All aspects will be upgraded: SSD
Benefits:SSD improves the speed of a notebook in various aspects. It can shorten the response speed of various operations, such as boot speed, game loading speed, PSD file opening speed, and decompression speed of large files.
Principle:This is mainly because the SSD uses flash memory to store files, and its random read/write speed and continuous read/write speed are both high, which is doubled compared with the mechanical hard disk.
Applicable models:In addition to Apple's Mac series laptops, almost all laptops can upgrade their own SSDs. We believe that all mechanical hard drive laptops should be upgraded to solid state drives because the improvements are too obvious.
Note:
SSD has several specifications and interfaces. You need to select products suitable for your own machine. The following is a detailed description.
M.2: this is the latest SSD interface, which is usually used in laptops launched in the last two years.
Upper: 2280 lower: 2242
M.2 hard disks generally have three shape specifications: 2280, 2260, and 2242. The three types represent three types of length (80mm, 60mm, and 42mm ). Currently, all mainstream laptops are of the 2280 specification and are compatible with the 2242 specification. However, you still need to check the disassembly diagram or product description of your notebook on your own.
In addition to the shape specifications, the M.2 hard drive also has two different channel versions. One is the PCIe channel, and the other is the SATA3 channel.
The PCIe channel is backward compatible with the SATA3 hard drive, but the SATA3 channel is not compatible with the PCIe hard drive.
Left: PCIe channel right: SATA Channel
The speed of the two channels varies greatly. The hard drive speed of the PCIe channel M.2 can reach 2 GB/S, and the write speed can also reach 1 GB/S, however, the SATA3-Channel M.2 hard disk generally only has about 400 MB/s and 200 MB/s.
What kind of M.2 hard drive depends on the compatibility of the notebook? If PCIe hard drive is supported, the PCIe hard drive is preferred. However, if you are just in touch with SSD, the SATA3 channel will certainly satisfy you.
SATA: a common hard disk interface, which is used in conjunction with a 2.5 inch mechanical hard disk. This interface has been provided for laptops in the last five years.
This interface is generally used if your notebook is not particularly light and thin. Its reading and writing speed is generally around 400 MB/S and 200 MB/S. Although it is not as fast as the PCIe hard disk, it can still greatly improve the performance of the notebook.
You can choose to replace the original 2.5 inch hard drive with the SSD interface of SATA, and convert the hard drive to a mobile hard drive or put it in the optical drive space (if any ).
In terms of capacity, if your budget is tight, GB is the lowest standard, and there is no upper limit if you have enough budget. After all, no one will abandon the hard disk capacity. For more information about how to purchase SATA interface SSDs, see previous articles on this site.
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How to choose one SSD at a price?
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Run more programs at the same time without any card upgrade: Memory
Benefits:Memory upgrades generally do not significantly improve the performance of the entire machine, but they allow the computer to run more tasks at the same time without freezing.
Principle:Although the application is installed on the hard disk, when the application is started, the program is actually stored in the memory (which is why someone calls it "running memory "), the larger the memory, the more programs you can store. When you run these programs simultaneously, there will be no freezing.
Applicable models:In the past three years, many lightweight books have used onboard memory, so they cannot be upgraded. However, most of the less thin laptops can upgrade their memory on their own. Before upgrading, check whether your machine supports upgrading.
Note:
All 4 GB memory laptops should be upgraded, but for most general users, upgrading to 8 GB or 16 GB is enough, and it will not be particularly obvious if it is higher.
Top: DDR4: DDR3
The current notebook memory mainly has three interface specifications:
DDR3, DDR3L, and DDR4. A single motherboard can only be compatible with one type of memory. You need to check the memory before upgrade. (you can use hardware detection software such as AIDA64 or master Lu to detect the memory)The performance of DDR4 is not significantly different from that of DDR4, but it has little impact on the performance of the entire machine.
In addition to the interface specifications, each specification has different frequency versions. For common users, high-frequency memory does not significantly improve performance, so you do not have to worry about the memory frequency, select the appropriate memory capacity.
The memory of different specifications, frequencies, capacities, and brands can be used to mix and match, and the compatibility is generally normal.If there is a problem, contact the seller to change or return the goods. 2 × 4 GB or 2 × 8 GB DDR3/DDR3L/DDR4 is recommended.
