Tech Insider: David Wolfgang-Kimball

What do careers, relationships, and personal computers have in common?

Just this: the secret to success in any of these is knowing when to stay with what you've got--and when to bite the bullet and upgrade. Careers and relationships are tough calls. Knowing when to upgrade your PC, its software, or both is no snap either, especially when the decisions about what you need and don't need are complicated by the input of marketing-savvy software and hardware manufacturers. One successful ploy is to design your computing environment so you follow a standard upgrade path, even though you may not need to.

Here's how to figure it out for yourself, without the hype, without the pressure.