There’s an obviously large difference between laptop and desktop computers, but it is not limited to size. If you have ever opened up the case of your desktop computer to clean it out, add more RAM or simply because you were curious, then you have probably noticed that there is more empty space in there than you might have assumed. Laptop computers do not have that luxury, so they have to be very efficient with their use of space. While this is something that you might not have consciously considered, it might be subconsciously affecting the way that you look at the components within your laptop computer. Opening up a laptop computer can seem like an intimidating prospect, but it is something that someone with a moderate amount of technical experience can do, so you shouldn’t be afraid to give it a try. This mode of thinking is preventing you from seeing that you can upgrade certain components of your laptop, which will allow you to extend its’ life.
But the prospect of upgrading components in a laptop computer is not something that can only be applied to an older laptop. When you are looking for a newer laptop, two of the biggest factors that influence your decisions are going to be the hard drive size and the amount of RAM in the computer. While 4 GB is the current standard at the time of this article, there are a good number of affordable machines out there that have 6 GB in them. There is a performance difference between 4 and 6 GB, but you aren’t likely to notice it if you are only using your laptop to surf the Web, check email, watch videos or work on Microsoft Office documents. However, it is unlikely that 4 GB of RAM will continue to be the standard amount in most computers for too long and, eventually, you might start to notice some performance issues with your computer.
So, if you are looking at laptops now and seeing 4 GB of RAM, it might turn you off to purchasing that computer, despite the fact that this hardware is more than enough for your current needs. This would be a mistake, because adding more RAM to a laptop computer is a very easy task to perform yourself, and the RAM is not expensive. And even if you aren’t willing to do it yourself, it does not cost a lot of money to have a business do it for you. You might even have a friend or family member that will be willing to replace that RAM for you. On most computers it is a job that can easily be completed in under 10 minutes.
Another component that can be upgraded is your hard drive, although replacing that is a little more difficult than replacing the RAM. Solid state drives (SSD) are becoming more and more popular, plus they are starting to be affordable for the average computer user. These drives are much, much faster than the regular hard drives that you are used to, and it is only a matter of time before they replace the current generation of drives. You can swap out your existing hard drive for an SSD when it becomes necessary in the future, which is a change that will only help to benefit the speed, start time and performance of your operating system and installed programs. But this is definitely a procedure that you will want to investigate thoroughly before you consider it, as there is a lot of preparation that goes into it.
So when you are looking at purchasing a new computer, always keep the upgrading potential in the back of your mind. If you find a computer that you like that is lacking in RAM or hard drive performance, but it is something that is a great deal and has good reviews, maybe you should give it some more consideration. The cost for upgrading that hard drive or RAM in the future is only going to decrease as these components become cheaper, and the cost that you pay to upgrade at that time is sure to be less than the difference in price between computers that are pre-built with those upgraded components in them already.
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