Keep Your Old PC Going Longer

Computers eat money.  Most people on a budget, including home users and small businesses, wind up limping older systems along because they want their full money’s worth. Is upgrading looming on the horizon, or that day delay as long as possible?

If you’re pounding the keys in frustration, yelling at Google because nothing you find works to make your PC go faster than glue, we’ve got good news. Welcome to the upgrade stages between glue and full upgrade.

These stages that don’t cost nearly as much as a new computer, but still significantly improve performance.

Consider A Solid State Drive (SSD)

Solid state drives are wonderful, and thankfully prices have dropped significantly in the last few years.  SSDs now represent an affordable update that can increase PC speeds quite a bit.

Older hard disk drives (HDDs) use moving parts and flash memory to keep current programs running. This allows for a quicker response time when doing common actions, but moving parts means that HDDs wear out and get slower over time.  SDDs improve boot-up time, search time, opening new applications, save time, and switching between activities.

SDD advantages include:

• SSD read/write speeds up to 2500 MB/second compared to HDD at up to 200 MB/second

• SSD access time of 0.1ms as compared to HDD at 5.5-8.0ms

• SSDs use between 2-5 watts of energy compared to HDD at 6-15 watts

Install More RAM (Random Access Memory)

Random Access Memory (aka RAM) only gets used during a work session. It’s the “space” that programs run in.  Older computers usually come with only half of their RAM capacity installed when you purchased them. As time goes on, programs have “grown”, meaning they take more RAM to run.  They’re neater, niftier, more powerful, more flexible, but they eat more space in order to perform.

So, whenever you try to put new programs on an older computer, each new program eats more RAM while it’s running. If you have too little RAM installed, it can bog down opening tabs in the browser or during graphics-heavy program use.

Fortunately, RAM installation is usually plug and play.  You purchase the RAM “stick” that matches your computer’s specifications, and you plug it into the open slot that will accept it. Suddenly, it seems like you have a new computer.   

Get A New Graphics Card

If you use your PC as a typewriter that emails, this may not be much help.  However, if you play computer games, do video work, or engage in any kind of graphical work, outdated graphics cards make your computer slow to a crawl.

If you’re experiencing graphics trouble, like jerky graphics or incredibly slow load times, check which newer graphics card matches your computer.  A newer graphics card can get several more years of use out of your PC, allowing you to keep up with bigger, better graphics.

Check The Cooling System

Heat and dust are the two worst enemies of computers.  Given where most PCs tend to be used, heat and dust are also endemic.  The tower shelf on the desk is usually fairly insulated and gets dusty, because who dusts that much?

So, make it a point to clean around your computer on a regular basis, and think about replacing the cooling system in the tower.  Fans wear out over time, along with internal heat sinks.  If the cooling system is wearing out, excess heat builds up within the tower.

Excessive heat makes your computer act strange indeed.  Programs randomly crash, and the system reboots on its own every so often. It’s like the computer’s possessed by gremlins intent on making you not work today.

If excessive heat is suspected, it’s worth every penny to have the cooling system checked out and replaced.

Increase Working Space with External Monitors

Laptops are, well, laptops.  They’re supposed to be small.  More and more of us use them constantly now, though.  The processors match those in desktops these days, but the screen size can present a real limit on getting work done.

Did you know you can hook a laptop up to an external monitor at home? If you’re having a difficult time working with the small screen on a laptop, full sized monitors are a fraction of the cost of new PCs. If your laptop’s processor is good, you just need more screen, then this represents your best option.

The same goes for other periperhals like speakers, microphones, cameras, and so on.  You do not have to stick with the small tools at home. Processors these days can handle much more than the size of a laptop dictates.

Keyboards Need Replacement

Keyboards have moving parts, and moving parts wear out or break.  Keys can stick, writing can be erased, keys can be lost or broken.  If the keyboard is noticeable in its frustration, new ones cost anywhere from ten to a hundred dollars.

If that’s the issue, get the cool looking keyboard that lets you work, and that you can easily forget as you work.

Use External Storage

Modern PCs often “borrow” hard drive space to run.  The more the hard drive fills up with data, the less the computer can borrow.  Files build up over years of use, and the computer slows down searching through all that to find necessary files.

Use USB keys to offload files that you don’t have to work with every day, but still may need at some point.  They’re portable, letting you take files back and forth between home and the office.  They function as multiple layers of backup, depending on how you use them. Last, they clear up your PC to keep using its full power.

Hire A Professional For A PC Tune-Up

Many use the PC cleaner tools that say they’re easy.  They’re ok, it’s a start.  However, unless you want to delve into the world of SFC, DISM, and REGEDIT (you don’t), then it’s worth your time to hire a professional to do all that for you.  They’re much cheaper than a new computer, will use all the software tools they have, and will offer expert guidance on what needs upgrades and what doesn’t.

We hope that this list of potential fixes helps keep your PC going a while longer.  Money’s tight for everyone, and even more so in business.  Nobody wants to spend money without cause, after all.  Let us know about any fixes that have ever worked for you!

Why Is This Published By A Business Phone Company?

Here at NoContractVoIP, we believe that your success creates our success. And, since we specialize in business communication, we work to help you communicate better while staying safe. We create the cutting edge communication systems that modern companies need. And we geek out on tech stuff, so we study it for you.

To talk to a business phone system specialist and never worry about any of this again, call 866-550-0005 or contact us today.

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