If you like your current computer but wish it could be faster one way to do it is to install a SSD (Solid State Drive). This drive replaces the hard drive that came with your computer, if it is not already a SSD. Traditional drives have spinning platters that rotate at 5400 or 7200 RPM (revolutions per minute) and a drive arm that passes over the surface of the platters to find the file the CPU (Central Processing Unit) currently needs. With hard drives we talk about their capacity for storing files and their speed for delivering files to the CPU.
Traditional Hard Drives
SSD's on the other hand have no moving parts similar to USB drives. This also makes SSD's very reliable. I have yet to hear about a "hard drive crash" with an SSD. A hard drive crash is when the platters stop spinning or the arms stop moving inside the hard drive making it impossible for users to retrieve their data. SSD's have chips inside that store files in Flash Memory. Flash Memory is very fast delivering files to the CPU much faster than traditional hard drives.
Solid State Drive (SSD)
The only downside to SSD's in the past was their cost. Until recently SSD's were very expensive for the amount of file storage you received. This is why computer manufactures have mostly sold computers with traditional hard drives. But that is changing now that SSD prices have come way down. You can purchase them for these approximate prices:
Approximate Current Prices for SSD's:
128 GB for $60
250 GB for $100
500 GB for $180
960 GB for $300+
Here is how to check how many GB you are currently using on your hard drive:
Windows:
Windows Key + E (the Windows Key is to the left of the space bar and has the Windows Logo on it)
Right-click your C drive
Click Properties on the menu that pops up
Mac:
Click the Apple icon top left
Click About This Mac
Click the Storage tab in OS X 10.10 (older versions of OS X click More Info button, then System Report, then Storage on the left)
Then subtract Available GB from Capacity GB to find amount of GB used
So if you would like to speed up any computer to breath new life into it and keep it in service longer down the road then adding a SSD drive can do the trick. Let me know. It takes about one hour to transfer one hard drive to another.
Some of my clients do not realize that my business has expanded to all mobile devices. In fact, any consumer electronic product that you can purchase I can help you with. So if you would like help setting up or syncing your new smartphone or tablet or connecting your new WiFi TV to the Internet, just let me know.
