Do I need a new PC?

[Cy-Fy]

So hi guys, my current setup is a 15.6" Acer laptop with a core i3 2330m, intel graphics HD 3000, 4gb RAM, 750gb HDD... So I often do normal stuff browsing the internet, I don't really play games, and often I use photoshop like a few times a month, especially in school season, and I am planning to learn illustrator... So my question is do I really need a new pc because I am always geeking out at the new components and mech keyboards and mice coming out but I don't know if I should go for it cause maybe I won't see a big improvement for performance,,,

 

oh and also as you can imagine my laptop has a crappy keyboard and TN monitor as most laptops.. Thanks for your advise. ;)

[Dudenstein]

You will see a big leap in performance but whether or not it's worth it is up to you. You seem to be fine with your current laptop though, you'll see alot of differences in gaming but not so much in browsing the web

[Kirihuna]

If you have the money, I would say why not?

If you're on a tight budget, I would just stick with the laptop until it breaks or you decide you want a desktop.

[Carter]

I would agree. SB i3's aren't really that old and still perform ok for many things. as long as you are not experiencing too much lag, or you are happy with its performance, then if i were you i would save for another year or so and then buy something better.

[technovore]

if you don't alredy have an SSD drive I would suggets you either replace the existing (5400rpm) drive with a fast SSD drive.
if you can, add an SSD drive to your laptop. Some laptops can hold two drives.

An SSD drive will drasticaly decrease load times and give that overall smooth feel.

[Guest GRRigger]

since you dont need lappy for gaming, yours will be perfectly fine for music, video, work and internet.

[brownninja97]

Theres a performance increase with upgrading but i dont think you need it. unless you get into games that is.

[Cy-Fy]

You will see a big leap in performance but whether or not it's worth it is up to you. You seem to be fine with your current laptop though, you'll see alot of differences in gaming but not so much in browsing the web

 

 

If you have the money, I would say why not?

If you're on a tight budget, I would just stick with the laptop until it breaks or you decide you want a desktop.

 

 

I would agree. SB i3's aren't really that old and still perform ok for many things. as long as you are not experiencing too much lag, or you are happy with its performance, then if i were you i would save for another year or so and then buy something better.

 

 

if you don't alredy have an SSD drive I would suggets you either replace the existing (5400rpm) drive with a fast SSD drive.

if you can, add an SSD drive to your laptop. Some laptops can hold two drives.

An SSD drive will drasticaly decrease load times and give that overall smooth feel.

 

 

Any mediocre PC is going to be better that your laptop

 

 

since you dont need lappy for gaming, yours will be perfectly fine for music, video, work and internet.

Thanks all for your answers I think I made up my mind,,, I am gonna keep this laptop until it really lacks performance for what I need and save up some money for a better pc... also what do you guys think of buying nice mech keyboard and mouse to use with a laptop??? thanks everyone

[Cy-Fy]

Theres a performance increase with upgrading but i dont think you need it. unless you get into games that is.

great thanks

[brownninja97]

great thanks

A solid state my is be a good idea that would make everything quicker however thats more a problem if you dont like waiting for your pc or laptop to start up, its not always a proirity especially for someone like me where i read a book for 15minutes as my pc starts or i set it to start itself 15minutes before the average time that i wake up(yes i have to ability to wake up when i want to). 

[Cy-Fy]

A solid state my is be a good idea that would make everything quicker however thats more a problem if you dont like waiting for your pc or laptop to start up, its not always a proirity especially for someone like me where i read a book for 15minutes as my pc starts or i set it to start itself 15minutes before the average time that i wake up(yes i have to ability to wake up when i want to). 

man that is cool... I don't know if it is a noob question but how do you get to start your pc automatically...?????

[brownninja97]

man that is cool... I don't know if it is a noob question but how do you get to start your pc automatically...?????

Many people dont know about it but no worries. For me I have to go into the bios and there is an area for starting automatically and you tick a box and then go through the horrid task of setting the time with arrow keys. Afterthat just save and restart and it should work.

[Guest GRRigger]

you can enhance your experience with decent pair of cans if you like to watch movies and listen to music

[Cy-Fy]

Many people dont know about it but no worries. For me I have to go into the bios and there is an area for starting automatically and you tick a box and then go through the horrid task of setting the time with arrow keys. Afterthat just save and restart and it should work.

awesome ^^^

[Cy-Fy]

you can enhance your experience with decent pair of cans if you like to watch movies and listen to music

cool.. thanks

[WoodenMarker]

Thanks all for your answers I think I made up my mind,,, I am gonna keep this laptop until it really lacks performance for what I need and save up some money for a better pc... also what do you guys think of buying nice mech keyboard and mouse to use with a laptop??? thanks everyone

It's cumbersome and sort of defeats the purpose of a laptop. It's up to you though.

 

Your laptop will do fine and you don't need an upgrade. If things get groggy, you probably need more ram. Check just to make sure if that's so when that happens.

 

If you do feel like upgrading, there are two things I recommend.

 

First, replace your hdd with an ssd: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820147188

Replace your dvd drive with an hdd caddy and put your original hdd in there. http://www.amazon.com/SATA-caddy-12-7mm-Universal-DVD-ROM/dp/B0056EW4A4/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1374728180&sr=8-1&keywords=hdd+caddy

Boom you have speed and storage.

