Whether you are purchasing for yourself or your business, there is no doubt that computers are expensive and can be considered one of the more significant investments. Because of this, you would want to ensure that every computer that you own will run for as long as possible, maintaining its performance to facilitate various activities. Also, ensuring they run longer also means you will not have to spend more on replacing them.
With that in mind, what can you do to lengthen the life of your computers? Here are a few tips you must apply right away!
1. Install an SSD
While not a necessary upgrade, it is one that is hugely beneficial to your computers. If they were previously built with a traditional hard drive, then an SSD (solid-state drive) will give you a massive boost to performance and speed and offer much longer lifespans. Put simply, your computer’s storage gets faster and lasts a lot longer.
2. Use a surge protector
When there is an overload of electricity in the primary power grid, your devices stand the risk of being fried. To stop your computers from getting destroyed by a surge, always connect them to surge protectors. Also, if there is a storm happening outside, unplugging your computers is a great way to ensure that they are perfectly safe.
3. Keep the computers cool
Heat is an enemy to every piece of electronics, and this applies to your computers. When they get too hot, not only does the hardware perform worse, but it hurts their lifespan significantly. You cannot eliminate heat either, as that is a byproduct of your hardware consuming power and running.
However, there are still things you can do to keep your computers as cool as possible. For example, keep them as dust-free as possible and away from the sun. These will allow the computers to pull in cool air and efficiently vent out hot air. Finally, lowering the ambient temperature can also do the trick to enable the computers to pull in cold air to cool its components.
4. Run frequent updates and maintenance
Frequent updates are sent out by manufacturers for various reasons, whether it is to add a new feature, fix a bug or enhance security. Regardless of the reasons, your computers must receive the latest updates. To add to this, do not forget to run frequent maintenance as well such as defragmenting the computer’s storage (do not do this for SSDs) and running antivirus scans. These will speed up the computer and detect any issues that can be fixed before it is too late.
5. Turn them off when not in use
Many people leave their computers running 24/7, even when it is not in use. While some may have a legitimate reason to do this, such as the computer hosting a server, for the majority of us, it is better to switch them off when not being used. To ensure its components run as long as possible, switch them off to give them a break when not required. However, avoid switching them off and on too often throughout the day. This will stress the components as the temps keep changing.
Make your Computer Last Longer: wrapping up
By applying the above tips, you will ensure that your investment in computers will continue giving you excellent returns in terms of productivity for many years to come. It will also help you save plenty of money in the long run, not having to carry out significant repairs resulting from a problem that could have been easily avoided if you only followed the right precautions.
Stephensons IT Support Solutions offers digital marketing services and IT support to help businesses identify solutions to satisfy their IT needs. If you need IT support in Barnsley to make the most out of your computers, work with us today!