Laptop Upgrades, or replacement

cmbicycles · #1 11-12-2019, 07:43 PM

I have a10 year old Sony Vaio laptop running win10, nothing much done with it beyond word processing and web browsing. The area over the HD gets rather warm so I considered replacing with a ssd drive, then thought why not max out the ram to 8gb while I'm at it. For $100 is it worthwhile to "upgrade" the laptop or save my shekels for a new laptop?

parris · #2 11-12-2019, 07:49 PM

CMB I went through the same question this year. In the end it was more practical and not really much more expensive to buy a new machine. I'm keeping the old computer in the garage for web browsing and such.

buddybikes · #3 11-12-2019, 07:53 PM

Newer laptops have nicer screen, and after your upgrade chances are your motherboard AC connector will crap out.

tbike4 · #4 11-12-2019, 08:23 PM

10 years is a REALLY long time for a Windows laptop. I have a 7 year old PC desktop that was top of the line when new. Today I found out some things I may not be able to do with it. Hyper-V, virtualization, blah, blah.

Get a new machine. My 2¢.

rnhood · #5 11-12-2019, 08:29 PM

Agree, get a new computer before you start upgrading one that old. And I am not one to needlessly spend money for the satisfaction of having the latest. But a 10 year old computer that is getting ready to have money spent on it....no, it's not worth it. Several hundred dollars will buy you a new machine with vivid screen, solid state drive, modern connections and interoperability, etc. It will good for another 10 years, or more.

stien · #6 11-12-2019, 09:05 PM

If you’re interested, you could breathe some new life into an old machine by putting Ubuntu (a light version) onto it. For browsing and word processing, it will get you by for another decade. I just resurrected my old 10” dell mini laptop using Lubuntu. 8 gig solid state drive!

zmalwo · #7 11-12-2019, 09:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by cmbicycles

I have a10 year old Sony Vaio laptop running win10, nothing much done with it beyond word processing and web browsing. The area over the HD gets rather warm so I considered replacing with a ssd drive, then thought why not max out the ram to 8gb while I'm at it. For $100 is it worthwhile to "upgrade" the laptop or save my shekels for a new laptop?

What processor does your laptop have?

cmbicycles · #8 11-12-2019, 09:43 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by zmalwo

What processor does your laptop have?

2.2GHz Intel Core 2 Duo Processor T6600

It's a vgn-nw350f laptop.

ultraman6970 · #9 11-12-2019, 09:54 PM

CMB get a new one. Thats the short answer.

THe problem with laptops is that the upgrade you can make to them is really limited. The other issue is the brand, sony computers are a real PITA, i do not even know if sony is still in the computer business...

Check bestbuy because I do not think you have a microcenter around your area.

veloduffer · #10 11-13-2019, 05:40 AM

Agree with others on buying a new laptop. Some good deals are already out there for early Black Friday.

I’m currently looking at the Lenovo Yoga C940 15” - i7 chip, SSD, 4K UHD display, built-in pen, and very good speakers in a tablet/laptop to use for work and streaming.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

weisan · #11 11-13-2019, 06:15 AM

Quote:

. nothing much done with it beyond word processing and web browsing

If that's all you do, you might be a good candidate for a chromebook.

Cheaper, lighter , simpler, less headache, longer battery life = happier camper.

biker72 · #12 11-13-2019, 06:27 AM

Even if you do upgrade the RAM and install a SSD you'l still be saddled with a slow processor. Get a new one. Lots of good choices out there.

CAAD · #13 11-13-2019, 07:52 AM

A SSD will definitely speed things up more then ram. For what your using it for. But the battery life, weight, screen resolution, overall performance boost will be worth the upgrade from a 10 year old machine.

Veloo · #14 11-13-2019, 07:54 AM

There's also the refurbished market which can offer you a very functional and up to date machine for very cheap.

cmb5286 · #15 11-13-2019, 08:55 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by weisan

If that's all you do, you might be a good candidate for a chromebook.

Cheaper, lighter , simpler, less headache, longer battery life = happier camper.

^^This. My parents have one and they aren't the most technically inclined folks and it works just fine for them. Simple word processing and web browsing.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Veloo

There's also the refurbished market which can offer you a very functional and up to date machine for very cheap.

This is also a great option. Sometimes business like to liquidate their old work machines and you can find some decent business class laptops for good prices. I'd look for a Lenovo Thinkpad T or X Series.