If your laptop is around five years old and has 8GB of memory (RAM), you might have noticed it doesn’t feel as quick and responsive as it once did. It’s not that anything is “broken”, it's that both technology and the demands placed on your computer have moved on. Here’s why:
Everyday apps demand more power
When you first bought your laptop, the software you used was far less demanding. A web browser like Chrome or Edge could run smoothly with just a few open tabs, and office apps like Word or Excel were focused mainly on the basics like word processing and spreadsheets. Fast forward to today, and those same programs now include dozens of extra features, from built-in collaboration tools and integrations to powerful features like Microsoft Copilot. These improvements make them more powerful but also heavier on your system.
Beyond your main apps, background tools also take a larger slice of your computer’s resources than they used to. Security software now scans files in real time, cloud storage apps constantly sync changes to the cloud, and communication tools like Teams often run silently in the background, waiting for notifications or updates. While these services improve productivity and keep your data safe, they all consume valuable memory and processing power, leaving less available for the tasks you actually want to do.
Why 8GB RAM no longer feels enough
Five years ago, 8GB of RAM was considered generous for general business use. At that time, most applications and operating systems were lighter, so your laptop could comfortably juggle a handful of tasks without issue. Today, however, 8GB is widely viewed as the bare minimum, especially for professional use. Many new laptops aimed at business or creative work start at 16GB — and in some cases, even 32GB — because modern workflows demand more.
The reason comes down to how RAM is used. RAM is your computer’s short-term working memory, the place where all active apps and processes live. If you run out, the system starts using your hard drive or SSD as “virtual memory.” The problem is that even the fastest SSD is several times slower than RAM, so switching to it introduces big delays. This is why you might notice your laptop freezing when switching between apps, slowing down dramatically when you have multiple tabs open, or struggling to handle video calls while running other software. It’s not that your laptop isn’t trying, it simply doesn’t have enough capacity to keep up.
The wear and tear of ageing hardware
Like any tool or machine, computer components degrade over time. The processor, which acts as the “brain” of your laptop, doesn’t literally wear out, but it does fall behind in terms of capability. Newer processors are designed with more cores, faster speeds, and improved efficiency, which means your older model has to work much harder to keep pace. This is particularly noticeable when running modern apps that have been optimised for newer hardware.
Storage is another common bottleneck. Traditional hard drives slow down considerably as they age, especially if they’re close to being full. Even solid-state drives (SSDs), which are faster, can lose performance if they’re nearly maxed out or after years of heavy use. On top of this, the cooling system in your laptop (the fans and vents that regulate heat) can become clogged with dust, meaning your device may overheat and throttle performance to prevent damage. All of these factors combine to make your laptop feel sluggish, even when performing tasks that used to be effortless.
The internet has outgrown older devices
The modern internet is almost unrecognisable compared to what it was five years ago. Websites are no longer just static pages of text and a few images. They are dynamic, media-rich platforms filled with videos, animations, interactive elements, and background scripts. Each of these features requires more processing power and memory to render correctly, which means your laptop is under far more pressure simply by loading a few tabs.
If you’re someone who likes to multitask with 10 or more tabs open, perhaps switching between email, online documents, social media, and research pages, then your older laptop is being stretched to its limits. Add in autoplaying video ads, real-time chat widgets, and cloud-based services that refresh in the background, and it’s easy to see why performance suffers. What once felt like a lightweight browsing experience is now as demanding as running several standalone apps at once.
What you can do next
If your laptop feels slow, it doesn’t necessarily mean it’s broken, it just means that technology has evolved while your device has stayed the same. The good news is you do have options.
Quick fixes include reducing the number of background apps running at startup, uninstalling software you no longer need, or clearing space on your hard drive to give your system more breathing room. If your laptop allows it, adding more RAM or upgrading to a solid-state drive can also provide a noticeable speed boost, especially if you’re currently running on an older hard drive. These upgrades won’t make your laptop brand-new, but they can extend its life for another year or two.
The best long-term solution, however, is to invest in a modern device. A laptop with 16GB of RAM or more, paired with a newer processor and a fast SSD, will give you the speed, reliability, and efficiency you need to keep up. Not only will you notice the improvement immediately, but you’ll also be better equipped for the next five years of work.
At Techcare, we help businesses choose the right devices that balance performance, reliability, and cost. If you’d like advice on whether to upgrade or replace your laptop, get in touch with our team.
