Free Evaluation

Before servicing a computer, we perform a evaluation to determine if the computer should be repaired or replaced. Our free evaluation ensures you don’t end up paying to repair a computer that remains too slow or costs as much to repair as a new computer.

    We check for the following problems at no charge:

  • Inspect motherboard for bulging or leaking capacitors.
  • Check processor type and speed to determine performance capability.
  • Test RAM memory and hard drive for errors.
    We use the following criteria to determine if a computer should be repaired or replaced:

  • Check operating system type and requirements to determine if the computer will run fast enough or requires upgrades.
  • Evaluate storage use and SMART status.
  • We itemize all replacement parts and provide a comparison cost to a new system.

Even though a computer may be five years old, it may have few power-on hours, while a computer that is newer could possibly have higher power-on hour due to continuous operation. Since fans and motors wear with age, power-on time is the most accurate way to assess the age and use of a computer.

Consider that weekday 9-5pm usage will accumulate 2000 hours per year, while a computer left running continuously (such as a network server) will accumulate 8760 hours per year, aging more than four times faster.

In addition to evaluating storage use, we check the SMART (self-monitoring data) status of a hard drive or SSD to determine its lifetime usage. For hard disk drives with spinning disks, 50,000 hours is considered the lifetime of a hard drive. For SSD drives that have no moving parts, lifetime is based on the amount of data written, usually described in terms of gigabytes written or terabytes written.

Our free evaluation service is limited to computers brought into our office for flat-rate repair service. For businesses, we offer the same service on-site at our hourly rate, and we provide a written summary with recommendations when finished.

To produce a summary evaluation of your computer, we recommend installing free Speccy software from Piriform.com. Once installed, there is a feature on the File menu that will publish the complete hardware and software specifications for your computer to a web-site using a unique identifier. That link can then be shared via e-mail to allow us to review the components in your system and provide service, repair and upgrade recommendations.

2 Responses to Free Evaluation

  1. Bobbie Broom says:

    I have a crack on my screen that needs repaired and I need to know the estimate for it , it is the left side that only shows black and different colored lines where I had accidently hit it and it messed up my screen to where I have problems seeing the top right corner of the screen. It is a HP laptop computer windows 8 still new. Or could I get a replacement on another new one.

    • The lines and colors you are seeing are a result of a cracked LCD panel. Cracked LCD panels always require replacement; there is no such thing as “repairing the crack.” Instead, the entire panel is removed and replaced with a new LCD panel. Most panels are $99 plus tax and $50 service; $157.66 when brought to our office.

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