How to Check If Your Laptop Needs an SSD Upgrade

Chaarudutt Motta
Jul 22
3 min read

—The brutally honest guide your computer wished you read earlier

“My laptop isn’t slow… it’s just vintage.”

– said no productive person ever.

Let’s be real. If your laptop takes longer to start than your mom’s pressure cooker whistle, you’re already in trouble. And no, deleting desktop icons won’t make it faster.

So before you open Flipkart to buy a new one, ask yourself:

Does your laptop really need replacing… or just a good SSD slap?

Here’s how to find out—in plain English, no geek degree required.

1. Boot Times Are a Joke? That’s Your First Sign. If you switch on your laptop and:

Make tea
Scroll Instagram
Reply to a cousin’s “Good morning” message
…and then your desktop appears?

Yep. Classic hard drive (HDD) drama.

SSD Truth Bomb:

SSD boots Windows in 10–15 seconds. HDDs? Somewhere between a yawn and a nap.

2. Apps Open Like They’re on Vacation Mode

Click on Chrome and wait for it to “think”?

Excel crashes while opening?

Photoshop freezes like it saw its ex?

That’s your laptop begging for an SSD.

No amount of shouting or Task Manager violence will fix this. Apps need fast storage to breathe.

3. 100% Disk Usage = 100% Headache

Open Task Manager (Ctrl + Shift + Esc) and go to the Performance tab.

If your Disk usage is stuck at 100%, even when you’re just staring at the screen?

Congrats. You’ve hit the HDD choking point.

An SSD will instantly fix this. It’s like switching from bullock cart to bullet train.

4. It’s Heating Up For No Reason

Slow laptops often overheat not because of heavy usage… but because the old hard drive is literally working overtime.

SSD = cooler system = longer hardware life = happier you.

5. Want Proof? Do This:

Step 1: Download CrystalDiskMark (free tool)

Run a speed test.

If your read/write speeds are:

Below 100 MB/s, you’ve got a dying HDD.
Above 400 MB/s, welcome to SSD club (or hybrid drive).

For comparison:

HDD: 50–120 MB/s
SSD (SATA): 400–600 MB/s
SSD (NVMe): 2000–7000 MB/s+

Yep. It’s that dramatic.

6. “But My Laptop Is Old… Will It Support SSD?”

Most likely, yes. Even 10-year-old laptops can take a 2.5” SATA SSD.

It’s the most cost-effective upgrade—and often, the only reason to NOT buy a new machine.

If unsure? Bring it to NeoStore. We’ll inspect it, upgrade it, and give it back like it went on a 10-day detox.

7. Okay, I’m Convinced. Now What?

Here’s what we recommend:

120–240GB SSD if you just want fast boot & basic use.
500GB–1TB SSD if you’re into design, heavy browsing, or “30 tabs open at once” lifestyle.

We’ll clone your old data. You don’t lose a thing.

And yes—no more random hangs, loading spinners, or CTRL+ALT+DEL rage moments.

TL;DR – The SSD Test Cheat Sheet:

Symptom	Verdict
Laptop boots in >1 minute	SSD needed
Apps lag/freeze	SSD needed
Disk Usage 100% in Task Manager	SSD needed
Loud clicking sound from inside	SSD urgently needed
You cried while waiting for Excel	Therapy + SSD

Final Words from Charu

If your laptop feels like a punishment, it’s time to fix it.

Don’t dump it. Upgrade it.

An SSD costs less than your monthly Swiggy bill… and brings years of peace.

Swing by NeoStore, we’ll check it for free.

And hey—if we can’t make your laptop faster, we’ll at least make you smile.

https://support.thegoodmen.in | +919769444455