It is quite a dilemma deciding to either upgrade your computer or just buy a new one. Through using your computer or laptop almost every day, you get used to its quirks and sometimes even accepting its (slow) speed. As a result, you struggle with using a machine that is probably out of its prime.
When to Upgrade
A computer is made of many components—motherboard, CPU, video card, battery, etc. Many of these parts are reusable. The first thing to ask when deciding to upgrade is, “Is there something broken or is your laptop or computer getting slower?” Once you have identified which parts need to be addressed, you can replace them. However, there are other things that you need to watch out for. Here are some four of the basic signs:
1. The Latest Apps and Games will Not Run
Computers and laptops for gaming, as their name suggests, are made to handle heavy games and apps. Whether the RAM needs to be increased or you need a new graphics card, not being able to run the latest games and apps is how your computer tells you that it’s up to date.
2. Laptop Battery Death
Another important component for those who use laptops is the battery. Your laptop will usually warn you when the battery capacity is in critical state. No matter how much you try to take care of your laptop battery, it will eventually die out. Replacing an old battery is beneficial to your laptop. Just like with the latest battery replacement for Macbooks which gives your laptop more power and longer battery life.
3. Can’t Support the Latest Operating System (OS)
Apple started the annual free OS updates while Microsoft started following in the later years. Updating the OS is inevitable as it is unavoidable and very important. OS updates usually fix bugs and add more functionality to your computer or laptop.
However, every update increases the hardware specifications needed to run it. When your laptop or computer refuses to run the OS update, this means that the device can no longer keep up with the latest OS updates. This is one of the main signs for when you need to upgrade your computer or get a new laptop.
4. Running Out of Space
Check the CPU usage of your computer or laptop. If you see that the usage is hitting eighty percent most of the time and the RAM is full, then upgrading is the next thing to do. Of course, you can add an external hard drive and then set it to page file for more speed. However, it is a just a matter of time for your computer to get slower because your RAM is maxed out.
5. Getting Slower
Slowness of a computer or a laptop can be hard to describe. However, you will notice it once you experience it. Sometimes this can be remedied by cleaning the components of the computer as dust make computers run slower.
However, even after thorough cleaning and software solutions can’t speed up your computer the way it was in the past, this usually means that maybe it’s time to buy a new one especially if it’s an old laptop.
Do You Have Any of These Signs?
Check your computer and laptop if it has any of the above mentioned signs. It might be time to upgrade it or even trade it in for a new one.
