Tech

HOW OLD IS TOO OLD?

James Flynn, Milborne Port Computers

Aquestion we are regularly asked is, ‘My computer/laptop is so slow, is it too old?’, to which the answer is invariably the same… It’s too old when you wake up one morning and say to yourself, ‘It’s time for a change!’ However, there are several considerations.

Your computer is still running at the same speed as it did when it was new, but several things are conspiring to make it appear slower. All those updates that happen are bigger than the bits they replace so are making your PC do more work. File sizes get bigger for both internet pages and pictures as the internet gets faster but your PC is still the same, so it appears to be slower. Your computer may also have more software on it that you have had installed since it was new, much of this may be running in the background thus slowing it down.

Strangely, one thing you wouldn’t consider is ‘you’. As you get used to your PC you begin to anticipate what it’s going to do next and therefore you appear to be waiting for it. The longer it goes on, the slower it seems… It’s not! You’re just anticipating. Lastly, on an older computer (3+), the hard disk bearings may be wearing, causing it to operate less efficiently. The longer this goes on over the years, the worse it’ll get. Most newer computers are now sold with a solid-state drive, which rarely slow down unless they are close to being 100% full.

Other equipment like screens, keyboards, mouse and printers just go on working until they die and there is no need to change them or replace them unless they fail or become temperamental.

So, you’ll see that there really is not a time at which your computer is too old… if it works for you and you are happy with it, then just carry on. If you are frustrated by it and it’s causing you stress, change it. It doesn’t cost a fortune these days although prices have slowly crept up since the pandemic, but a fair laptop will cost you about £450 and a new desktop a little less than that. Everything is transferrable; you just have to bite the bullet and do it!

There are, however, some steps you can take to make sure that your computer is working at its best: 1 Re-start it regularly if you generally keep it running all the time 2 Uninstall any unwanted software that may be cluttering up your system or stop them running at startup 3 Consider upgrading your hard disk to a new style solid-state one 4 Consider increasing the amount of memory in your PC

All of the above can help if your machine really is slow and, as always, if you need help you know where to come!