Upgrades that are worth doing
A slow computer is usually one cheap component away from being fine for another three years. The trick is knowing which one — and checking it actually fits before you spend anything, which is the bit online retailers leave to you.
Faults we see most
- Takes minutes to boot or open programs
- Runs out of memory with a few tabs open
- Games run badly at the resolution your monitor actually is
- Drive full and nowhere to put anything
- Machine is fine but deafening
- Thinking about a new PC and not sure you need one
The one that transforms an old machine
Swapping a mechanical hard drive for an SSD. On a machine still running off a spinning disk it is the single biggest difference you can make, usually for well under £100 fitted, cloned across so everything is where you left it.
Memory
We check the type, speed and how many slots your board has before quoting, because DDR4 and DDR5 aren't interchangeable and plenty of laptops only have one accessible slot. Getting this wrong is the most common self-upgrade mistake we see.
Graphics cards
Three things have to line up: physical length inside the case, power supply wattage and connectors, and whether your processor can keep up with the card. Our builder checks the first two live, and we'll tell you about the third.
Fitting
£30 on anything bought from us, including cloning your existing drive across and testing it afterwards. Bring your own part and it's the same £30 — we'd just rather you checked with us first that it fits.
Questions about hardware upgrades
Is my machine worth upgrading?
We'll tell you straight. If it needs £300 of parts to reach where a £450 new machine starts, we'll say so rather than take the work.
Can I bring parts I bought online?
Yes, £30 to fit. If it turns out not to be compatible you'll only have paid the diagnostic, but ask us before ordering and you'll avoid the return.
Broken, slow, or won't turn on?
Book it in today. We'll tell you what's wrong before you spend a penny on parts.