Guide
When to Repair or Replace a Computer
A practical way to decide whether an upgrade is enough or the machine is done.
Start with what failed
A broken charger, a dying hard drive, or a virus is often cheaper to fix than a new laptop. A cracked board, a swollen battery you cannot source, or a CPU that cannot run a supported Windows is usually a replace.
Write down the age of the machine if you know it. Age is not the whole story, but it keeps you from putting a new SSD in a ten-year-old notebook that will still feel old.
Upgrades that often pay off
A working desktop or laptop with a spinning drive and a supported Windows install. An SSD changes how the machine feels more than almost any other single part.
Memory upgrades when the model can take them and Windows is paging constantly.
A clean Windows install after a mess, if the hardware itself is healthy.
When replacement is the honest answer
The repair quote is close to a decent new machine, and the old one will still be slow afterward.
The manufacturer no longer supports the hardware, or parts are a weeks-long wait.
You need the computer this week for work or school and the failure is in a part we cannot get quickly.
What we will tell you
TLC Computer Help prices the repair against replacement before you buy parts. If the better spend is a new computer, we will say that and can still move your files.