Computer Predicament Revised

In 2008 I decided to return to college full time after completing my service in the Air Force. I considered what I needed to be successful in the college environment. I knew that most colleges had moved into the digital age so I wanted to ensure I could utilize the computing power. I chose to purchase a laptop computer for the ease of transport to school and home. In June of 2008 I ordered a laptop computer from Dell. I ordered the XPS model 1710 which was not the top of the line but was an advanced system.

The laptop I ordered was meant for high end computing processing and gaming. My laptop had a dual-core CPU with each core operating as a separate processor and together increases the computer speed significantly. The memory was two megabytes of random access memory with an option of adding one additional megabyte for a total of three megabytes. The video card was a single card with 512 kilobits of memory to increase the speed of producing a high quality image on the display without using the main memory. Dell offered one of the first high definition blue-ray disk players at a substantial cost of 1,000 dollars. I chose the DVD drive with the ability to read and write a disk and to use the lower standard compact disk. The battery was six cells which did not provide more than two hours of operation. The laptop did have a 17 inch display with high resolution. The price tag for the system was 1,700 dollars and was more reasonable cost than the 5,000 dollar high end machine.

In December my laptop quit working three months after the warranty expired. I spent 600 dollars to replace the video card and was grateful to have the laptop working again. Friday the computer quit working again but this time a loud pop emanated from the back and the computer turned off. It would not turn back on so I feel the power supply had shorted out and is now defunct. I was able to power it up on the battery but have no method of recharging the battery. I am in a quandary as to repairing the computer or go and purchase another laptop. A new computer will cost about 800 dollars where the repair could cost between 200 and 400 dollars. I find it difficult to toss out a system that originally cost 1,700 dollars but knowing I could buy a similar computer for the price of repairs.

originally Published as Computer Predicament on March 25 2010 at 4:21 PM.