Like any other machine in the world, a laptop also slows down and annoys you at times if you use it for years without any upgradation. For a laptop not working properly or getting hung time and again, there can be one of the two reasons. First, some of the components of your laptop might not be working properly, they might be faulty. And second, maybe all of your components are good to go but your laptop as a whole is an old one and it hesitates while running new versions of software or any OS.

Now there is a very easy way out, most of the components in a laptop are replaceable or you can simply increase the power/capacity of them. However, in some cases, if you run out of luck then you might need to get a new one for yourself because some laptops are way too old and upgrading them is a waste of both time and money. You might consider buying a good budget laptop.

We have come up with all the necessary and easiest steps for upgrading your laptop. Chances are, if you follow them nicely, you might get a speedy laptop up and running again.

You must know that there are several things in your laptop that will require technical expertise in order to upgrade them. However, there are other things like RAM, storage drive and batteries, etc which you can easily replace yourself in a matter of minutes. We have mainly focused on things which you can easily upgrade yourself and not need help from the outside.

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Upgrading your Laptop

RAM

Anyone having a technical or non-technical background knows that inside a laptop, RAM is the easiest thing to replace. You can simply replace another one having same memory or you might increase it as well. So, if you know that the current RAM which your laptop has, is not working for you and is slow, you can simply add another having having same memory. But the thing is that compatibility really matters while you add a new RAM. You must check online and search for you laptop model or go to original manufacturers’ web page, there you will get all info related to which model is compatible and which is not. Most important thing to be careful about is choosing between DDR3 and DDR4 RAM.

Now, how to upgrade your laptop RAM? In most laptops the very first thing you see after removing the back cover is RAM. Most laptops have two slots for it, you can add a new one besides the old one. In case there is only one slot, then you will have to remove the older one and add a new larger GB RAM. In simple words, if you have 2 slots then you can slide in two 2GB RAM cards which will make your RAM 4GB or if you have a single slot then you have to remove the old card and add a new 4GB card in there. And there are simple clips which will need to unfold and slide you RAM in there. That’s it.

Storage

A proper laptop will have SSD (Solid State Drive) HDD (Hard Disk Drive)) or sometimes both. HDDs are conventional storage drives which most of the older model laptops will have. They are cheap, will give you more storage capacity but they are slow. Whereas, SSDs are new, they are fast but expensive. If you really want to feel some speed from your laptop, you need to switch to an SSD. The thing is that with time your storage drive becomes slow, its health reduces and is not able to do what it did when the laptop was new.

Now, if you are planning to switch to an SSD, it is very basic. You can either remove your old HDD and place an SSD there instead. Or you can let you HDD stay there and add an M.2 SSD if you have a separate slot for it in your laptop, most new Gen laptops will have M.2 slot.

Battery

There is no doubt about the fact that if you use your battery for a period of 2 -3 years or longer, your battery can no longer provide the same power which it once did. You can either replace your battery with the same one it has, or you can also add a higher capacity one. It’s not rocket-science at all, just get a new battery and swap it in.

It is better to get an original from the manufacturer itself, if not then you can easily get it anywhere online or at any computer accessories store.

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Optical Drive

Optical drives are missing on most of the modern laptops. Only older generation laptops have them, no one use them anymore. They are only used in special scenarios. If you still want to upgrade it, you need to know that it is an adventurous process. First of all, you will have to remove the older tray which is not easy to remove. It involves unscrewing lots of screws and going into the chassis. After it is out, you have to look for another one which is the same size and dimensions as the older one. Being honest, don’t touch your optical drive if you don’t need it, however, if you are in need of one then you should take help of an expert. In case you are thinking of getting a new laptop which has an optical drive, then you should go for a large screen laptop like 17 inches or above, most of them will get you a good optical drive.

CPU

Now how to upgrade you laptop processor? You will hear a lot from different people that a CPU can be replaced and some will say that you can’t replace it. The thing is that CPU is soldered onto the motherboard, but it still is replaceable. You have to find a CPU which you are sure will work on your motherboard and can be fixed into the socket.

But you need to know, that upgrading a CPU is pretty hectic. You will have to almost dis-assemble all of your laptop and get to the place where CPU is. Besides, you should know that replacing your CPU will void the warranty of your laptop.

Ports

With time, a port or two may stop working. Or if you own an older laptop, it might be missing some new ports. For this you can of course open your laptop and change the port. But this is not the best thing to do, there is a simple way out. You can buy a USB hub, it will give you more external USB ports in case the older ones have stopped working. Besides, you can always find adapters for other things like HDMI etc.

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Others

Finally, there are other things which could be upgraded and will definitely enhance the performance of your laptop. But these require technical expertise, if you are not good with dis-assembling your laptop and do not have the proper equipment for it then you should not do it by your own. Things like GPU, wireless card and display etc will for sure make your laptop run smooth and also make you get the enjoyment out of it.

Hope now you know what components can you upgrade yourself and will enhance the performance of your laptop.

*We take no responsibility for any harm occurred while following these instructions.