Should I Upgrade The SSD or Wait and Buy a New Laptop a Couple Years Later?

peekabooo on 08/11/2021 - 12:22
Last edited 08/11/2021 - 15:02 by 1 other user

How long should I keep this laptop (Dell 7567i7-7700hq, GTX 1050ti, 32GB RAM, 256GB SSD, 1TB)? I use this laptop for programming (+ some deep learning and a bit of 3D modelling). I've had this one for over 3 years and it's running pretty good and meeting my needs. No gaming. It's a dual boot and I use Linux half the time.

The battery still lasts for 3-4 hours of programming and browsing. I don't carry it around with me.

I think the laptop is worth around $400-$500 if sold now. The upgrade will cost more than 25% of it's current value and it's not going to change the value of the laptop in any meaningful way. I would like a bigger SSD for convenience but can live without it.

Edit: Bought the 1TB 970 Evo plus

Poll Options

  • 0
    Keep it for 1 more year as it is and buy a new one
  • 5
    Upgrade it to 1 TB and keep it for another 2 years
  • 40
    Upgrade it to 1 TB and keep it for another 3 years
  • 3
    Buy a new laptop as the new ones are significantly better
Computing Dell 7567

Comments

  • FireRunner on 08/11/2021 - 12:40
    +2

    If everything else is good then a 1TB SSD upgrade sounds worth it imo.
    Worse case scenario, the laptop fails or no longer meets needs, you could take the SSD out and use in a new laptop (assuming it has a second SSD slot).

    • HeWhoKnows on 09/11/2021 - 08:17

      SSD with improve performance by 4x
      Its by far the best single upgrade you can do to any computer
      So replace HDD with SSD now!
      You can buy 480GB SSD from $65 (Kingston A400 @ MSY)
      Keep the old HDD and put it back when you sell the laptop

  • oscargamer on 08/11/2021 - 12:52

    How full is your 256gb?

    • peekabooo on 08/11/2021 - 12:59

      It has around 60 GB left. I religiously move stuff to HDD and cleanup projects. Some of my projects can grow as big as 20GB.

  • scrimshaw on 08/11/2021 - 12:59
    +2

    SSD's can be carried forward to your new system if needed. If in doubt just buy a 2.5" SATA ssd like a Crucial MX500, they only cost $120 from eBay.

    You have a gaming Inspiron so I assume you've already got an NVME drive installed + 1 2.5" bay.

    • peekabooo on 08/11/2021 - 13:03

      Yes.. that's correct. I'll rather replace my NVME drive than the HDD. If I replace my current one with crucial P1/P2 is that going to be okay. I've seen people not recommending it for OS drive.

      • scrimshaw on 08/11/2021 - 13:09
        +2

        The P1 and P2 are value oriented drives, and are at the bottom of Crucial's product stack

        P1 is a QLC drive with an SLC cache and DDR3 DRAM cache

        P2 used to be a decent drive but due to chip shortages, they nerfed it into a QLC product (it used to be built with TLC NAND chips). It has no DRAM (both old and new model)

        If you are buying these pay no more than $120 dollars per terabyte but if you're chasing performance buy either: Samsung 980 / Samsung 980 PRO and the now hard-to-find Kingston A2000

      • FireRunner on 08/11/2021 - 13:10

        Recommend putting in a bit extra for a high quality drive. The EVO 970 Plus is a top end NVMe drive. You can also claim Far Cry 6 code. If you’re not interested in the game, you could easily resell for $30

        • peekabooo on 08/11/2021 - 13:17

          Thank you. I'll get the Samsung if I'm going to use it for 3 years. The P1 and P2 are going to be a downgrade to the existing SSD I guess? Unless technology has drastically improved.

