When Should I Upgrade My Computer?

A big question that we may find ourselves asking ourselves is “When should I upgrade my computer?” The simplest answer is you should upgrade your computer when it can no longer do what you want. For example, if I want to play the latest games then I will probably need to upgrade my computer sooner than later. If I only use my computer for internet browsing and word processing I may have more time. When to upgrade and what you need to upgrade depends on what you want to do with your computer.

Upgrade My Computer’s RAM

One of the easiest upgrades that you can make is simply the addition of more RAM. RAM stands for Random Access Memory and the addition of more RAM can greatly speed up your computer. RAM is very easy to install as it simply snaps into place in the slots on the motherboard. The only difficulty is determining which RAM is compatible with which motherboard. You can go online and look up your motherboard to determine which RAM is compatible with your motherboard. Another consideration is DDR3 RAM vs DDR4 RAM, newer computers will need DDR4 which is better and faster than DDR3, but again it is important to check compatibility.

Upgrade My Computer’s Storage

Another very simple upgrade that you can make is the addition of one or more hard drives. If I want to boot faster, I probably want to upgrade my computer with an SSD. Here it is important to consider the distinction between a regular hard drive and an SSD or solid-state drive. Solid-state drives tend to be faster but also hold less and also tend to be more expensive. However, this is changing and soon solid-state drives will be able to hold just as much as their conventional counterparts. Sometimes it is necessary to format a hard drive once it has been installed in the computer. This step is not always necessary; sometimes you can clone your drive. Another option to an internal hard drive which needs to be properly mounted inside of the computer is an external hard drive.

External hard drives can also be found in conventional drives or SSD format. Installation of them is much easier as they tend to simply need to be plugged into the computer to begin to work. The advantage of an external hard drive is its portability, it is easily moved from one computer to another. If on the other hand all your files will be kept on one computer then an internal drive is better than an external one as they tend to be less prone to getting broken or lost. In either case, it is a good idea to back up your files regularly before making any upgrades to your computer.

Other Options

There are many reputable manufacturers of both hard drives and RAM and a quick internet search will reveal them. Upgrading your computer with either RAM or a hard drive is easy and doesn’t take a lot of time. Other things can be done to a computer to upgrade it such as a new graphics card, new CPU or central processing unit, a new motherboard, a new PSU or power supply unit, all the way to a new case or disc drive. Our experienced technicians will be happy to get you a quote and get any of these items replaced for you. Give us a call and find out what you can do with your computer today!