Laptop Upgrades
When you've owned your laptop for two or three years you'll find yourself wondering whether or not you should buy a new one. Although it might be time to go browse our reviews to find a replacement, don't write off that old system just yet. With a little money and a bit of technical help, you can grant your laptop a new lease on life, or at least buy yourself a few more months. To determine if upgrading is the right choice for you, ask yourself the following questions:
Will upgrading solve my problem? If you're simply enduring sluggish performance or you've run out of storage space, then the problem can probably be solved by either increasing your computer's RAM or replacing its hard drive. Other issues have more complicated solutions that may extend further than a basic part swap can fix. For example, if your laptop is unable to play Batman: Arkham City, it may be that you lack the necessary graphics processor, have insufficient RAM, are running short on hard drive space, or are experiencing a combination of all three. Solving this problem with an upgrade may not be possible (adding a discrete graphics card isn't always an option in a laptop), or may be prohibitively expensive or more complicated than you want to take on.
Is it worth it financially to upgrade a part instead of replacing the laptop? While replacing a laptop outright can quickly ring up a tab of several hundred dollars, individual components are often much more affordable. A battery replacement may run from $20 to $50. It can cost as little as $50 to upgrade a laptop's RAM. A 500GB 2.5-inch internal hard drive costs about $60, but a 480GB solid-state drive (SSD) upgrade kit may sell for $400 or more. A laptop Blu-ray drive can fall anywhere between $40 and $300 depending upon the model and whether you want disc-writing capability. Not to mention, without professional help you can run into more problems that will cost more money.
Don't experiment. There is nothing wrong with getting a little help from an expert.
Will upgrading solve my problem? If you're simply enduring sluggish performance or you've run out of storage space, then the problem can probably be solved by either increasing your computer's RAM or replacing its hard drive. Other issues have more complicated solutions that may extend further than a basic part swap can fix. For example, if your laptop is unable to play Batman: Arkham City, it may be that you lack the necessary graphics processor, have insufficient RAM, are running short on hard drive space, or are experiencing a combination of all three. Solving this problem with an upgrade may not be possible (adding a discrete graphics card isn't always an option in a laptop), or may be prohibitively expensive or more complicated than you want to take on.
Is it worth it financially to upgrade a part instead of replacing the laptop? While replacing a laptop outright can quickly ring up a tab of several hundred dollars, individual components are often much more affordable. A battery replacement may run from $20 to $50. It can cost as little as $50 to upgrade a laptop's RAM. A 500GB 2.5-inch internal hard drive costs about $60, but a 480GB solid-state drive (SSD) upgrade kit may sell for $400 or more. A laptop Blu-ray drive can fall anywhere between $40 and $300 depending upon the model and whether you want disc-writing capability. Not to mention, without professional help you can run into more problems that will cost more money.
Don't experiment. There is nothing wrong with getting a little help from an expert.
