By Martin White
Martin is a Director, Chief Troubleshooter, and Founder of PC-FIXED. He has worked in the IT industry for over 30 years and likes to explore and develop ideas for the application of the latest technology in everyday lives.
Most PCs and laptops start to slow down after 2 or 3 years when they have had a bit of use and gone through a few Windows updates. The cause of the problem is that mechanical hard disk drives (HDDs) deteriorate with use. Some makes are worse than others but generally, they all suffer from the same issue, and some fail altogether (usually during a Windows upgrade or just when you need them most 😢).
Happily, PC-FIXED has a relatively simple solution! 😃 We replace the HDD with an SSD – these are a new type of computer storage device with no moving parts (they basically just use memory chips). They are up to 10 x faster that a conventional HDD and are not subject to the same performance drop-off.
The best part is that we ‘clone’ your old HDD onto the new SSD so that you get your computer back just as it was – only a whole lot more responsive.
We have done 100s of these replacements to date so are super-confident of the outcome.
Occasionally we come across one that can’t be cloned but this is very rare. The good news here is that because we are only copying the original HDD there is no risk if the copy fails, we just replace the original back in the computer and advise you accordingly.
SSDs cost a bit more than their HDD equivalents (size for size) so we normally look at the capacity of the original HDD and the amount of space actually used. Often there is a lot of space wasted and a smaller SSD is all that’s needed which keeps the cost of the upgrade down.
Typical costs are £49 for a 256GB SSD, £79 for a 512GB, and £119 for a 1TB. Our cloning charge is usually £70 which includes a full check-up, internal clean, and is based on our drop-off and collect next-day service from Bryncroes. (We can also provide a collect and return service within 25 miles for an additional £20).
Please note: We will always make an initial assessment when we get your computer onto our workbench and if there are any other issues we will inform you seeking your approval before commencing the job.
Contact us today and look forward to enjoying using your PC or laptop again! Call 01758 445025 or open a ticket on our website www.pc-fixed.wales/help