Q. I am trying to decide between replacing the hard drive on my 2007 iMac for $250 or buying a new iMac for about $1,350. The old iMac is meeting my needs, and I’ve barely used the storage available on it. But I’m trying to avoid becoming obsolete. Any advice?—Roseanne Morrell, New Haven, CT
A. We’re big proponents of upgrading before buying new. (One of our experts once upgraded several 10-year-old Windows XP PCs to Windows 7, with double the memory.) Apple is good about maintaining compatibility between its computers and its latest Mac OS version. So replace the hard drive. And while you’re at it, install enough memory to bring it up to 4GB: That will boost performance with newer, larger Mac OS versions and applications.
For more advice check our computer buying guide and Ratings.
Send your questions to ConsumerReports.org/askourexperts.
This article also appeared in the December 2014 issue of Consumer Reports magazine.
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