What Difference Does 5 Years Make?

I’ve been purchasing laptops for the past 10+ years and have seen quite a bit growth from a spec perspective. The biggest improvements were solid state drives (SSDs = faster storage) and more RAM (memory) added to standard laptops. The results were night and day. This got me thinking: have new laptops gotten better in the last 5 years? I’m quoting laptops with the same standard specs (16 GB of RAM and 512 GB SSD) as I was 5 years ago for business-level users. So what’s changed? I want to show you how a new laptop is a better laptop even if they sound identical under the hood.

Let’s start with the most important factor: speed. It’s weird, because on paper it looks like the RAM, SSD, and processors are the same. When you dig into the guts of those specs, you’ll find that each piece of that hardware has improved. The processors are faster now with the use of more cores, RAM has doubled its performance, and SSDs read/write speeds are almost 3x faster.

That knocks out the 3-core specs, so let’s move into the other improvements a user will notice:

-          A laptop from today can often last twice as long on a single charge compared to one from 5 years ago. That means more usage on the go without constantly hunting for a power outlet.

-          Streaming movies, hopping on Zoom, and even light gaming are all smoother now. Older PCs might struggle, but today’s built-in graphics handle it like a champ.

-          Modern PCs come with faster Wi-Fi, USB-C, and better Bluetooth. Translation: faster downloads, easier charging, and accessories that “just work.”

-          Newer machines have stronger security baked in, which helps keep your info safe. It’s also why Windows 11 won’t even install on a lot of older computers.

Look at it this way: a new computer boots up quicker, apps open faster, and files load quicker. Same numbers on paper, but in real life, it’s like swapping an old car for a brand-new model that goes further on the same gas.