Upgrading memory and storage

One of the quiet advantages of business-grade hardware is that it’s designed to be opened and upgraded. Most machines we sell can take more memory or a bigger drive later, which means you can buy what you need now and expand when you need more. If an upgrade is on your mind, we’re happy to talk it through with you.

Does upgrading void my warranty?

Confirm this policy before publishing

Decide and state your actual position. The two common ones are: (a) customer upgrades are fine, but damage caused during the upgrade isn’t covered; or (b) the machine must be opened by you to keep cover. Option (a) is more customer-friendly and more usual. Whichever you choose, say it plainly. This is exactly the kind of ambiguity that turns into a dispute.

What is universally true: if something gets damaged while you’re installing it, that damage isn’t a warranty fault. Static electricity and over-tightened screws are the usual culprits.

If you’d rather not risk it, we’ll do the upgrade for you, often for less than you’d expect, and the work is covered. Ask us for a price.

Before you buy parts

Memory and drives are not universal. The wrong part won’t fit, won’t work, or will work badly. Before you order anything, it helps to know:

• The exact model of your computer (Settings → System → About, or the label on the base)
• The type of memory it takes, and the maximum it supports
• Whether it has a free slot, or whether upgrading means replacing what’s there
• For drives, the form factor and interface. An M.2 NVMe drive and a 2.5“ SATA drive are not interchangeable

If that list feels like a lot, you don’t have to work it out on your own. Tell us your model and what you want to achieve and we’ll tell you exactly what part you need, whether you buy it from us or not. We’re glad to do it, and it saves people a surprising amount of money in returned parts.

Upgrading memory

This is the most cost-effective upgrade there is, and it matters more than a faster processor for most people. Going from 8GB to 16GB transforms how a machine handles having lots of things open, and it’s usually inexpensive.

Both memory sticks should ideally be the same size and speed. Mismatched memory works, but slower.

Upgrading storage

There are two ways to go about it.

Add a second drive, if the machine has a spare bay or slot. Keep Windows where it is, and use the new drive for files. It’s simple, and there’s no risk to your existing setup.

Replace the drive with a larger one. This is more common in laptops, which often only have one slot. It means moving Windows across (cloning) or reinstalling it from scratch. Cloning is straightforward with the right tool, but it’s the step where people most often come unstuck, so it’s a good one to hand to us.

A word of encouragement

If you’re reasonably careful and prepared to watch a teardown video for your specific model first, adding memory to a desktop or a business laptop is genuinely an easy job, often a single panel and two clips. Ground yourself first, don’t force anything, and keep the screws in order. Plenty of people who never expected to open a computer have done exactly this and been pleased with themselves afterwards.

And if you’d simply rather someone else did it, bring it in instead. We enjoy this sort of work, and we’re glad to take it on.