As we continue to chug ahead and technology changes, you may find that there is a wider range of 'budget-friendly' laptops on offer which can allow those who don't want to spend a pretty penny to still get a device that suits their needs. However, the reality of the situation is that a premium laptop you bought five years ago would probably outperform most modern, budget laptops with just a few tweaks and changes.

Walk into a big box store right now, and you'll see a shiny new laptop for $350, but it's made of thin plastic and promises modern features without really delivering them at a high level. Most budget laptops under $500 use e-waste materials, such as plastic hinges that snap and non-backlit keyboards. An even larger issue is their subpar Wi-Fi chips, which drop signals and make you feel like you're constantly battling for an internet connection.

Your older premium laptop, whether you bought it back in 2020 or picked it up secondhand for a bargain, probably has a better screen, better build quality, and a more powerful processor than many budget options on the shelf today. It just needs a bit of fixing up, which luckily won't set you back a fortune.

Connectivity issues

Struggling to connect to the Wi-Fi? There's a fix for that

Older laptops often use Wi-Fi 5 cards that struggle with interference in 2025's crowded airwaves. A simple solution here is to give your old laptop a connectivity transplant in the form of Wi-Fi 6E. Swapping your old laptop's Wi-Fi chip over will give it a whole new lease of life. When you feel like it might be lagging because it just can't stay connected to the internet properly, it will be an issue of the past.

The Intel AX210, which costs approximately $20, is a standard M.2 card that unlocks the 6GHz Wi-Fi band, a newer band with less congestion since fewer devices utilise it at the moment. This means your old laptop gets a faster and more stable internet connection than most budget-conscious brand-new devices, which are still stuck on congested 5GHz. This card also offers Bluetooth 5.3, which delivers a significant boost in Bluetooth stability for peripherals like your mouse and headset.

It's worth noting that wireless antennas can be optimized for certain frequencies, meaning that the results of swapping over your Wi-Fi card may vary. Another factor to consider is that not every laptop has a removable Wi-Fi card, so be sure to check your specific model before buying a new part.

Installing a new Wi-Fi card can be intimidating if you've not done it before, but don't let that put you off. Do your research, find the right tools, and check out some tutorials. This might feel quite scary, but it's actually a relatively simple task.

Overheating issues

Laptop constantly lagging and shutting off? There's a fix for that

Another way to revamp your old device is to replace the thermal paste. This is an option that can completely refresh your laptop for under $10. After years of use, your device's factory thermal paste can become dry and cracked, reducing its effectiveness as a thermal conductor.

Due to this, your CPU is likely thermal throttling, which results in it slowing itself down just to stay at a safe temperature. If you feel like your device is heating up a lot and lagging quite often, this can be a very simple solution. Re-applying thermal paste can even help if your laptop is overheating and shutting itself off.

Grabbing a tube of thermal paste for $10 and reapplying it to your CPU can make an absolute massive difference, not only if your laptop is facing issues, but also to your overall in-game performance and productivity. Applying fresh thermal paste can drop your temperature by 15°C, allowing your older CPU to maintain its boost clocks for much longer. This will make your laptop feel snappy again and can lead it to outperform a brand-new but thermally constrained budget laptop.

It's worth noting that, even more so than installing a new Wi-Fi card, reapplying thermal paste can be a bit tricky if you've not done it before. However, it isn't restricted to tech heads and enthusiasts; any user can do it with some tutorials and the right tools.

Repair not replace

New laptops all feel cheap and poor quality? There's a fix for that

Before you drop a few hundred dollars on a brand-new laptop that feels like a toy, why not spend $30 and an hour of your time on the machine you already own or a secondhand premium device you can pick up for cheap? This way, you aren't just saving money, but you're also keeping a perfectly good machine out of a landfill.

Premium laptops will likely have luxuries that budget laptops cut out, even in older models, like full-size SD card slots or multiple USB-A ports, which are slowly becoming a thing of the past as modern devices feature Thunderbolt and USB-C only. They are typically of higher quality, thanks to aluminum or magnesium alloy chassis, compared to the recycled-plastic budget shells that are more common in budget-friendly technology. One is built for a 10-year lifecycle, whereas the other is built for landfill.

Save yourself money and e-waste by rebelling against planned obsolescence. Repair your old device and give it a new lease of life.