To Upgrade or Replace a Laptop: How to Decide
laptop
If you have been using your laptop for some time, you may be wondering whether to replace or upgrade it. Knowing when and even if you should do either can be complicated, especially seeing that you have to budget for whichever option you choose. However, there are a few things you can consider, to know where it is time to do either and which option is best.
Reduced Performance
Your computer will get slower as it ages. The two main reasons are an aging CPU and the RAM. Upgrading your laptop’s CPU is not always easy depending on the manufacturer. There might also be compatibility issues after the upgrade, so it is best to replace a laptop whose CPU performance is no longer up to par.
Upgrading the RAM in your laptop is much easier as all you have to do is check the manufacturer’s website to see the maximum RAM capacity and speed the laptop can handle.
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Slow Read and Write Performance
Your perceived hard disk drive speed will reduce over time due to the operating system taking more time to write and read data over time. An SSD degrades due to a phenomenon known as write amplification.
Start by checking how much capacity you have remaining to see if this is the cause. If it is not, then the drive might be degrading, and it is time to start thinking of getting a new one.
This option does not require a new laptop per se, but you might want to replace the laptop if it is over five years old and has degraded performance.
New Technological Updates
Sometimes there is such a massive shift in technology that you have to replace the computer wholly instead of upgrading it. We saw this happen when AMD released its Ryzen CPUs and Apple released its Apple Silicon chips. These shifts led to laptops that were more powerful while also consuming little power, so it made sense to replace the laptops many people had with these new ones.
There has also been a shift in graphics technologies, with computers now coming with powerful and energy-efficient chips. It all started with the Max-Q offerings from Nvidia and now Intel has released its Intel Arc graphics options.
The Intel Arc graphics options are much more powerful than the integrated graphics that came before them. They include a host of new features that make them perfect for gamers and creators at a great price. You can learn more about Intel Arc graphics at Lenovo and see the new features that make them such a great option.
When Replacing Makes More Sense
There are some instances where upgrading the laptop costs so much and makes so little sense that it would be easier and less costly to replace it. For an older laptop where you replace the RAM, hard drive, battery, and potentially the CPU, you have just replaced everything that makes it a laptop apart from the display, keyboard, and touchpad.
It would have been better to buy a new one and benefit from new technologies such as LED displays and USB 3 or Thunderbolt.
There comes a time when every laptop owner starts thinking about upgrading or replacing a laptop. Although circumstances vary, there are some pretty clear indications of when it is time to do either.
