New computer time?

OK, the answer to that question is obviously "yes", as anyone who has read this site during a heat wave like the one we just went through (which finally broke with last night's rain) can tell you. I am working on a 1999-vintage Compaq Presario 7478 running Windows 98SE and accessing the Internet through AOL on a dialup connection. This computer malfunctions at a rate that increases dramatically as room temperature rises above 70 degrees Fahrenheit.

The problem is, of course, that I am currently without a job. That limits my spending power a bit. Even when I was working I was very reluctant to part with any money at all - otherwise I would have bought a new computer last year, or the year before that. Still, prices have gone down dramatically in the years since I bought this. In 1999 this computer cost more than $2000, and that was without a monitor - the 19" monitor was purchased separately for over $400. Now a new machine comes complete with everything I need for between $500 and $800, after rebates.

Then there is the issue of technology. Windows Vista came out a few months ago and is now standard on all new machines. But I don't trust any new product from Microsoft, at all. I consider this to be the "early beta" phase for Vista, where Microsoft is collating all the complaints from the field and packaging the fixes together as a Service Pack, or perhaps for Windows Vista Second Edition. Additionally, as I stated earlier, I am working on a dialup connection. I am not going to switch to broadband for this beast, so any new computer I buy will go through a transitional period where it is still on dialup. Do new computers even have dialup modems anymore? It seems like I may just as well be looking for a new computer with a slot for 5 1/2" floppies.

Gort has recommended a place to custom-build a computer, but there was always an issue of time - I was so busy with work, and my weekends were fairly packed. Now that's not an issue anymore, but I still think I may get an off-the-shelf model to replace this one. Whatever computer I buy now will probably be left behind when I eventually move into my new house, and my mom will inherit it for e-mail and Internet use. My computing needs are minimal, as they have always been, so I'm really just looking for something that will stably and reliably allow me to post blog entries, surf the Internet, and do job searches. Eventually I will get a computer custom-built, but not this one.

And finally there's the temperature issue. How well will a new computer perform at a room temperature of 85 degrees? I suspect that newer computers will actually generate more heat than this one, so that will also be a problem. Maybe I need to buy a room air conditioner, too?