I have been using a Dell Vostro 1500 laptop for almost 4 years now. I purchased it to use in college and now that I am almost done my four year degree, I am wondering if it is time to move on and buy a new one. I know the "average lifespan" of a laptop is said to be about 4 years anyway.
The only real problems I'm having are the slow and painful death of the battery (I can get a new one for about $50) and the 2GB of RAM really seems to be showing in the computer's old age. I'm pretty sure I can upgrade to 4GB for $55-65, as long as I install the additional memory myself (which I plan to do). If I'm going to bother with all that, I may just go ahead and upgrade the hard drive as well...might as well go all out if I'm going to upgrade the thing.
I'm just on the fence as to whether I should go through with all that or just bite the bullet and start looking for a new laptop. In total, upgrading the hard drive, battery, and RAM will probably cost me around $250. Obviously, buying a new one would be more costly but could be worth it in the long run. Opinions?
