Do you have an aged laptop which you feel is in need of an upgrade, or a tune up? Well, the possibilities for upgrading an existing laptop are rather limitless. From Bluetooth to wireless adapters, and extra RAM to a fresh tough drive – these are all stuff you can do to upgrade your existing laptop. In this article we will see at 5 laptop upgrades you can simply do yourself, without bringing the machine to the manufacturer. Sounds good? Read on and discover more …

Upgrade 1: More RAM Ok, laptop improve Number One is to increase the RAM on your laptop. Now, dollar for dollar, increasing your system’s RAM is most value for cash improve you can perform. If your Windows Vista is chugging along with a lot of tough disk swapping and slowing down terribly, pump in another 2 GB of RAM and observe what happens. You’ll be amazed at the velocity improvement. Head to Crucial.com to check out some fine laptop RAM deals.

Upgrade 2: A New Hard Drive Another favorite improve selection is the laptop tough drive. I used to have a miserable 60 GB tough drive in one of my aged laptops. And I can say you in this daytime of enormous videos and MP3 music, 60 GB is NOT enough. Do yourself a favor and improve that tough drive to something like 160 GB. The other option is to get an external tough drive (say a 320 GB monster) and then you can forget about running out of tough drive space.

Upgrade 3: Bluetooth Connectivity Bluetooth technology is incorporated in some laptops but not others. For laptops without in-built Bluetooth, you can buy a USB dongle with Bluetooth capability from any good computer shop. This usually comes with some software which allows you to install Bluetooth capability into your laptop. Very important for those you like to synch their Bluetooth enabled mobile phones to the laptop.

Upgrade 4: A Laptop Stand Ok, this is not exactly an upgrade, but I find laptop stands increasing popular with the mobile computing crowd. Laptop stands are good for your posture, and some of them also allow your laptop to cool better. It’s certainly a good ‘upgrade’ to consider if you leave your laptop at home a lot. Just plonk the laptop stand on the desk and you’ll be able to enjoy better computing posture very soon.

Upgrade 5: An Extra Battery If you’re on the road a lot, you should really consider buying an extra battery for your laptop. In particular, if your laptop runs out of battery juice quickly, a second battery is almost a must. I bought an extra battery for my ThinkPad X61 and I can sit at a cafe typing away for 8 solid hours, without requiring a recharge.

Conclusion Well, now you know about 5 laptop upgrades you can easily perform yourself. The next time you feel your laptop needs a bit of a tune up, look to the above list and see what components you can upgrade. Sometimes a small upgrade (especially additional RAM) will do wonders for your laptop and overall computing experience. By the way, if you’re interested in learning more about the ins and outs of laptops, you may want to check out my laptop guide. Click here to download it.

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