Today, the laptop is an indispensable computing tool for work, business, and entertainment. While tablets are in the rage these days, laptops still continue to be the top computing choice for many consumers. They are better for multitasking and typing, and are more efficient for making PowerPoint presentations and video editing. When you have owned your laptop for a year or two, you may find yourself looking for an upgrade. If you still dont have the budget to purchase a new model, an affordable system or component upgrade may work for you. Here are a few ways how you can get that boost without breaking the bank.
Upgrade your laptops solid-state drive.
Converting from a standard hard drive to a solid-state drive (SSD) is perhaps the only single upgrade that will have a huge impact on your laptops performance. If your laptop is still using a 5400 or 7200 rpm drive, then you are wasting seconds of your life every time you boot or launch a program. Instead of putting up with that whirring inside your laptop hard drive, upgrade to a new SSD and have your favorite apps up and running in only a matter of seconds. You can buy a 120- or 128-GB SD card nowadays for under $100. Some of the most popular brands include the Samsung 830 and the OCZ Agility.
Think about adding more memory capacity to your laptop.
The more RAM your laptop has, the less time it spends paging files in Windows to make up for the lack of memory. Physical memory is definitely faster than an SSD. You might want to add a RAM disk that can load all your favorite programs much quicker. Modern day laptops are usually equipped with 4GB to 8GB of RAM. If your laptop has DDR3 memory, the 8GB RAM will only cost you $50 or less.
Get an external monitor for $80 to $100.
If your laptop does some serious work for you, why not upgrade its screen? You could be slowing yourself down by relying on just one screen to fit several windows. If your work calls for multitasking and opening several windows all at the same time, then a bigger, wider screen would be wise. With an external monitor, you could add a second desktop to display a full window or two half windows next to each other. Today, you can purchase an 18- or 20-inch monitor for less than $100. Are you looking for an external monitor that you can take with you wherever you go? Buy a USB powered monitor like the 15-inch AOC, or the lighter, more portable, yet slightly pricier Lenovo ThinkVision for $174.
Buy an external battery.
Even if you are using a laptop that gives you more than six hours, you can still live with more battery power, especially when you are on the road. Whether you are sitting on a couch, or on an airplane, you wont have to worry about searching for and tethering your laptop to an outlet. For less than $100, you can buy the Veho Pebble Pro external battery for only $69. This battery also comes with ten connectors and works well with just any laptop or notebook in the market.