Notebook or desktop PC that it takes forever to start the operating system, whose programs hang or there is not even a sliver of storage left to save a photo album or family videos; Although it may not seem like it, you have a second chance just by changing specific characteristics of the hardware and the operating system.
But before starting a complete renovation of our old computer, it is important to take into account certain technical details.
When is the best time to renew your computer?
The average useful life of a computer oscillates between approximately 3 and 4 yearsalthough this is not a general rule, since there are many factors that influence it. It depends on each specific case, the use and the objectives that each person has for their computer.
Generally, the main reason why we should renew hardware is when our equipment has a insufficient performance. At a certain point, obsolete hardware will fail causing different losses, not only of files, but also losses based on time and energy expenditure.
One of the first indicators that we can observe is the slownessbattery life in the case of notebooks and the performance of the equipment during demanding tasks, such as video games.
The indicators for renewing any hardware will depend on the user, depending on the use they give to their equipment and the applications they use.
A professional will always prioritize his time, if he notices that his team slow to turn on, open applicationsor you find it difficult to handle several programs at the same time, it would be a good time for a hardware upgrade. While for a gamer usernot reaching an acceptable number of frames per second in new games, video editing or rendering.
It will also be necessary to consider whether the old computer to be improved is a notebook or a desktop computer.
In the case of the laptopsonly its memory and disk can be updated, so it is limited the path of reconditioning.
On the other hand, for users of a desktop computer, it is necessary to analyze what components we have, and see if there are compatible processors available on the market. If so, start by changing the processor, then the memory, the disk, and, finally, the video card.
“The proposed order is based on highlighting that, if we update, for example, the video card without the rest of the accompanying components, this will not show the expected improvement in performance,” he develops. Germán Loureirotechnical engineer specialized in gaming at Intel for the Latin American region.
What can you convert an “old” computer into?
There are several uses that the average user could put their refurbished computer to, such as a multimedia equipmentintended only for play music o play movies or series.
“The greatest use that can be given to an old computer will also depend on whether it is a notebook or a desktop, the latter being the one that has the most possibilities of transforming“recommends Germán Loureiro, a technical engineer specialized in gaming at Intel for the Latin American region.
For example, a desktop computer can become a file serverto store photos, videos, music, among others. Additionally, it can be a small entertainment center running console video games.
In the case of laptops, the only way to give them a new use is for them to be used by another person in the family who requires a lower level of processing, how to use it for school or university homework.
From AMD they assure that can be converted into a gaming platform thanks to AMD Link technology, a program that allows you to remotely play graphically demanding video games with 4K resolution. You only need a more powerful computer, one that has a Radeon Graphics Card.
Renew PC: storage and memory
The first and most important, for our PC to have optimal performance, mainly, we will have to focus on the storage unit renovation.
If the machine was purchased with a hard drive (HDD) the quantitative leap will be to install a solid state drive (SSD), whose disk data exchange interface must be SATA3. This update will improve the overall speed of our device, from booting up, opening applications, waiting times in games and more.
The SSD is on its way to completely displacing mechanical disks in practically all scenarios, with the possible exception of backup systems or large-capacity storage (4 TB or more, where the HDD still continues to have the price advantage for now) but In the C boot disk or laptop scenario, whether for gaming, study or work, the SSD has already won.
Las top of line units –the best and latest technology offers– that reach speeds greater than 7000 MB/s and are aimed at the most demanding users, focused on graphic design, video editing, engineering, software development and all those heavy processes where you can save a lot of time by having an ultra-fast storage unit.
On the other hand, if you already have a native SSD, upgrading to an NVMe SSD solution, an information exchange protocol that far exceeds all standards, will really give you a jump in quality.
The star of the moment, and the unit that is destined to be the fastest growing from now on, are the low-cost NVMe, focused on offering the best price-performance ratio, with a performance high enough to satisfy the needs of everyone. users and the most incredible thing is that its price is very similar to that of the “old” SATA drives.
Another aspect to take into account to improve the performance of the equipment in question is the amount of RAM to install.
Although it will be necessary to determine the maximum of this type of memory that the motherboard accepts (motherboardin English), a computer today that chooses to 16GB is more than enough to obtain good performance in the face of the advance of remote work, the increase in video calls through Zoom o Google Meet and the need to have several tabs open in the browser.
Likewise, the 8GB configuration in some cases can affect the loss of performance in situations of high computing demand.
José Luis Fernández, Technology Manager Spanish South America at Kingston Technology, explains that “as software evolved, with computers and their processors, RAM memory did too. Today, for example, we already have 32GB RAM modules even for notebooks in a single module, that is, many notebooks on the market with two memory slots can have 64GB of RAM.”
“Having dual channel modules will also greatly improve the speed of the system, the operation of applications and even more FPS in games. If after these changes the equipment does not work as we would like, then it is a good time to improve the processor or the video card, if we are looking for better performance in games,” explains Pablo Ance, technology trainer at AMD Argentina.
If for some reason the level of tasks to which the system is subjected continues to make it insufficient, depending on the type of hardware, there is the option of upgrading the RAM memory.
The last step will be check operating system. If this old machine has the Windows 7 version – released in 2009 – and a 2nd Generation Intel processor, it would be advisable to upgrade it without problems to Windows 10.
According to various analyzes at a technical level, computers that expanded the RAM memory of the old PC and changed the HDD to SSD improved their performance by more than 50 percent.
Processors and operating system: what to take into account?
Every time brands like Intel or AMD – leading manufacturers worldwide – launch a new series of processors, they show a logical improvement over the previous generation. The change is significant, so anyone who makes it will notice the performance improvement.
Now, it will also depend on how you use it, if it is for games or productivity you will undoubtedly notice the improvements of the new family, but if you use it for basic use, it will not have a big change since you will not be taking full advantage of it. the capabilities of the processor.
“To change the processor, we must always take into account the platform we have to see if we also need to change the motherboard and the memories. Since the launch of the 1000 series of Ryzen Processors and until the 5000 series, we used the AM4 platform, which provided compatibility with more than 125 processor models, different architectures and more than 500 motherboard models,” said Ance.
“In the case of desktop computers, the update always has to be harmonious. If we update only one of the equipment’s components, performance will probably not vary too much. The ideal is to always have a balanced computer in terms of processor, memory, disk and video card. The processor is important but it is not the only component to update when looking for a circumstantial change,” reaffirms Intel’s Loureiro.
Finally, the user must determine if the computer has compatibility with a higher version of the source operating system, such as in this case Windows 10, they will have to right click on the start bar, selecting the Task Manager and in Processes, prioritizing by Memory, to clearly see which applications consume the most.
Something very common is that during the check the browser is the first on this list that consumes the most resources, and there are ways to reduce its size and consumption, such as cleaning cookies, temporary browsing files and browsing history.