JoBales

Upgraded my PSU to a Seasonic Prime Ultra Gold and at the end of the year began to buy parts for a new build.

The keyboard is a big negative for me on laptops. There was a time years ago where they weren't so bad. Now the keys are generally very flat, crammed against each other, and small amount of travel. I've never been able to make the transition to touch typing on a laptop. Touch pads also don't do it for me, so usually I add a wireless mouse to any laptop I own. I keep a laptop for the times I want to do some work away from home (or otherwise away from home and my desktop) but I really prefer the greater flexibility of the desktop...if something doesn't work for me, I can replace it.

Depends on the laptop, as I have upgraded a couple over the years. Usually RAM and HDD/SDDs but there was a Lenovo that I did a CPU upgrade on. It all depends on the laptop. My current Dell laptop actually has a downloadable manual that outlines how to do many different upgrades/replacements. Sounds good, right? Well, a HDD to SDD replacement required disassembly of nearly the whole computer (same for RAM or WIFI card). It was a real learning experience but I'm not sure I'd tackle it again. (Kudos to Dell for creating a very detailed, step-by-step manual which proved indefensible). Some of the newer, super-thin laptops, I doubt an end user can do much with these. Working on a desktop is a piece of cake compared to a laptop!

One nice thing with the larger case is that it future-proofs your build, you'll be able to use any size MB. I found this out the hard way on my current build. I have a Corsair micro-ATX case which I love. The new build I'm doing will have an ATX MB, so I have to replace the case. This time I've bought a ATX mid-tower case so I don't have to buy a new case next time I want to build a new desktop.

I'd been replacing about every 3-4 years but computer hardware has matured to the point I'm now going 5-6 years on a build. It may be sooner than that if new software warrants it. Otherwise, I like building computers so by about the 5 year point I begin getting the itch to build a new system. I'm currently running an Intel i5-4590 system but have begun buying parts to build a new Ryzen 7 system this year just for the hell of it. Figure that will take me at least to 2025 (barring a major tech disruption that makes the Ryzen a dinosaur!)

Did the new drive not come with any cloning software? I have Samsung SSDs and was able to download their Data Migration software from their website. Doesn't matter the HDD but it only works only with Samsung SDDs. I've used it for several drives and it worked flawlessly, the new dive booting immediately and an exact copy of the old HDD. I know some other drive manufacturers also provide free migration software. If Not, then download migration software from Macrum Reflect, Paragon Drive Copy, or Acronis True Image should do the job.

On Amazon (US) the regular brown fan version is $59.99, and the black Chromax version is $69.99 so the premium for the black cooler will not break the bank for a change!

I'm just sick at at heart. Today (4 Jan 20) I bought a used Noctua NH-U12S brown fan version for $30 + shipping, That was good. I'd thought I'd looked through all the listings carefully so I hit the "Buy" Button and made the payment. Got the confirmations payment had processed. At that point I went back and was looking through the listings again. Ten listings later I came across a Noctua Chromax Black NH-U12S LTT EDITION for $60+shipping, all parts included, in great condition. I could kick myself. Unfortunately its a few days until payday and funds are low so I can't go back and buy it now (and sell original one I bought). But I've got it on my watch list and if for it's still there in a few days, I'm snapping it up!