          • FireRunner on 08/11/2021 - 13:23
            +1

            @peekabooo: Most likely a downgrade. They are less durable and suffer slowdowns during large writes. The low end drives are pretty much only useful for game drives

    • FireRunner on 08/11/2021 - 13:07

      I think an NVMe upgrade would be a better option. I find less new laptops to have 2.5” bays

  • Heaps for Cheaps on 08/11/2021 - 13:10
    +1

    I would get the 1TB SSD and use the Samsung Magician software to make a copy of your bootable drive so you can just boot into your new drive right away.

    If your laptop is working good then it truly will not pay to lose a lot of time and energy to upgrade instead of sticking with the laptop you have now that is doing well.

    If something amazing comes along in the next few years that is a big leap in performance/prductivity then you can still upgrade and use the 1TB as an external SSD backup drive.

    • peekabooo on 08/11/2021 - 13:14
      +1

      Thank you. That will save me at least 5 hours!

      • Heaps for Cheaps on 08/11/2021 - 13:18

        I meant Samsung Migration Software, which is free with Samsung SSDs.

        • peekabooo on 08/11/2021 - 13:19
          +1

          Thank you. I was about to Google it up :). If I can save myself from setting up and downloading the environments it's a great win.

  • fredzfrog on 08/11/2021 - 13:45
    +1

    Yeah get the SSD.
    The 7700hq's are a darn good chip. Unless you NEED more power, keep it for a bit longer.

  • horseshoe on 08/11/2021 - 14:14

    Have you tried using the inbuilt Windows compact.exe program to save some space?

    https://github.com/ImminentFate/CompactGUI has a good explanation. (You don't actually have to install or use CompactGUI, I just think the readme has a good explanation of compact.exe and why it's better than the older, WinNTFS compression)

    • peekabooo on 08/11/2021 - 14:26

      I'll try that and see how much it saves. Thank you

  • bazingaa on 08/11/2021 - 14:18
    +1

    That is a really good laptop, upgrade it with Samsung 970 EVO 1TB and play Farcry 6 too (maybe it has an extra M.2 slot)

    • peekabooo on 08/11/2021 - 14:25

      Thank you. I was just about to buy the 980 which is similarly priced (I've eBay +). Any chance this 970 Evo is still better?

      • bazingaa on 08/11/2021 - 14:55
        +1

        970 Evo Plus is better than 980 as I know, not 100% sure about 970 Evo

  • ahdoor on 08/11/2021 - 15:33

    Voted “ Upgrade it to 1 TB and keep it for another 3 years”. The rule of thumb for pc/laptop is, only upgrade when you absolutely need it. There’s always a better one coming. Especially if you are not gaming.

  • JimB on 08/11/2021 - 17:48

    That laptop would be considered a significant upgrade from mine.. haha

    • TransportPosters on 09/11/2021 - 15:17

      I have a full-size Toshiba laptop with a huge screen from 2009 which I still use. The battery lasts about 15 mins these days so I keep it plugged in most of the time. After disabling all the stupid Windows Vista admin safeguarding crap it runs really smooth and works great. It's been smashed on the floor sideways by the kids about 5 times so the screen case is kind of unsnapped apart and it feels like I always snap something inside when I open it up. The DVD-R drive is wrecked from being left open and the unit dropped on its side, and the power cable socket into the laptop got severely bent so it has to be on a particular angle to work.

      • JimB on 09/11/2021 - 15:33

        Windows Vista! OK you win! hah

        Perhaps try upgrading to Windows 10… my laptop felt noticeably faster when I upgraded from 7 to 10.

  • Richardc on 08/11/2021 - 19:38

    970ep runs very hot, need some cooling.

    • peekabooo on 08/11/2021 - 19:58

      How do I do that in a laptop? I can still cancel my order.

      • Richardc on 08/11/2021 - 20:09

        If it's metal housing, you can use thermal pad to transfer the heat to the housing.
        If your system drive size is enough for you, I recommend replace the HDD with ssd, save power, lighter, and safer to move the laptop while power on.

        • peekabooo on 09/11/2021 - 07:52

          I've already ordered the Evo 970.. I'll have to work that out first. They haven't replied to my request to cancel.

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