Get SSD or new Laptop?

[baseballbert]

I've got an Asus laptop that I really like (15.6", 6gb RAM, 1Tb HDD, i5 processor) but it is slowing down. It's only two years old and it's a bit big.

I'm wondering if I'm better off getting an SSD drive to spruce it up or cut my losses and get something new. I'm also thinking of taking it in for a checkup to see if that does the trick.

I'd also like something a little smaller (11.6-12" screen) with SSD that is a lot more portable so I can start bike commuting. I'd use it mainly for OneNote, Office, web browsing.

I'd ballpark a $400-$500 budget. Is the Surface Pro 3 still a good buy? Lenovo Yoga 700/710 series (saw some good deals at Best Buy).

Any/All feedback is greatly appreciated!

 

[baseballbert]

Looks like New Egg has some Surface 3 4gb/128gb models as well. Just not sure about a 10" screen.

 

[Guytronic]

I've updated an ancient HP notebook twice now with newer Samsung SSD's...
Boot time of course is faster yet the overall laptop age is still hanging around.

I'm currently looking at a Notebook that comes straight out of the box with a 256 GB SSD running the i5 6200u and discrete graphics for less than 600 dollars.

I'm saying at least for me a whole new machine is the way to go.
Best of luck on your choice there.

 

[SteelSteve]

2 year old i5 is still decent. I'd get a 500gb SSD, you can pick one up for around or just over $100. If you shop around you could probably also pick up about 16gb or laptop memory for about $145. So for less than $300 you would have what feels and runs like a brand new laptop. And the nice part is you don't have to do them both at the same time if money is tight. In which case I would recommend the SSD first as you'll notice it the most.

 

[TechFreak1]

A new ssd is pretty darn cheap (I got a samsung evo 850 for £129ish off amazon) or you could get a hybrid drive that combines some ssd storage for even less.

I would do as steelsteve suggested, get a new ssd and some ram presuming they aren't soldered on... However as it's a pretty "big laptop" they may not be and may be one of the easily serviceable models. Furthermore as it appears to be a mechanical drive, have you tried running a defrag programme like Disktrix's ultimate defrag?

You would be surprised how much life you can bring back to any thing running a mechanical drive by placing the windows folder and most used files+folders on the outer ring of the platters (the aforesaid programme allows you to move specified folders and system files).

However for that price you most likely will be able to get a decent laptop however you may need to make some trade offs. It really depends what you are going to be using the laptop for... not to mention if you prefer to be able to switch out the storage, ram and etc. As some laptops don't allow easy access to the storage (sometimes they are below the keyboard and not easily accessible... these models are a pain to repair)...