Significantly shorten computing wait time upgrade: CPU upgrade
Benefits:A faster CPU can shorten the computer's computing time, such as video processing, text processing, and image processing.
Principle:CPU performance improvement is generally reflected in two parameters: frequency and number of cores. The increase in frequency enables the CPU to do more in the same time. The increase in the number of cores means that the CPU has more computing modules in the same area.
Applicable models:Notebook with Intel's fourth-generation processor (including fourth-generation) and earlier standard voltage i5 (and below) processors.
Note:
Since Broadwell, all Intel mobile processors have been welded directly to the motherboard using the BGA encapsulation technology, and users cannot upgrade it on their own. That is to say, only the Haswell architecture and previous products support self-upgrade.
First, check your CPU model before the upgrade. Generally, you can upgrade the CPU end with the letter M, MQ, and QM, but the CPU end with the letter Y, U, HQ cannot be upgraded.
Check the chipset of your motherboard after you confirm the upgrade. Generally, the 5 Series (HM55/HM57, etc.) chipset supports all the first-generation Core processors, 6 Series (HM65/HM67, etc) it supports all the second-generation Core processors, and so on. The 7 Series chipset supports the third-generation Core processor, and the 8 series chipset supports the fourth-generation processor.
Next, select the appropriate CPU according to your chipset support list. Generally, we recommend that you select a quad-core i7 processor in the same architecture in one step. This improves the performance most significantly.
Upgrading the CPU is much more complicated than upgrading the memory and hard disk, so you need to be cautious when your hands-on capabilities are not strong. If you are interested in this issue, you can view the article "complex but not difficult notebook CPU upgrade practice tutorial" published on this site.
Upgrades that increase network speed but cause many potential problems: wireless network cards
Benefits:The network speed is faster, but not necessarily more stable (compatibility ).
Principle:Early wireless NICs in laptops generally only support the 802.11n/g/a protocol, and the speed is generally only 54Mbps or 150 Mbps. Currently, the latest wireless NICs support a faster 802.11 ac protocol, the speed can reach 1000 Mbps or even Mbps, and supports the 2.4GHz and 5.0GHz frequencies.
Applicable models:In addition to some lightweight devices, almost all laptops support wireless Nic upgrades. However, some laptops may encounter problems such as unidentifiable, poor stability, and missing functions (for example, Bluetooth functions are unavailable) after replacing the wireless network card.
Note:
Although theoretically wireless NICs can be upgraded by themselves, it is generally not recommended for users to upgrade. First, it provides a relatively small increase in network speed, which is hard to feel without testing software; second, the upgraded wireless network card may be incompatible with the motherboard. You need to shield the pins before using it. Some laptops also have a Nic whitelist mechanism. You need to brush the BIOS to install a new NIC, which is very troublesome.
Therefore, we do not recommend that you upgrade the network card of the old machine. If the network speed is dragged down by the network card, try an external USB wireless network card. Consider a new machine.
Other hardware that is recommended to be purchased in one step:
In addition to these four types of hardware, some laptops can be used to upgrade the graphics card and screen. There are two reasons not mentioned:
1. There are too few laptops that can be upgraded to the video card, and the cost of upgrading the video card is also high, and there is no reliable channel, so we generally do not recommend the upgrade;
2. Upgrade the laptop screen to buy an external monitor.
Based on the above considerations, we recommend that you lock these two configurations when purchasing a notebook to avoid the troubles of insufficient performance in the future.
Upgrade principle: maximize the cost
This article summarizes the four common hardware upgrade methods and precautions in the notebook. It does not mean to let everyone upgrade each item, but to recommend that you upgrade according to your own needs, for example, if you have a budget of 300 yuan and a computer with a special card and want to change it after upgrade, you can change the 300 yuan to a solid state drive.
The principle of upgrading a notebook is to maximize the upgrade at minimal cost. You need to allocate the upgrade or upgrade based on your actual usage requirements and budget. We recommend that you first upgrade the SSD, followed by the memory. The CPU depends on the usage requirements and hands-on capabilities, and there is no need to worry about the wireless Nic.
Finally, with the increasing integration of laptops, there will be fewer and fewer hardware that can be upgraded in the future. Now you can upgrade your friends and cherish them. We recommend that you choose the right hardware when purchasing a notebook instead of considering the upgrade.
