If you can build things with Lego, then you can also upgrade a desktop computer, since most PCs are put together in module form. Germany's PC Magazin writes that if a computer is getting up there in age, swapping the spinning disk drives for a fast SSD memory chip as the main hard drive can be enough of an upgrade to give it a new lease of life.

And you really can't do much damage when replacing individual components.

Even though the chips cost more per gigabyte, they run things considerably faster than conventional magnetic hard disks.

The ideal set-up is to install the operating system and commonly used programmes on the SSD, which can be bought now starting at 70 euros (76 dollars) for 128 or 256 GB.

The previously used hard disk can still be used for pictures, films and documents, creating an optimal mix of storage, the magazine recommended.

SSD chips can usually be built into computers that are not older than 10 years and have a SATA connection. The current SATA III connection is downward compatible, meaning new SSD chips can be plugged into older SATA I or SATA II ports.

Copyright Deutsche Presse-Agentur, 2016