Signs it’s time to upgrade your laptop: A complete guide
Consider upgrading your laptop if it has less than 16GB of RAM, 256GB of storage, or a battery life under eight hours, as these are essential for optimal performance in 2025 and beyond. Picture: Julie Sebadelha/AFP
Image: Julie Sebadelha/AFP
If your laptop sounds like a jet engine when it’s booting up, or it hangs when you open more than a couple of tabs in Google Chrome, it might just be time to bite the bullet and fork out for a new laptop with 2026 nearly upon us.
However, where do you draw the line between hanging on to your old powerhouse and putting it out to pasture?
There are a few things you should consider before making a decision which will drastically affect your workflow, no matter your profession.
Here are the three key aspects to help you make that costly step.
1. Memory less than 16GB
Not to be confused with hard drive space or storage, RAM or Unified Memory affects how many tasks your computer can run at any given time.
If you own a machine with less than 16GB, in 2026 it’s definitely time to invest in a new machine or upgrade the memory on your laptop if you can. Even Apple now ships its laptops with a minimum of 16GB and it would be criminal to purchase a laptop with less than that today.
2. Storage less than 256GB
If your hard drive is 256GB or less, it’s also time to upgrade/buy a new machine. Even in 2025, 256GB is incredibly small for a modern device. Here Apple is guilty of still shipping their cheaper MacBook Airs with the smaller storage option, and for me that’s also unforgivable.
If you store any decent number of videos and photos on your laptop, 256GB simply isn’t enough anymore. This is especially true with most phones now recording in 4K and backing your mobile up on your laptop can quickly fill up your drive.
Personally, 512GB is enough but that would still require drive management, so if you can afford it - 1TB or more is definitely the way to go.
3. Battery life
Any laptop that can’t in 2025 last a full eight-hour workday is also not good enough. If you find yourself reaching for a plug after six hours or less, it’s time to say goodbye to your relic of a laptop.
Most laptops available on the market today will offer much longer than eight hours, so it should be easy to meet this requirement without breaking the bank.