Can I upgrade my laptop?
Can I Upgrade My Laptop?
This is one question we hear a lot at the help desk. Faced with a computer that seems slower than they would like, the word “upgrade” tends to come to mind. Most people are aware that computers occasionally need upgrades to better perform under the increasingly heavy requirements that newer applications tend to have. In your typical desktop PC you can trade out virtually every component individually should you need a bigger, faster, or more efficient machine. In a laptop on the other hand it is a different story.
When you open up a desktop PC you will typically see that there are many expansion ports, plugs, slots and headers. Some will be occupied, which can usually be exchanged for newer faster parts and some will be empty, just waiting to be used. PC manufacturers figure that some day you may want to add another hard drive, plug in a card to let you watch TV on your PC or perhaps connect an uber-fast new graphics card. The reason they can do this is because of space. There is typically plenty of room in your case for a few more items and so they give you the option to connect them.
If you were to open up your laptop (don’t try this at home) you would see a different story. In order to give you a small, lightweight package, laptop manufacturers have gotten rid of any extras. There is no room for expansion so there is no need to give you that option. Also, they take many things, the card that processes the graphics you see on your display for instance, and combine them with the main circuit board to conserve space. Having so many parts all integrated into one main circuit board means that they don’t give you many options to change out parts.
In most every laptop there are 2 things that you can upgrade. You can upgrade your hard drive, and your RAM or “memory”.
Note: RAM or “memory” is not the same as hard drive capacity. Two separate things, folks.
Why would I want to upgrade?
This is the real question. Upgrading is all about extending the life of your laptop. If you’re thinking that your computer is too slow or that you don’t have enough room for all of your files then you have two choices, buy a new laptop (expensive), or upgrade your old one (not so expensive).
Most of the time if you find that your computer has a hard time when you are multitasking then adding some more RAM can help. Think of RAM like your own short-term memory. If you have just learned something it is much easier, and quicker to recall than something that happened long ago. Giving your computer more RAM is like what would happen if you could extend your own short-term memory from a day or so to a month or more. Makes you wish you could upgrade your self ehh?!
With upgrading your laptop’s hard drive you will probably not see a performance increase but you will give your laptop more room to store files.
What does upgrading entail?
Adding more RAM to your computer is by far the most painless upgrade you can imagine. It usually entails unscrewing a little panel on your laptop, and possibly removing your old RAM and inserting new.
Upgrading your hard drive is a totally different matter. The actual physical replacement is usually dead-easy; unscrew one screw, pull out the hard drive and its mounting bracket, swap old for new, put back in mounting bracket with new hard drive. The real pain starts when you have to back up all of your data, then completely reinstall windows once you have plugged in your new hard drive.
For help with upgrades or to ask advice about parts or whatnot, stop by the help desk!
