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Most slow computers don’t need replacing. They just need an SSD. Sometimes RAM. Usually both if we’re being honest about it.
The team at Computer Technicians upgrades computers all over Melbourne every week. And the thing is, most people are genuinely surprised by how much difference it makes. A laptop that took five minutes to start up, sitting there grinding away on an old Seagate spinning drive, boots in under 30 seconds after we drop a Samsung 870 EVO in there. Same computer. Just fast now.
We’ve been doing this long enough to know which upgrades are worth doing and which ones aren’t. If it’s not worth doing we’ll tell you that too.
Customer Rating: 4.9/5 based on 600+ reviews
Call Us Today On 0484 357 559
IS YOUR COMPUTER WORTH UPGRADING?
Honestly it depends. A 2018 Dell XPS or Lenovo ThinkPad grinding along on 4GB of RAM and a spinning Toshiba hard drive, yes absolutely worth upgrading. A 2011 desktop with a dead CMOS battery and a failing Gigabyte motherboard, probably not.
When we look at a slow computer the first thing we do is run a diagnostic. Check the drive health with CrystalDiskInfo. Look at what’s eating memory in Task Manager. Check CPU temperatures with HWMonitor to see if the machine is throttling itself. This takes about 30 minutes and it tells us pretty much everything we need to know.
Nine times out of ten it’s the drive. Sometimes the RAM. We had a customer last year absolutely ready to spend $1,400 on a new HP laptop. We put a Crucial MX500 SSD in her existing one. $180 all in. She rang us two days later just to say she couldn’t believe it. Same thing happens all the time actually.
If the machine is genuinely past it we’ll say so. No point spending money on a computer that’s going to give you more problems in six months.
SSD UPGRADES MELBOURNE
Still Running a Spinning Drive?
This is the one. If there’s one upgrade that makes a real difference this is it.
Traditional hard drives, your Seagates, Western Digitals, Toshibas, they spin at 5400 or 7200 RPM. Slow to read, slow to write. They also fail. An SSD has no moving parts at all. Reads and writes happen in milliseconds. The difference when you turn the computer on the next morning is not subtle.
We fit Samsung, Crucial, Kingston and WD drives depending on what the machine takes. Some older laptops use a 2.5 inch SATA drive. Newer machines need an M.2 NVMe. A few older desktops need a caddy adapter to fit a 2.5 inch drive in a 3.5 inch bay. We sort all of that out, it’s not something you need to worry about.
The job itself is pulling the old drive out, fitting the new one, cloning everything across with Macrium Reflect so nothing gets lost. Your files come across. Your programs come across. Windows activation, browser bookmarks, desktop layout, all of it. Computer looks identical when you get it back. Just fast.
Most SSD upgrades are done same day.
RAM UPGRADES MELBOURNE
4GB Really Isn’t Enough Anymore
Windows 11 wants around 4GB just to run. Open Chrome with a few tabs and you’ve already pushed into virtual memory. What that means is Windows starts using the hard drive as overflow RAM. The hard drive is much, much slower than actual RAM. Everything slows down. Switching between programs takes forever. The browser becomes basically unusable.
8GB is the minimum for comfortable everyday use. 16GB is better. If you’re running Chrome and Teams and Zoom at the same time, which a lot of people are working from home, 16GB is really where you want to be.
We use Corsair, Kingston, Crucial and G.Skill. Before we order anything we check the motherboard specs to confirm what’s supported. Worth noting that some laptops have the RAM soldered directly to the board and can’t be upgraded at all. Newer Lenovos do this. Most recent MacBooks do this. We check upfront and tell you straight away if that’s the case with your machine.
LAPTOP UPGRADES MELBOURNE
Getting More Life Out of Your Laptop
If the screen works, keyboard works, and the chassis isn’t physically falling apart, most laptops from the last five or six years are worth upgrading. Worth it financially and worth it practically.
We work on Dell, HP, Lenovo, ASUS, Acer, Toshiba regularly. The bread and butter jobs are SSD swaps and RAM increases. A Dell Inspiron 15 from 2019 with a fresh Samsung 870 EVO and 16GB of Crucial RAM in it genuinely feels like a different laptop. A better laptop than most new budget machines in JB Hi-Fi if we’re being blunt about it.
Battery replacements are something people don’t always think to ask about. A laptop that has to stay plugged in all the time has basically turned into a desktop. Defeats the purpose. Most replacement batteries for common Dell and HP models are available within a day or two. We use quality replacement cells, not cheap generic ones off eBay.
For MacBook upgrades we have technicians who work specifically with Apple hardware. Pre-2017 MacBook Pros with the 2.5 inch SATA bay are usually good candidates. Post-2019 models with Apple Silicon generally aren’t upgradeable after purchase, the storage is soldered to the board.
DESKTOP COMPUTER UPGRADES MELBOURNE
More Options. Generally Better Value.
Desktops are easier to work on than laptops. More room, more accessible, more things that can actually be changed.
Beyond the usual SSD and RAM the common desktop upgrades we do are GPU replacements for people doing video editing or gaming, fitting an NVIDIA GeForce or AMD Radeon card where there was previously just integrated graphics. We also do CPU cooler replacements fairly regularly. Stock Intel and AMD coolers clog up with dust over the years, thermal paste dries out completely, and the machine starts throttling its own performance to protect the processor from overheating.
Custom builds we do as well. Intel Core i5 or i7, Gigabyte or ASUS board, 16 or 32GB of DDR5, WD Black NVMe for the OS drive. Built to your requirements.
THE UPGRADE PROCESS
Diagnostic first. About 30 minutes. No charge if you go ahead with the work.
Fixed quote after that. Not hourly. Fixed. If it takes longer than expected that’s our problem not yours.
We back everything up before touching anything. Clone the drive with Macrium Reflect, verify the transfer, run a benchmark before and after so you can actually see the difference. Most upgrades are done same day.
No Fix No Fee If the upgrade doesn’t do what we said it would, you don’t pay.
Same-Day Service Call before 10am. Most upgrades back same day.
Fixed Pricing Price agreed before we start. Same price at the end.
WHO WE ARE
Computer Technicians is a Melbourne based computer repair and upgrade business. We come to you or you drop the machine off.
Our technicians work on Windows PCs and laptops, Apple Macs and MacBooks and custom built machines.
All Melbourne suburbs. Six days a week.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
My computer is about six years old. Worth upgrading?
Depends on the machine. A 2018 or 2019 laptop with a spinning drive and 8GB of RAM, yes almost certainly.
Will I lose my files when you swap the hard drive?
No. We clone the existing drive to the new one.
How long does an SSD upgrade take?
Same day in most cases.
Can you upgrade a MacBook?
Some yes, some no.
My laptop battery is dead. Can you replace it?
Yes.
How much does it cost?
SSD upgrade usually $150 to $250 all in.
Do you come to me or do I bring it in?
Both.
Computer is fine at startup but slows down after about 10 minutes. What is that?
Usually overheating.
Book a Computer Upgrade in Melbourne
Call 0484 357 559 or fill in the form.
All Melbourne suburbs. Same day service for bookings before 10am.