[SOLVED] Another "Should I upgrade or buy a new laptop?" question (Toshiba Satellite P875-S7102)

[Nodi1986]

My laptop is starting to show it's age, but still fits my needs, so I'm loathe to replace it. I got it new in 2013, and have used it for hobby-level video-editing, 3D modeling, moderate gaming, HD streaming, high school, college - the whole kit and caboodle.

That said, its HDD has slowed and now screams occasionally, so I plan on upgrading to two SSDs. While researching how to best do that, I learned how easy it would be to upgrade its RAM to 16GB (it takes up to 32, but that seems like overkill), but then maybe possibly Vegas won't constantly crash for lack of memory. Nothing insane, just a "freshened up" version of its original specs. Total cost of what I'm looking at is about $200-250. Buying a new laptop of similar "tier" would set me back at least $1200.

Here is my problem: like I said, the CPU and GPU are permanently soldered to the board, and I can't find a definite answer on how long said board will hold out. The last thing I want is to drop $250 on upgrades and have it give up the ghost a year later. Replacement boards exist, but they seem to be all new-old stock manufactured no later than 2015, so I'm not sure about their longevity either. I've gotten nearly a decade out of this baby, and ideally I'd like another. Is it worth upgrading, or would I be better off slowly saving for a new one? Even if I did that, I'd still be spending ~$80 on an SSD since I don't want to risk losing what's on there already.

For reference:
Model & Original Specs:
Toshiba Satellite P875-S7102
Processor: Intel i7-3630QM
Graphics (integrated): Intel HD 4000
Memory: 8GB (2x4, uses 2 of 4 slots)
Storage: 750GB HDD

Planned Upgrades:
1 x Crucial MX500 SSD, 1TB, 1 x Crucial MX500 SSD, 500GB
Crucial 16GB (2x8) RAM (SODIMM, DDR3, 1600MHz, PC3L-12800, 1.35-1.5V) - these are the exact specs of what I already have, to avoid compatibility issues

 

[geofelt]

A change to a ssd from a hdd will make a magical difference in how quick your laptop will feel.
I think I would buy a single 1tb ssd as a replacement.
If your needs will exceed 1tb, then buy a 2tb unit.

Consider it as an investment. Should some other part of your laptop fail, such a ssd will work just fine in a desktop as well as many laptops.

Upgrading ram to 16gb is likely a good idea if you have any inkling that you are short on ram.

What is unknown is how long the other parts of a laptop will last.
You may spill fluids on the keyboard, drop the unit, and so on.
But for the $150 or so that you spent, you could never buy a replacement nearly as good.

 

[Nodi1986]

A change to a ssd from a hdd will make a magical difference in how quick your laptop will feel.
I think I would buy a single 1tb ssd as a replacement.
If your needs will exceed 1tb, then buy a 2tb unit.

Consider it as an investment. Should some other part of your laptop fail, such a ssd will work just fine in a desktop as well as many laptops.

Upgrading ram to 16gb is likely a good idea if you have any inkling that you are short on ram.

What is unknown is how long the other parts of a laptop will last.
You may spill fluids on the keyboard, drop the unit, and so on.
But for the $150 or so that you spent, you could never buy a replacement nearly as good.

So I've heard! I'll probably go with the 2TB, since I'm already bumping against capacity & want to reinstall some games. I'm excited to see how quickly it works with large files - it would be nice not to have to walk away and entertain myself for 15 minutes every time I duplicate a backup, haha.

That's a good way to look at it; especially since the SSD is the most expensive piece. I forgot about their portability. That does assuage my fears quite a bit.

 

[geofelt]

Over time, I have done such an upgrade to many laptops.
Some much older and weaker than yours.
5400 RPM laptop Hard drives are built for battery savings and not performance.
The benefit shows up in random I/O which is some 40x faster.
That is what we do 90% of the time.

My method is to use Samsung ssd devices and their ssd migration aid.
You can download the instructions and app here:

Tool & Software Download | Samsung Semiconductor Global

Download various software related to your product, including Samsung Magician, designed for use with Samsung's memory products, and find related information.

semiconductor.samsung.com

If you do not have a second place to install a ssd(most will not), you use a usb to sata adapter cable.
Here is one:
https://www.newegg.com/rosewill-rcuc-16001/p/N82E16812119874?Description=usb sata adapter&cm_re=usb_sata adapter--12-119-874--Product&quicklink=true

The copy is lengthy for a 1tb drive .
Think 3 or 4 hours.

When done just replace your C drive with the new ssd and you should boot without issue.
The source is unchanged so keep it as a backup in time.

This only works with Samsung ssd devices. You will pay a bit more for one.
Puget systems thinks highly of samsung ssd's:

Most Reliable PC Hardware of 2021

Here at Puget Systems, our goal is not only to provide the fastest workstations possible, but the most reliable as well. As a part of our constant drive to offer only the highest quality components possible, we track and regularly review the failure rates for each part we carry. Today, we want...

www.pugetsystems.com

If you want to use other devices, learn how to use macrium reflect to effect the copy.

 

[Nodi1986]

This only works with Samsung ssd devices. You will pay a bit more for one.
Puget systems thinks highly of samsung ssd's:

Most Reliable PC Hardware of 2021

Here at Puget Systems, our goal is not only to provide the fastest workstations possible, but the most reliable as well. As a part of our constant drive to offer only the highest quality components possible, we track and regularly review the failure rates for each part we carry. Today, we want...

www.pugetsystems.com

If you want to use other devices, learn how to use macrium reflect to effect the copy.

Thank you so much for all the advice! I appreciate you taking the time. Even though this is a "minor" upgrade, it's still the first hardware upgrade I've really done, so an experienced opinion really helps.

Luckily the Satellite comes with two bays; that was a pleasant surprise when I opened it up.

Puget Systems breakdown on failure rates in different types of hardware was interesting, and did a solid job convincing me to go with Samsung instead of Crucial. Samsung having it's own migration tool is also a huge bonus; it didn't even occur to me that duplicating an entire drive & it's partitions would be different from a simple file transfer. Thank you again!

Edit: I got ultra lucky; Samsung is having a number of promotions. Their 2TB (of the 870 EVO) is actually cheaper than Crucial's MX500 right now, so I snagged one.