 

Second is to make a new powerful desktop if you need one a powerful system. You actually don't need to spend that much for a nice rig that should do whatever you need. Considering you don't really game and you're just doing some Illustrator and Photoshop work, it seems you won't need one. If you're doing some more heavy and serious work, a desktop may be the way to go. 

[Kirihuna]

First, replace your hdd with an ssd: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820147188

Replace your dvd drive with an hdd caddy and put your original hdd in there. http://www.amazon.com/SATA-caddy-12-7mm-Universal-DVD-ROM/dp/B0056EW4A4/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1374728180&sr=8-1&keywords=hdd+caddy

Boom you have speed and storage.

 

Could this work in a slot loading ODD laptop?

[WoodenMarker]

Could this work in a slot loading ODD laptop?

If it's something like this: http://www.amazon.com/Silverstone-Interface-Drive-Optical-SOD02B/dp/B004X9PHFC/ref=sr_1_1?s=pc&ie=UTF8&qid=1374731145&sr=1-1

which I think it is, it would work.

[Kirihuna]

If it's something like this: http://www.amazon.com/Silverstone-Interface-Drive-Optical-SOD02B/dp/B004X9PHFC/ref=sr_1_1?s=pc&ie=UTF8&qid=1374731145&sr=1-1

which I think it is, it would work.

Let me tear open my laptop real quick.

[deguzi]

Like WoodenMarker mentioned, since you don't necessarily game or do heavy editing, your current setup seems perfectly fine. 

I myself still use on a day to day basis my notebook with an intel core 2 duo, and it still works fine for my needs. I actually do some moderate video editing and InDesign/Illustrator/Photoshop projects for school. 

and SSD, like most have suggested, plays a big role, as well as a bit more ram. but your setup will last for a good while longer. 

I'd say save up or invest in pc build in the next few years, but if you're itching for a quick upgrade, SSD it up!

[Cy-Fy]

It's cumbersome and sort of defeats the purpose of a laptop. It's up to you though.

Your laptop will do fine and you don't need an upgrade. If things get groggy, you probably need more ram. Check just to make sure if that's so when that happens.

If you do feel like upgrading, there are two things I recommend.

First, replace your hdd with an ssd: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820147188

Replace your dvd drive with an hdd caddy and put your original hdd in there. http://www.amazon.com/SATA-caddy-12-7mm-Universal-DVD-ROM/dp/B0056EW4A4/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1374728180&sr=8-1&keywords=hdd+caddy

Boom you have speed and storage.

Second is to make a new powerful desktop if you need one a powerful system. You actually don't need to spend that much for a nice rig that should do whatever you need. Considering you don't really game and you're just doing some Illustrator and Photoshop work, it seems you won't need one. If you're doing some more heavy and serious work, a desktop may be the way to go.

that is an excellent idea thanks... but uright now my windows is installed in the same hdd as storage so how could I transfer just the windows file to the ssd??? considering that I didnt get an OS disc with my laptop

[Cy-Fy]

Like WoodenMarker mentioned, since you don't necessarily game or do heavy editing, your current setup seems perfectly fine.

I myself still use on a day to day basis my notebook with an intel core 2 duo, and it still works fine for my needs. I actually do some moderate video editing and InDesign/Illustrator/Photoshop projects for school.

and SSD, like most have suggested, plays a big role, as well as a bit more ram. but your setup will last for a good while longer.

I'd say save up or invest in pc build in the next few years, but if you're itching for a quick upgrade, SSD it up!

thanks man and would you recommend to install softwarss in the ssd or the storage hdd assuming that you had both???

[WoodenMarker]

that is an excellent idea thanks... but uright now my windows is installed in the same hdd as storage so how could I transfer just the windows file to the ssd??? considering that I didnt get an OS disc with my laptop

Download Windows online and install in via usb or a burned disc. Activate it with the activation code you got for Windows at the bottom of your laptop. Just make sure you download the same version. 

You paid for the activation code when you got the laptop, not the disc. Same logic applies when you but a copy of Windows.

[WoodenMarker]

thanks man and would you recommend to install softwarss in the ssd or the storage hdd assuming that you had both???

Put Windows and your applications on your ssd and everything else including games on your hdd. When you install games and whatnot, you should be able to go into advanced installation and choose a directory to install in. Just make that your hdd.

Also, be sure to route your documents/pictures/music/downloads/etc. shortcuts to your hdd since they will default to your primary drive. When you go to the start menu, you right click 'Documents' and go to properties to change the location from your ssd to a folder on your hdd. 

For downloads, you can go into the settings of your browser and change where your downloads go.

[smjpl]

Thanks all for your answers I think I made up my mind,,, I am gonna keep this laptop until it really lacks performance for what I need and save up some money for a better pc... also what do you guys think of buying nice mech keyboard and mouse to use with a laptop??? thanks everyone

 

Where do you do most of your work? If it's at home then yeah definitely get a good mech keyboard and mouse. You will have them for a very long time so they'll be two less things to get when you finally do upgrade. If you do a lot of work on the move then it is debatable. You can get mini mech keyboards which would fit in a carry bag but how user friendly it would be is up to you and where you do your work. 

 

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Noppoo-Choc-Mini-84-Mechanical-Keyboard-Cherry-MX-Black-/250856182331