System upgrades

A system upgrade involves either adding new components to an existing piece of IT equipment (a hardware upgrade) or installing more recent software (a software upgrade).

System upgrades can be an effective way to extend the life of some computer equipment.

Should I consider a system upgrade?

It's important to understand what can be achieved with an upgrade. Hardware upgrades can't easily make a slow computer fast or turn a black-and-white printer into a colour one. Upgrading to the latest software can be counter-productive if your computer isn’t up to running it.

System upgrades are about making small, meaningful improvements. You can breathe new life into old computers by adding more memory, increase the amount of storage space with an extra hard drive - or make laptops more useful by adding a high-capacity battery.

If money is tight in the initial stages of your business, purchasing extra memory for your laptop may boost your business productivity until you are ready to invest in a new system.

Hardware upgrades

Most hardware upgrades involve opening a piece of equipment and adding extra components. It’s usually a simple task, but if you do not feel comfortable delving inside a computer, an expert Dell technician can perform a system upgrade for a small charge.

Do not perform a system upgrade unless the benefit is clear-cut. It isn't worth spending money on upgrades that will only produce marginal improvements. Your business is better off managing as best it can, then investing in brand new equipment as soon as is practical.

Can I upgrade my business computers?

The most commonly upgraded items are computers and servers. These are usually made with standard components and are easy to open up, making system upgrades relatively simple and cheap.

With a few exceptions, upgrading other pieces of kit is not generally feasible. Items like computer monitors, scanners and printers just aren't designed for it. Even if you could get inside them, it would be nearly impossible to add new components.

Dell can help you choose the right solutions that will boost the efficiency of your business.

Be realistic when considering system upgrades:

• Servers are often good candidates for system upgrades. These expensive pieces of equipment have a longer-than-average lifespan, which you can extend with the addition of more memory and storage.
• It's quite easy to add extra memory or disk space to desktop computers too. This can make ageing machines more suitable for basic use – but new computers are so cheap that often it's not worth the bother.
• Laptops can be more problematic. The components they use tend to be designed to save space rather than to be easy to upgrade, although it's usually fairly straightforward to add extra memory or a swap the hard drive.

As a rule of thumb, the more expensive a computer was to buy initially, the more worthwhile a system upgrade is likely to be.

For instance, spending £50 to extend the life of a £300 computer by a year might be pointless. But spending £100 so a powerful computer – originally costing £1,000 - can be used for admin tasks for a further two years may be worthwhile.

Software upgrades

There are several advantages to regularly upgrading your software. If your business uses a relatively old version of a software package, you may be unable to open files created in never versions.

Software upgrades are generally easy to perform. Just purchase the latest version of the software and install it on top of the old version. Sometimes you can purchase special upgrade packages, which are cheaper than buying a new copy of the software outright.

Always check your computer hardware supports the software before upgrading. Meaty packages – including operating systems like Microsoft Windows – often only work best with the newest, fastest hardware. If your computer only just scrapes inside the new software’s system requirements, it may be best to hold off. Chances are it will run slowly.

Finally, remember that it’s not always wise to be the first to use new software. The best time to upgrade is six months to a year after the software has been released – when the software publisher has ironed out any bugs!