Bryley Basics: How to get the most life out of your computer

Have you noticed that you have been able to squeeze more life out of your technology devices than ever before? According to Intel’s CEO, Brian Krzanich, the cycle has expanded 20% from four years to five or six¹. In our experience, upgrading an operating system on a Windows PC can often cost more than replacing the PC with a PC that has a newer OS. This is often because OS upgrades are not always reliable, particularly with legacy applications, or drivers that are no longer available for older hardware. For business users, we typically wipe the drive clean and then reinstall a new OS rather than upgrade.

Another way to extend the life of your device is to take care of the battery. Having the battery constantly plugged in actually does more harm than good and decreases the overall lifespan of the device. For long term battery life, it is recommended that you regularly allow your battery to drain.

You can further extend the life of your machine by completing incremental upgrades such as adding more memory, upgrading graphics cards, and replacing older hard drives with SSDs.

These tips are aimed at helping you extend the life of your devices and are not meant to keep them on “life support.” There will come a time when you have diminishing returns and will need to replace the devices.

Remember, we are here to help; please reach out to us at 978.562.6077 or email ITExperts@Bryley.com.

1. Computer World. 1 June 2016. “The PC upgrade cycle slows to every five or six years, Intel’s CEO says.”