The single biggest speed fix: an SSD upgrade in Bournemouth

WHY IT WORKS

Why an SSD is the single biggest speed upgrade

If your laptop or desktop has slowed to a crawl — long boot times, the spinning circle, programs that take an age to open — the cause is almost always the old mechanical hard drive (HDD) inside it. A traditional hard drive has physical spinning platters and a moving read head, and that mechanism is the single slowest part of the whole computer.

A solid-state drive (SSD) has no moving parts at all. Swapping the old drive for an SSD is, by a wide margin, the biggest real-world speed improvement you can make — usually far more noticeable than adding memory or a faster processor. On the same machine you can expect to see:

• Windows starting in seconds rather than minutes
• Programs, browsers and files opening almost instantly
• An end to the “busy” freezes when several things run at once
• A quieter, cooler, longer-lasting machine with no spinning disk

A five- or six-year-old computer with an SSD often feels quicker for everyday work than a brand-new one still using a mechanical drive. It really is the closest thing to a new-computer feeling without buying a new computer.

If your machine is sluggish in general, our slow computer repair service looks at every possible cause — but the drive is by far the most common culprit, and this page is all about that one big fix.

STRAIGHT TALK

Upgrade or replace? Our honest steer

We won’t sell you an upgrade that isn’t worth it. Before we fit anything we check the whole machine — not just the drive — and give you an honest steer:

• An SSD is well worth it when the computer is otherwise sound: a decent processor, enough memory, a good screen and body, and it’s the slow drive holding it back. This covers the vast majority of Dell Latitude and OptiPlex machines from the last several years.
• Replacement makes more sense when the machine is very old or very underpowered, the battery is shot and the hinges are going, or the repair bill would approach the cost of a better machine. In that case we’ll point you at a refurbished Dell laptop or refurbished desktop from £545 — which already comes with a new Samsung Pro SSD fitted.

Either way you get a clear recommendation and a price up front, with no pressure and no call-out fee.

BOURNEMOUTH & POOLE

Free collection, no call-out fee, 12-month warranty

The upgrade is quick and easy to arrange from anywhere in the area:

• Free local collection across Bournemouth and Poole — or drop the machine in to us in Kinson
• Same or next-day turnaround wherever we can — most SSD upgrades are done fast
• No call-out fee and a clear, agreed price before we start
• 12-month warranty on the work, on top of the 5-year Samsung guarantee on the drive itself

We’re a family-run team that’s looked after Bournemouth and Poole computers for 30 years. Call 01202 775566 and we’ll tell you honestly whether an SSD is the right fix for your machine.

// RELATED

Thinking bigger than a drive swap? Compare a refurbished Dell laptop or refurbished OptiPlex desktop (each fitted with a new Samsung Pro SSD), get a slow or faulty machine sorted with Dell laptop repair in Bournemouth or OptiPlex repair in Poole, pair your upgrade with a new Dell battery, or read our Latitude series guide to work out exactly what you’ve got. Still not sure the drive is the problem? Our slow computer repair service diagnoses the wider picture first.