SYSTEM UPGRADES
Why upgrade your Computer or Laptop?
Buying a new computer or laptop may be the best route to take when a machine is running really slowly and a system clean-up will not bring about a significant difference because the hardware can no longer handle the modern software you have had to upgrade to. However, in many cases a hardware upgrade is an effective and less expensive solution, especially if the PC or laptop originally had a reasonably high spec', has been looked after and not had huge extensive use. Here are some effective upgrades that I have carried out over the years:
Hard Drive (HDD) to Solid-State Drive (SSD) - Probably the most effective way of speeding up a machine, especially one that has been upgraded to Windows 10. It has become apparent (over the last few years) that Windows 10 was developed with SSDs in mind. Although they are more expensive per gigabyte (GB) than HDDs, most people don't need a large amount of storage space, particularly with the increasing use of cloud storage. I have found that for many clients a 250 GB SSD has been more that adequate and normally costs less than a 1 TB HDD. Which ever version of Windows is running (from Vista onwards), an SDD significantly out performs a HDD. In most cases I have been able to successfully clone a HDD to a SSD without the need for a complete install from scratch.
Hard Drive upgrade - Some PC users require a large amount of space, maybe because they have many large files, such as image, audio or video, and therefore, over a period of time the HDD gets full. To date (2020) the highest capacity HHDs on the market are in excess of 20TB. I've upgraded HHD space for many clients, often in conjunction with a SSD (used primarily for system) - the combination of which provides both speed and capacity.
RAM (memory) upgrade - When a computer is running and the RAM threshold is reached, Windows may use the optional paging file to provide 'virtual memory' which is a space allocated on the system drive. This may stop the computer from crashing, but it will run much slower. If this is a regular occurrence then a RAM upgrade is needed. Some PCs and laptops are sold with only the bare minimum of RAM, and as Windows 10 is more memory hungry than its predecessors plus the amount of multi-tasking has probably increased over the years, a RAM upgrade is quite a common necessity.
Graphics upgrade - For those using 3D graphics design software or playing high end games then, depending on how old your PC is, a graphics card upgrade is a great investment. Many PCs and most laptops have integrated graphics, which for everyday use are more than adequate. However, a dedicated graphics card increases system efficiency by basically taking the load of the CPU and RAM, plus a good one will be more powerful and produce better graphics without slowing the machine down. Although most PCs can be upgraded, only a small proportion of laptops are physically compatible including those designed for gaming. This upgrade has not only increased performance, but has made the almost impossible, possible, for some of my clients.
Processor (CPU) upgrade - Though sometimes difficult to source a CPU for an older machine, I have successfully carried out these upgrades on some PCs that were manufactured with a low spec' single core processor barely fit for the client's purposes. In all cases there was a major difference that costed much less than a new PC.
Cooling system upgrade - PCs and laptops house components that generate heat, such as processors, graphics cards, hard drives and anything else with a micro-chip - the more power used, the more heat produced. In order to keep the components running efficiently and to prolong their 'life' they need to be kept cool while working. A high-end user (such as a gamer) who pushes their machine to it's extreme through 'overclocking' etc. may experience freeze-ups or shutdowns because the existing cooling system is inadequate to keep the components at an optimal temperature. By fitting a better CPU cooler (either air or hydro) and adding a sufficient amount of case cooling, overheating can be eliminated. It is also worth noting that on many occasion, overheating issues have been down to clumps of dust inside the cooling fans and heatsinks, so a good clean out has done the trick. Examples of mucky up fans can be seen here.