need to do is to evaluate what you really need a from a computer. It is very possibly that you purchased a high end video card last time that was never fully utilized. Once you have figured out exactly what you need from a computer you should know whether you need a high end model or a lower end model.

If you don’t put a lot of pressure on your machine and think that a lower end model is for you. I would suggest shopping around for a used machine. Don’t go out a buy a 3 year old machine, but find somebody who purchases a new computer every 6 months and try to buy their old one. That way you can have a good computer without the giant price tag.

A second option, this is probably better for users who want a higher performance, is to build your own computer. Go online and build a list of parts or find a computer you like and copy the list of parts. You can build the computer yourself for a lot cheaper then what you would pay if you bought the whole package from retail. If your  not sure how to build a computer try asking some of your friends.  Tech people love putting things together and they would probably be more then willing to help you out.

Good luck and happy computing!

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Filed under: Frugal