Here at WPK Computer Consultants deciding whether to upgrade or replace a laptop is a big decision, and it can be complicated to know when or even if you should. You need to consider if the labour is worth it, if it’s cheaper to replace or rebuild, and whether or not you actually need to do it.
The different components on a laptop are not as easy to replace as are the ones in a desktop computer, but it certainly is possible to upgrade a laptop.
My Laptop Is Too Slow
The primary hardware that determines the speed of a computer is the CPU and RAM. You could upgrade these components but it’s not super easy to do in a laptop. Of the two, the memory is the easier one to deal with. If you need more RAM or would like to replace bad memory sticks, we can assist you with that.
With that being said, before you tear down your laptop and replace something, or trash the whole thing and buy a brand new one, you should try out a few easier, and less expensive, things first. A slow laptop can make it seem like it needs replaced or upgraded when all it really needs is just a little TLC.
If your laptop’s hard drive is running low on free space, it can certainly grind things to a halt and make programs open more slowly or files take forever to save. If you need to move some large files off of your hard drive to quickly free up space to see if that helps the overall performance. Temporary files can take up loads of free space over time, contributing not only to a full hard drive but also compounding the performance hit by making programs work harder or take longer to do their everyday tasks.
If performing the above tasks did not clear out enough storage or if you need additional hard drives in your laptop to back up files or store data, consider using an external hard drive to expand the laptop’s storage. The best thing about external devices is that they’re external, connecting to the laptop over USB instead of sitting inside the laptop’s casing like the primary HDD. These devices provide instant additional hard drive space for whatever reason; software installation files, collections of music and videos, etc. Buying an external hard drive is cheaper and much easier than replacing the internal one.
Generally, you should replace your bad hard drive over buying an entirely new laptop. However, your decision to do this should only be made after making sure that the drive is truly irreparable. If your hard drive is actually faulty and need to be replaced. May we suggest a new SSD (Solid State Drive) which are much faster than traditional mechanical drives.
A broken or just generally less-than-perfect laptop screen might make it impossible for you to do anything. Repairing or replacing the screen is definitely doable and is not as expensive as replacing the entire laptop.
Replacing an entire laptop when it’s not powering on is usually overkill; it’s likely just having trouble charging. The issue could rest with the power cable, the battery, or (less likely) the power source (like the wall). In the case of a bad laptop battery or charging cable, either can simply be replaced. If you find that the internal components are to blame for the laptop not keeping a charge, you should replace the laptop.
Sometimes I Just Want Something New, Well don’t let us stop you! Sometimes it’s just time to move on, if only because you’re ready for something new and better.