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Nice size solid state HDD and gazillion MB of ram often fixes some problems...unless it's processor/motherboard/cards. Since on a mac book it's just one and cannot be replaced separately..

my last PC was killing me with the bios crashing, that was FUN! LOL.. had to get a brand new baby, there was no way to fix it... couldn't book from a disk, C drive was having issues LOL

Tried re formatting C drive while in it via good old DOS and it wasn't having any of it.. CNET are great when it comes to advice

@Annaar It's a great article with a good video and comments section on how to upgrade an old Mac Pro. Must be a few compers using old MAC's.

When looking to spend money on extending on old laptop/pc you need to weigh up the costs and if possible be used in a future "upgrade". Other option is to buy and sell it before it becomes worthless.

With most PC's etc made in the last few years they are likely to suit general purpose use for many years. Unlike past generations where there was a definite need to do a total overhaul and buy a new system/laptop regularly.

For my overhaul when it finally does happen the SDD and HDD which was bought relative recently will be part of the overhaul. Buying extra ram though would help for my current PC I only consider if really really cheap/free as that wouldn't be useful towards an "upgrade". Possibly my power supply might depending on the PSU requirements. I did have that replaced a few years back due to the first one dying.

SDD have many benefits from speed, power use/battery life, size, weight, heat and noise. They are significantly faster then a HDD. The worse case it would be handy backup option. Cost wise about $150 to $300 for a 256 to 512GB which should suit most needs.

I also regularly refresh the OS about once a year or so to sort out performance issues. I'm overdue for that. The secret is being prepared with having all OS, drivers and basic software like browser, video player and office software on USB. My emergency USB key.

Did you try booting from USB? Depending on your issue sounded it was most likely electronic either a power supply unit fault or motherboard. A faulty PSU can cause some headaches trying to work out what the problem is unless know the correct signs or can test on another PC. Possible your motherboard could of been rescued if it just required new drivers and was a faulty PSU. If the PC was a good 5 years it was probably time for an overhaul.

I was lucky that an old PSU bought from a good retailer which could test it on the spot and was under warranty. Most retailers would have no idea or the resources to test on the spot.

For a laptop I would highly recommend get a wireless keyboard and mouse. The last thing you want to do is kill the keyboard/pad etc on a laptop. Expensive and inconvenient to get fixed. If laptop keyboard is killed it's major decision time weighing up costs to repair. Goes for most laptop components unless it's the HDD or ram.

My system Intel Dual Core E8500, 2GB ram, SDD 256 GB Samsung 850 Pro, 3 TB HDD etc
It's about hmmm 8 years old at least. Going ok most of the time, it does gets some issues with overheating with the old graphics card and memory issues. It gets an annual removal of a dust blanket that builds up. It probably is due to be checked before next summer. For watching TV and internet browsing it runs fairly quickly it does however run into memory issues when get carried away with too many webpages open at once, when entering competitions. :(

The biggest concern is it power use. Probably the best reason to fast track an overhaul.

@Annaar Tomshardware is also good site for IT/electronics advice.

@Lemond I always spend ages on Toms hardware site reading about the parts., products etc

My old box was built by me & a techie. After my 1st purchased box died quickly (just out of warranty) ., all other machines have been home builds.

Now that they have a forum, easy to drop in & ask questions. Used to visit techs chat rooms in the old days & pick their brains. :-)

@Lemond it wasn't booting from anything.. All options were exhausted, the guys online helped. Then I called techi read out all the error messages, he was telling me what to do. He said its bios & I need to start from scratch (new baby)

If he couldn't fix it, no one could ...

@Annaar Hmm online tech support going through a script most of the time. Was there any life at all? Beeps etc. Usually motherboards make a series of beeps that correspond to a type of error. 50/50 it wasn't the bios but a faulty/dead power supply. Both have similar symptoms especially if the PSU isn't quite functioning correctly.

Doesn't matter you got it replaced saves the headache of trying to work it out of course at a cost $$$. :(

Was this a desktop or laptop?

@Lemond was desk top had new power supply & trust me it was motherboard

Thanks for the article link, @Lemond. Bookmarked now. I'm back online. Patient is stable once more...for now....