SSD in an older computer

[Rollin Hand]

We have an older (5 years? 6? Time has become immaterial to me) Dell desktop that doesn't run as well as it once did. After fixing any issues my limited self can find, would it be worth adding one of the Samsung SSDs for the main comouter functions? I know the computer has an open SATA bay so it should fit.

Not a heavy gamer or anything, just want it to run better for limited day to day use, without buying a new rig.

If it goes pbfbfbfbfbfbfft!, I will likely replace it with a laptop.

[Flatline]

Without knowing the full specs, the short answer is YES. Replacing a spinning disk hard drive with an SSD is the best thing you can do to any computer to improve performance.

[Rollin Hand]

Yeah, I should dig up the specs. Pretty sure it's a core i5, 1TB HDD.

Maybe I could add RAM too.....

[mickey]

I had an old Dell laptop in the same sort of shape.
It would hold two drives so I put an SSD in C: and moved the old drive to D:
When I showed my niece how much improvement it made, the laptop went home with her.
Incidentally, an SSD speeds up Winslows a lot more than it does Linux.

[Flatline]

We have been upgrading older desktops with SSD's at work to get a couple more years out of them instead of buying new. Our normal refresh cycle was 4 years. Lately its been upgrade to SSD after 4 years and get 2-3 more years out of them. We also no longer purchase any machines without an SSD.

[BatUtilityBelt]

An older machine with no problems can work faster with an SSD, but that's not the only consideration. Newer applications and OS versions take a ton more memory and run more code than they used to, to do the same tasks. If your older system had a faster processor, like an i7 and a lot of memory, say 16 GB, then yes, replacing a HD with an SSD is ideal and will let that system keep up just fine.

[Rollin Hand]

Well, RAM can be added simply. I will need to sort out what processor we have.

I am thinking a Samsung EVO 860 with 500 GB is enough. I also like their backup software in terms of making things easier.

[honyock]

I did it on a 10 year old setup, works great for everything except games.

Processor is an old i3-530.

8gb of RAM minimum and if you run Teams, I always err on the side of 16gb.

[Chocol8]

I brought an old (10 ish years) laptop back to life with an SSD and 8 GB RAM for temporary use. It works great for web surfing, simple word processing etc. I wouldn’t use it for video editing or anything heavy duty but, yes the SSD and a fresh Windows install made a huge difference.

[glasshand]

Well, RAM can be added simply.

Until you max it out. I'm still slightly peeved that a 2021 Mac Mini has exactly the same maximum RAM, 16 GB, as a 2012 Mini.

[Rollin Hand]

OK, actually checked: it's an Inspiron 3650 from 2016. Intel core i5.

[LightWingStudios]

Well, RAM can be added simply.

Until you max it out. I'm still slightly peeved that a 2021 Mac Mini has exactly the same maximum RAM, 16 GB, as a 2012 Mini.

And Apple has seen fit to design it so there is NO WAY to upgrade it. Dirty Farkers!

Max RAM on that Inspiron 3650 is 16GB...2 Banks of 8GB each.

Go here and enter your service tag number which will tell you what's inside.

https://www.dell.com/support/home/en-us ... p/overview

RAM: https://www.crucial.com/compatible-upgr ... piron-3650

SSD: https://www.newegg.com/samsung-500gb-87 ... -_-Product

CLONE the current Boot drive to the SSD and the performance will jump SIGNIFICANTLY. After that reformat the old drive and use that as a backup or just additional storage.

[jhull54]

We have been upgrading older desktops with SSD's at work to get a couple more years out of them instead of buying new. Our normal refresh cycle was 4 years. Lately its been upgrade to SSD after 4 years and get 2-3 more years out of them. We also no longer purchase any machines without an SSD.

Yeah, same here. We have done our desktops that way with SSDs and an extra jolt of RAM. Great way to get a couple years extra out of em.

Sent from my SM-G975U using Tapatalk

[Mossman]

I have an HP Elitebook that came out in 2014, I think (I bought it off-contract in 2017). It's got an i7, 16GB RAM, and a 500GB SSD and it still runs like a top. When the SSD started getting full, I moved all my files over to an old 1TB hard drive that I used with my previous computer, and now I can't stand how slow it is accessing files! Just waiting for the drive to spin up feels like an eternity... I never really appreciated how fast the SSD was until I had to go back to a hard drive.

So now I'm shopping for an external SSD. Thankfully, they're pretty cheap now. I can get a 1TB SSD from HP or Samsung for about $120-$130. I think that's how much I paid for the 1TB hard drive several years ago, and I thought that was cheap at the time too.

[Rollin Hand]

Ok, I am sold.

Do I need anything else to install one? No wires or anything?

[bleys21]

No, you shouldn't need anything else if you're just going to replace the existing drive; the SSD will use the same cables.

If you want to keep the older drive as a second drive, you may need an extra SATA cable depending on what's already installed in the case. Sometimes the Dell's already have the cables in place.

[Rollin Hand]

Yeah, I am planning to keep the old drive as a storage drive.

I bought the Samsung EVO 860, 500gb.

It'll be nice to have the old beast running well again.

[bleys21]

Good deal, the Samsung 860 series are good drives. It will be like night and day once you get the new drive installed. Boot up in like 5-6 seconds

[OMB]

I always bought laptops and currently have 2 chromebooks but my Desktop is 5 or 6 years old and still runs pretty durn good. The SSD's in Win10's make a big dif.

[Rollin Hand]

Still pondering RAM too. On my last computer, it didn't make a big difference. I suspect doubling it will help, but not like the SSD.

[jhull54]

Still pondering RAM too. On my last computer, it didn't make a big difference. I suspect doubling it will help, but not like the SSD.

You're right, it won't be as noticeable as the SSD as far as effect on performance, but if you've got the $ to do it, I wouldn't hesitate.

[Rollin Hand]

Still pondering RAM too. On my last computer, it didn't make a big difference. I suspect doubling it will help, but not like the SSD.

You're right, it won't be as noticeable as the SSD as far as effect on performance, but if you've got the $ to do it, I wouldn't hesitate.

It's one thing to have the money, it's another to be willing to spend it!

[bleys21]

How much is the ram upgrade?

[Rollin Hand]

Well mine is $43 Cdn. Plus tax.

The SSD will arrive this week, but the RAM won't get here until next week. I only want to crack this thing once, so I probably wont try it until next weekend.

[bleys21]

Is that to go to 16GB? If so, definitely worth it. If that's the cost to go from 4 to 8, might be worth it, assuming you're running Windows, as it runs a lot happier with 8GB...