Do you really have time for an upgrade? Is it worth the cost over buying a new pc or laptop?

OK, you can easily source some RAM and a fancy SSD at a good price but what about your time to do the upgrade?

I guess it boils down to is what is right for your budget, and also what you are going to use the device for once it has been upgraded.

If it’s going to be CPU intensive like CAD and large Excel spreadsheets then stop now and just buy a new machine in my opinion.

However, if you have recently found a device that meets your needs knocking around the house, then I would say go for it! After all, landfill is filling up with so much junk these days and if you cannot personally re-use your device there are a lot of charity’s that will.

Don’t want to do fancy spreadsheets and don’t know what CAD is, but would like to upgrade?

The following things are worth considering:

• Will you be moving a lot of data around?
• Will you be streaming video content?
• Do you want to install Windows 10?

Specification wise, I would recommend i5 512Gb SSD 8Gb RAM (16Gb if budget will stretch).

Reason being is that anything less than… you’re just going to struggle with some of the basics. With Windows 10 alone it takes a good chunk of resource (almost uses 4gb with all the updates).

However, before you rush off and buy the required RAM and SSD, consider what type of RAM you are buying. For example, if you have DDR3 PCL 12800 RAM in your system at the moment you are not going to be able to install DDR3 PCL’S. Reason being is voltage! You will end up starting a small fire if you miss read the type of RAM requirement or just blow up the motherboard. Whilst I am talking about RAM it’s important to replace it in pairs don’t mix and match the type of RAM, as this is not best practise and can sometimes cause issues.

There are some gotcha points with SSD drives also. For example, I wouldn’t waste time getting a 256Gb drive – go with 512 or 1tb if budget permits. This allows for windows to have that bit extra space to play with in terms of setting up updates and also storage for yourself. You’ll be amazed how quick 256Gb can fill up!

One last top tip – Have a good look at your system before you upgrade it. Is the memory just plug and play? Can you get to the area’s you need without taking too much apart etc?