Do you ever feel like your computer is holding you back? That you could do more and work faster, if only your PC wasn’t so slow?
This is a common theme for many users. They have a computer that’s only a few years old, which they’re not yet ready to replace, but it’s become sluggish or has problems with some newer memory intensive websites and programs.
The nature of how we work has changed so much in just the last year. There are more freelancers and “gig” workers than ever, many of them relying on their computers for their livelihoods.
Businesses in Lake Okeechobee and the rest of the country have had to adapt to new cloud environments and the disruptions due to the pandemic. Making efficiency improvements that can also save them money more important than ever.
Small business and residential MSP is one way that freelancers and small business owners keep technology costs down while also keeping their equipment optimized and secure.
Another way to get more done on your PC is by investing in upgrades that have a fast payback and ongoing ROI in productivity.
Computer Upgrades That Will Positively Impact Your Bottom Line
If you make one improvement to your computer that costs you $300 and makes you more productive, it can make a significant difference. For example, say that improvement sped up your computer, allowing you to get 1 hour more of work done per day in the same amount of time.
If you made $20 per hour, that would equal $100 per week in additional productivity, meaning it would take only 3 weeks to make the investment back. After that, you’ll continue to gain that productivity benefit day after day.
The impact of time and productivity upgrades aren’t always apparent at first. But if you explore them, you might just be surprised at how much faster you can get work done on your computer and how valuable a single upgrade can be.
Here are some of the most valuable things you can do to improve your PC productivity.
Upgrade to a Solid-State Drive (SSD)
When SSD first came along, it was far too expensive for the average computer user to benefit from. But over time the price has come down dramatically, making it an excellent investment that can significantly speed up your computer.
An SSD differs from a hard disk drive (HDD) in that it does not have any moving parts and that it uses flash memory to write data to the hard drive.
The benefits are a much faster read/write process, faster boot times, and faster data access.
Here are a few of the speed differences:
- Data access time: SSD :0.1ms / HDD: 5.5-8.0ms
- Input/output request times: SSD: 20ms / HDD: 400-500ms
- Backup rates: SSD: 6 hours / HDD 20-24 hours
Upgrade Your Computer’s Memory
Does your PC lock up when you have too many browser windows open? Does it take forever for large programs like a video editor or Photoshop to load?
Lack of memory may be the problem.
If your PC only has 4 to 8 GB of memory, then you can easily run into freezing and other slowdown problems that are frustrating and give you no option but to wait on your computer or reboot to free it up.
Adding more random-access memory (RAM) can make it seem like you have a brand new computer because you’re giving it the ability to handle more processes at the same time.
Invest in Cloud Productivity Platform
Do you try to avoid paying for software, and instead use whatever free applications you can? How much time are you spending trying to avoid a cloud subscription?
If there’s a certain group of tools that would come in handy, like the Office and collaboration tools in Microsoft 365, you may actually save money by subscribing and having the right tools to improve your productivity.
For example, there are thousands of high quality templates, stock images, videos, and icons you get with the Microsoft 365 platform that can make designing a PowerPoint or document take much less time than trying to do it from scratch.
Productivity suites like that can improve your work productivity so much that they’re well worth the monthly subscription.
Add an Additional Screen
One of the things that can slow people down is a lack of screen space. If you have to continually switch back and forth between two windows instead of being able to put them up side by side, that’s a big time drain, as well as being frustrating.
Adding an inexpensive monitor to expand the screen real estate for a laptop or computer can significantly improve your daily workflow and help you accomplish multi-window tasks much faster.
Get Help Speeding Up Your PC for Better Productivity
Our team at Cris’s Tech Repair can quickly take a look at your computer and let you know which upgrades will pack the most productivity punch!
Contact us today for a computer consultation at 561-985-4961 or through our website.