Summary
My PC Should I Upgrade.. It might be time to update your PC if it has become unresponsive and unable to do tasks quickly, if you are unable to play the newest games on it, or if it becomes difficult to multitask. You may increase random access memory (RAM), storage capacity, and even your graphics card to boost speed without having to purchase a whole new computer.
Here are some suggestions for PC performance optimization along with the three most important PC improvements and additional upgrades you may want to think about.
Increase Memory
The most economical option to update your PC is often to add more RAM or upgrade to faster RAM. Everyone can profit from it as it offers the best return on investment when considering the cost relative to the possible performance benefits. It may be used for multitasking, gaming, and creating media.
Upgrading your RAM might solve issues if your computer is sluggish, often freezes or crashes, or alternates between windows frequently. When the system has adequate RAM available, memory-intensive tasks like editing photos and videos, gaming, working on spreadsheets, and other tasks will often run more quickly. When the system is short on RAM, these tasks will typically bog down.
If your laptop has changeable RAM, one of the simplest and only really useful modifications you can do is to add extra RAM. This is true even for desktop computers. RAM is sold as sticks or as tiny circuit boards containing chips that attach to the motherboard of your computer.
Start by determining your RAM capacity if you are unsure about your current RAM condition. After that, you may decide whether you need extra RAM or if you already have enough. Here are some general recommendations:
Basic application: You should update your computer if its RAM is less than 4GB. To do even the most basic operations, like as writing emails and browsing the web, you need at least 4GB of RAM.
Playing video games and making media: To play games or use photo and video editing tools, you must have a minimum of 8GB of RAM. This should be enough for most mid-range gaming and picture editing, but if your system often freezes or lags, you could need more.
More intensive uses: You’ll need at least 16GB if you want to play high-end games and work on large-scale media editing projects.
It might be time to update your PC if it has become unresponsive and unable to do tasks quickly, if you are unable to play the newest games on it, or if it becomes difficult to multitask. You may increase random access memory (RAM), storage capacity, and even your graphics card to boost speed without having to purchase a whole new computer.
Here are some suggestions for PC performance optimization along with the three most important PC improvements and additional upgrades you may want to think about.
Increase Memory
The most economical option to update your PC is often to add more RAM or upgrade to faster RAM. Everyone can profit from it as it offers the best return on investment when considering the cost relative to the possible performance benefits. It may be used for multitasking, gaming, and creating media.
Upgrading your RAM might solve issues if your computer is sluggish, often freezes or crashes, or alternates between windows frequently. When the system has adequate RAM available, memory-intensive tasks like editing photos and videos, gaming, working on spreadsheets, and other tasks will often run more quickly. When the system is short on RAM, these tasks will typically bog down.
If your laptop has changeable RAM, one of the simplest and only really useful modifications you can do is to add extra RAM. This is true even for desktop computers. RAM is sold as sticks or as tiny circuit boards containing chips that attach to the motherboard of your computer.
Start by determining your RAM capacity if you are unsure about your current RAM condition. After that, you may decide whether you need extra RAM or if you already have enough. Here are some general recommendations:
Basic application: You should update your computer if its RAM is less than 4GB. To do even the most basic operations, like as writing emails and browsing the web, you need at least 4GB of RAM.
Playing video games and making media: To play games or use photo and video editing tools, you must have a minimum of 8GB of RAM. This should be enough for most mid-range gaming and picture editing, but if your system often freezes or lags, you could need more.
More intensive uses: You’ll need at least 16GB if you want to play high-end games and work on large-scale media editing projects.
hands grasping cords to do an update in an open computer cabinet.
iStock / Getty Images / GluckKMB.
Enhance The Graphics Card You Own
If you’re a video editor, 3D animator/modeler, or gamer, upgrading your graphics card should be high on your list of priorities since they’re essential for both high-end and mid-range gaming and media production. Before making an expensive update that not everyone needs, it’s crucial to think about how you use your computer. This includes your graphics card.
Using integrated graphics or lower-end graphics cards may be cost-effective strategies used by PC makers. This is so that basic integrated graphics can perform well enough for everyday duties and activities like web browsing, 4K video streaming, and even simple gaming. You may not get much use out of this update if you don’t need to utilize 3D modeling and animation applications or play the newest games at the maximum settings.
A graphics card upgrade is just what you need if you’re a gamer and you’ve realized that you can no longer play new games at the maximum settings. You may accelerate the editing of films, the use of 3D design tools, and the execution of AI models like Stable Diffusion by upgrading your graphics card.
Set Up a Quicker Storage Device
A new storage drive installation is a great upgrade to consider if your system is running slowly or you’re running short on capacity. The advantages of this update may vary depending on the kind of storage device you already own, but installing a bigger, faster second drive or swapping out your sluggish hard drive will always improve speed.
Performance will be improved if you replace the hard disk drive (HDD) in your computer with a solid state drive (SSD). SSDs perform better than HDDs in programs that handle huge files, such as picture and video processing, and you’ll notice reduced load times in Windows, apps, and games. Adding a faster SSD—like a N2 NVMe—to an existing SSD will boost performance overall, but not nearly as much as moving from an HDD to an SSD.
For optimal performance, your fastest disk should be used to install your operating system. Therefore, if your operating system is still installed on your old HDD and you upgrade to an SSD for your PC, you won’t see a significant gain in speed.
Using an SSD for your operating system, games, and apps—which need quick data access—while keeping larger files and media on a slower drive might help you save money. If you can’t afford a huge SSD, hybrid drives can provide a reasonable compromise between performance and storage capacity.
Improve Your Processor
Although this update may lead to significant increases in performance, it is not always possible and is more costly and difficult than the other upgrades. It’s not always the case, but in order to update your CPU, you need a motherboard that can support a more powerful processor. You need to find out what motherboard you have, what chipset it takes, and then research the various CPU alternatives to see whether this is a possibility. After that, you’ll need to evaluate the CPUs to see if the gain in performance justifies the cost.
updating the CPU also entails updating the motherboard if you currently have the strongest processor your motherboard can support. It’s a rather involved update since you will have to move your storage disks, graphics card, and any other expansion cards from the old motherboard to the new one, and the new motherboard may not be compatible with your current RAM.
Maintain Updating Your Software
Software upgrades, such as moving from Windows 10 to Windows 11, don’t necessarily result in better performance. But it’s crucial to keep your existing software updated since small upgrades often include bug fixes and other improvements that may assist boost performance or at the very least stop it from declining.
Make sure your operating system, applications, and utilities are up to date if you’ve observed a gradual slowdown in your computer’s performance. If you haven’t updated to Windows 10, you may still adjust it to run quicker.
Which Other PC Components Can You Replace?
Although you may add and update a number of additional hardware and PC components, not all of them will improve performance. For instance, replacing your motherboard may open up more expansion slots, let you install a more potent CPU, and provide other advantages. However, a new motherboard won’t improve performance by itself.
You may want to think about how you use your computer and the type of enhancements you’re looking for if you’re searching for any more upgrades. If your PC doesn’t have enough USB 3.0 ports for all of your peripherals, you might think about upgrading your monitor if you’re a gamer or artist, getting new speakers or a subwoofer if you love music, or switching to Wi-Fi 6 if your home network allows it.
