An SSD upgrade is probably the biggest change you can get for relatively little money. But not everyone needs one — here is how to tell if now is the time for you.
Sign 1: The computer takes 1–3 minutes to boot
With an SSD, Windows 10/11 boots in 15–25 seconds. If yours needs a full minute, you are definitely on an HDD, or on a very old SSD that is on its last legs.
How to check: Win+R → “dfrgui” → the “Media type” column. If it says “Hard disk drive” — you have an HDD.
Sign 2: Programs take forever to open
Photoshop takes 30 seconds, Word 10 seconds, and Chrome with 10 tabs freezes the whole system. Those are all disk read operations, and an HDD does them 100x slower than an SSD.
Sign 3: The disk sits at 100% in Task Manager
Open Task Manager → Performance → Disk. If it shows 100% usage even when you are not doing anything in particular — that is an HDD that cannot keep up.
An SSD under the same load would show 10-30%, leaving resources free for your programs.
Sign 4: The disk makes noise
An HDD has a spinning platter and a head — it makes a “click-click” or a “grinding” sound. If the noises have got louder or uneven — the HDD is close to failing.
An SSD has no moving parts, completely silent.
Sign 5: The disk is full
HDDs slow down dramatically once free space drops below 100GB. SSDs slow down too, but later (below 10-15% free).
If your 1TB HDD is 95% full, it is time for:
- A bigger SSD (1TB-2TB)
- Or a dual setup: a 500GB SSD for Windows + a 1TB HDD for files (the cheapest compromise)
Which SSD to buy
For a laptop:
- Check the slot type: SATA 2.5″ (older), M.2 SATA, M.2 NVMe
- NVMe is the fastest (10x faster than SATA), but it needs a newer laptop
- Specific picks: Samsung 970 EVO Plus (NVMe), Crucial MX500 (SATA)
For a desktop:
- NVMe, no question — every motherboard from 2018 onwards has an M.2 slot
- WD Black SN770, Samsung 980 PRO, Crucial P3 — all solid options
Capacity:
- 250GB: only for Windows and the basic programs (too little for 2026)
- 500GB: for normal use, browsers + Office + a few games
- 1TB: the sweet spot for most people, games + photo and video
- 2TB: if you work with video production or have a big game collection
What we do
- Clone the existing HDD onto a new SSD — everything stays (programs, files, Windows licence).
- Clean Windows install on the SSD — fresh and faster, but you have to reinstall your programs yourself.
- Dual setup — SSD for Windows, HDD stays for files.
Labour for all three options is listed in our price list, and the price of the SSD itself depends on its type, model and capacity. We tell you the exact amount before we start, once we have checked which drive suits your computer.
Bring it in or send it to us by courier; the whole job takes 1–2 days, and it comes back to you by courier, tested and set up.