Before you read this article I really wanted to say I don’t like customers having to upgrade their computer unnecessarily. A lot of computer repair people will push this onto their customers to make more money but i believe a lot of the time the same thing can be accomplished with the existing hardware. This will always be the first option.

When people ask me if they should upgrade their computer, I answer them why they asked me that question in the first place?

There always seems to be one of two answers and I thought I should explain them out a bit here to give you a clearer idea of why you should and should not upgrade your computer, and what to upgrade.

1. I’m always hearing people say you must upgrade.
2. Speed, they want a faster computer.

Quite often customers think they need to upgrade their computer to keep doing the very same things they are doing now. Of course computer company’s want you to upgrade so they make more money or stay in business but the truth is, unless your current computer it no longer able to do what you are doing, there is really no reason to upgrade.

 

The need for speed

Speeding up your computer is always a very good reason to upgrade your computer. With all the updates for your operating system and software you are putting more and more strain on your computer and therefore start to see it slowing down.

Also over the years components start to fail and wear down such as hard drives not spinning as well or much as they use to and you are seeing the decrease in speed in your computer.

Note: Not all computer speed reduction is due to hardware failing. Most of the time it is actually software conflicts, bad updates or virus, spyware or malware infections.

 

Hardware of Software Upgrade

When you are talking about upgrading your computer you are either talking about the hardware (the physical components) or software (the computers programs , applications or operating systems such as Windows 10 etc).

 

Software Upgrades

Most of the time software upgrades are usually the quickest and cheapest ways to upgrade your computer. I am of two minds when talking about software upgrades.

I believe you should always keep your operating system such as Windows 10 or OSX and your antivirus such as Avast up to don’t and with the latest software. This is because these are necessary for your computer to be safe from viruses and run at the tested optimal levels.

As with other software like a word processor or a game that is totally up to you. If you think and have researched the ebenfits of upgrading certain software packages will be beneficial to you, that is a personal choice.

For me personally I am of the mind, “if it ain’t broken don’t fix it”. Sometimes upgrading your software can come with a whole new set of headaches and you will have to learn it all over again.

 

Hardware Upgrades

A lot of people will tell you different things about what hardware will make your computer run faster. Yes a faster processor will (if you can see the differences) and more memory will help also.

But nothing will make your computer run faster more than a new SSD (Solid State Hard Drive).

The way most hard drives work using the traditional HDD (Hard Disk Drive) is with a moving disk platter that spins around. When you or your operating system request information from your hard drive you have to wait as it spins to get the information from the plattes and display it to you.

With the Solid State Drives there is no spinning, it all electrical signal and no moving parts and as a result you get a much faster hard drive and computer, as much as 5 times faster.

Unfortunately Solid State Hard drives are  more expensive than traditional hard drives, but your overall experience using your computer is much better and data, programs and games start much quicker. Computer boot times can be reduced to just 15 seconds.

Read more about Solid State Hard Drives here.

 

If you are interested in upgrading your computer please call Townsville computer repairs nerds on 0402 807 890 today.