Whether for gaming or office use: the notebook is a popular utensil in every situation in life. Not only does it now have a lot of performance and can definitely compete with the desktop PC, it is also mobile and versatile. The only shortcoming for many: the service life. This seems limited, but does it always have to be? Find out here how you can upgrade your laptop and thus extend its life !
Why you should upgrade your laptop
As a rule, it is said that a good laptop should last at least 2 years in constant use without showing a defect. Exceptions are, of course, personal mishaps such as spilling liquids on the device. However, there are now many models on the market that you will have fun with for 3 to 5 years! In order to reach or even exceed this time, it can often be useful to upgrade the laptop. There are also some factors that have a positive effect on the service life.
Basically, the rule here is that a more expensive laptop will last longer. Here you can assume that higher quality components have been installed, which in themselves have a higher life expectancy. In addition, it can be very helpful if the individual parts are not firmly soldered, but can easily be replaced in the event of a defect. Above all, the gaming laptop manufacturer Alienware became known for this principle. However, it is now being implemented by many others.
It is also good if you can remove the battery from your new laptop. This also means that you can completely spare it in network operation by expanding it. But that doesn’t mean that a completely permanently installed model doesn’t also have its advantages. Because here the risk of breaking something while doing handicrafts is very low. In addition, this often significantly minimizes the risk of damage from the ingress of liquids and dust.
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Our 8 tips: How to extend the life of your laptop
Now that we have generally shown what you can look out for when buying a laptop, we would also like to give you some tips on how you can easily improve the service life of your device. First of all, we want to make suggestions that really anyone can implement. Then we will also go into the topic of tuning laptops.
- Battery : Do not charge the battery all the time. If it is permanently installed, use the device between charges in battery mode (best to reconnect at 10 to 20% residual charge and fully charge). If it can be removed, only charge it when you need it and otherwise use the laptop in mains operation. Then store the battery in a cool place (around 16 to 20 ° C).
- Hardware : Especially with gaming laptops, the hardware may simply no longer match current games. Make sure to choose new components as possible in order to have fun with them for a long time. Alternatively, models in which the parts can be exchanged also make sense here.
- External components : If you connect external hardware to your notebook, this protects the built-in components.
- Predetermined breaking points: Some manufacturers are known to use these. Find out in advance and take a look at long-term tests.
- Transport : A laptop should always be transported carefully. Be careful not to squeeze it, as this will quickly damage the screen. In addition, a laptop bag is a must to keep away from a small fall or downpour.
- Cleaning : If possible, you should regularly remove dust from the fans and other components. Otherwise, this ensures that the notebook heats up excessively
- Saving electricity : Do you just need your laptop for office use at the moment? Then turn on the energy saving mode. In addition, you can often do without the keyboard lighting and turn the screen brightness down a little. In this way, you not only save the battery, but also the built-in lighting components.
- Temperature : Don’t let the laptop overheat. Due to the small amount of space in the housing, the components get very hot and are subject to greater wear.
Upgrading the laptop: this is how it works
Just because the notebook slows down over time or maybe even starts to jerk, it doesn’t mean that you have to get a new model. Instead, you can upgrade your laptop with a few simple steps and components and give it a new freshness.
Step 1: the basic cleaning
Before you get any new components, a thorough cleaning is the right step. Because it is not uncommon for a laptop to become slow because it is simply dusty. If a lot of dirt collects in the fan , it can no longer provide an effective air supply. On the hard drive, mainboard, etc., on the other hand, it looks like a thick winter coat: the components heat up much faster than before.
Simply unscrew the notebook to clean it. Ideally, you can vacuum the whole thing with a gentle vacuum cleaner with a brush brush head. The fan should not turn while doing this, otherwise it could be damaged. Above all, the cooling fins should be cleaned in this way.
By the way: the basic cleaning does not only have to concern the hardware . Rather, it is also important that you remove your junk data. Old documents, images and installation files that we no longer need quickly accumulate on our computer. Sort out here every now and then. It can also be very useful to set up the operating system again.
External hardware to relieve the notebook
In order to minimize wear of your components , you can also use external hardware. This then takes the load off the built-in parts and instead performs the tasks outside of the limited space of the notebook. You should decide for yourself what you really need – that is, which functions you really need. We have compiled a list of optional parts you can use to upgrade your laptop:
- Keyboard & mouse . Probably the most famous components. In addition to reduced wear and tear, they often also have extended functions (such as the NUM block).
- Monitor . Often gives you a larger or extended screen, which can also be very useful when gaming.
- Hard drive . The hard drive installed in the notebook in particular quickly becomes slow. An external model keeps data ready when you need it and ensures a clean laptop (by the way: use an SSD if possible, especially if you want to start games from the hard drive).
- Graphics card . External graphics cards bring the flagships of major brand manufacturers to your gaming notebook. Simply connected via USB, they supply it with full power – so you can also play AAA titles.
- Fan . There are also external fans. These usually act at the same time as a kind of laptop stand and transport the hot, escaping air away.
So that you can upgrade your laptop and add the appropriate external components, it is also important that it has the appropriate connections. In the best case, this includes at least one USB 3.0 port .
What else you can do: Internal measures
In addition to the external components, there are also some measures that you can carry out internally in the device . So you can tune your laptop and get a little more performance out of it. On the one hand, this includes a new main memory. The RAM is often very tight, which means that jerking is quickly noticeable, especially with more demanding programs. Changing the main memory is particularly easy and can actually be problem-free with any notebook.
In addition, this is thermal throttling often a big problem. This phenomenon refers to the process in which the performance of a computer is reduced because the components overheat. In order to protect them and prevent damage, the performance is reduced. Unfortunately, this often occurs especially in the limited space of the laptop, because there is simply not enough cool air supply here.
However, you should upgrade your laptop so that the existing air can develop its effect accordingly . For this it can be very useful to renew the thermal paste between the CPU and the mainboard. Particularly ingenious: A paste made of liquid metal, because it conducts heat faster and achieves significantly better results.
Upgrade your laptop – no rocket science!
You have seen – even a somewhat aging laptop can experience a second spring again. With our tips and tricks, you can tease a few sparks of life out of most models . And the nice thing about it: Most of our ideas can really be implemented yourself with a little technical know-how.
