At the beginning of March, I was somewhat forced to get a new computer. I could have pursued the option of getting it repaired. However, after much research online, that looked to be less than an ideal option for two reasons. The first being that numerous people with the same problem had trouble getting the repair done correctly. With the second reason being that if the fault was what I suspected it would not be far from a $1,000 to repair anyway.
As you can imagine I felt that $1,000 was a lot of money for a repair on a five-year-old computer. But it is also a large part of the cost of just buying a new one. So ultimately I bought myself a brand new Apple MacBook Pro 15″, which you can read a little about in the post “The Challenges of Technology.” At the time I talked about the process of transitioning to a new computer.
So today I would like to share a little about the changed and benefits that I have found with the new computer. While the processor may not provide a huge increase of speed it is the other components that give most of the benefit. The main one being the computer memory which is
New Computer Benefits
For months if not well over a year I had been saying how good it was to have a computer that just kept going. In some respects that was very true, it is rather nice not having to transition your computer too often. However, at the same time, there are many things that you end up just living with. A system clogged up with software and data, slow boot times, slow times to load software and those random glitches that leave you waiting. All of those things have been somewhat addressed and resolved with the new computer.
Software & Data Reset
Over time with just about any computer you end up with extra programs and especially extra data throughout your system. The software can be a bit of a problem when you start adding in one-off programs that you never end up removing. But even more so the data can be an even bigger problem.
You start out with the best intention to file all the documents and files in a good way, but over time it just starts to get messy. In some ways, this new computer has forced me to use even better practices because the hard drive is smaller. However, I do still worry about how it might be in six or twelve months time. But One benefit has been that I have had to start storing photos on a different hard drive. With my old computer, I was already having to archive photos every three to four months due to low space. With a smaller hard drive, this would happen even more frequently, so I have started with a better process.
Much Faster Boot Times
One big problem I had with my old computer was how long it would take to start up if I shut it down completely. I never timed it but from pushing the power button to being able to fully use the computer would be measured in minutes. Ultimately I tended to just close the lid and let it go into sleep mode. In some ways, this became a problem as well, because on a number of occasions it did not quite go to sleep. It would end up hanging, not usable but not in sleep mode and the whole computer would be burning hot to the touch when I would go to use it again.
With the new computer, I can go from pushing the power button to using the computer within 30 seconds. Some of this is just the reality of a new computer, and some of it is a matter of different hardware. For example, the new computer has a Solid State Drive (SSD) for storage. An SSD Drive will allow the computer to access files and software much quicker, ultimately allowing it to start quicker.
Software Instantly Loads
Somewhat like the way the computer would take a long time to start, the software was very much the same. I could wait for some time from selecting the software until it was loaded and ready to use.
The new computer many of the programs that would take lengthy amounts of time to start before now open almost instantly. Some of this is the result of the SSD Drive, which allows software to load faster. Another aspect is that this new computer does have twice the amount of memory, with 16GB instead of the 8GB in the old computer. While I had to be somewhat specific in the choice of models, this was one important aspect I wanted.
No More Random Glitches
The old computer was having more and more random glitches that would occur at the most inconvenient times. One I already mentioned above where the computer would not fully go to sleep and as a result would become very hot.
Other problems were the root of why I got a new computer. There were ongoing little problems with the computer memory. It would cause a screen glitch and then an automatic reset of the computer. In most cases, I did not lose any work, but on a couple of occasions, a loss of work did occur. Not to mention the loss of time that was associated with having to restart the computer.
There was also the time that was lost due to little problems with the trackpad and times when the computer would just freeze momentarily. They were much less noticeable, but of course still provided a rather problematic experience at times.
New Computer Results
Overall the new computer has been a huge change of experience. Now with this new computer, I realise just how much I was making do with something that was essentially sub-par for today. I find that I can do get so much more done in the same amount of time. Firstly, because I can get started on the work so much quicker. But secondly, because everything just happens and I do not have to face the constant thought of what the computer might do to require a restart.
A new computer is going to work out different for everyone. Because there are so many different configurations and setups the new computer I buy will be considerably different to another new computer. There are many factors that can play into what results you might get from a new computer. So while my experience has been great, someone else might get a new computer and it is way below expected.
