I Fix-It Proposal - Grade: A PDF

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Summary

This was assigned by Ximena Hernandez to find something an fix it. ...

Description

Abstract: Laptops are really useful in school and in the workplace. They can also be pretty expensive, depending on things, such as what specifications it has and what brand it is. Apple, for example, has their macbooks, which are popular but pretty expensive. If you still have a macbook from 2010 and 2011, chances are you can easily keep using that macbook today, 7/8 years later, and not have to cough up money for a new one. For a relatively small amount of cash, you can upgrade your old macbook to get some more performance and speed from it and continue using it in the present. The upgrade involves adding more RAM to your machine. RAM, in simple terms, is how much memory your computer has to have several applications or browser tabs open at once. With more RAM, your machine will be able to have more of these open and be able to load them up quicker and even boot up quicker as well. Getting inside your macbook to replace the RAM is quite simple, and just involves using a screwdriver and unscrewing the screws on the bottom of the laptop, removing the bottom, locating the ram, popping them out, and replacing them with higher amounts of RAM. In the end, with 15 minutes or less, you can boost the speed of your old macbook, which will save you money and help the environment, since you would not have to discard your old laptop.

II.

Objectives: The benefits of upgrading your old Macbook are: ● Going from two gigabytes to now having eight gigabytes. ( Adding 4x more memory) ● Not having to invest more money in purchasing a new computer ● Current one will last for more years ● Makes your job easier having a speedier computer ● Beneficial for your system software (more RAM means stuff like booting up quicker) ● Able to have more tabs open on Safari, Chrome, etc. This guide is helpful because: ● It doesn’t require a lot of money to do ● It isn’t difficult to follow ● You don’t need any fancy/technical knowledge This guide intends to: ● Show the importance of RAM ● Show how simple it is to speed up an old Macbook ● Show the importance of repairing and/or upgrading old technology

III.

Background/Introduction: Repairing your old laptop, or technology in general, is really important for both you and the environment. Repairing can be cheaper than buying an entirely new laptop, cell phone, etc. If you

repair, you will prevent throwing away said technology that you own, where it might end up at a landfill, in which the materials inside the laptop or cell phone can be hazardous to the environment. According to iFix-It, 60 percent of e-waste ends up at landfills. Once there, the materials that are hazardous can seep into the ground and water and affect the environment. Even if you don’t know how to repair it yourself, you can take it somewhere to get it repaired, which in return helps the economy. Repairing makes more jobs than recycling does as iFix-It states. In addition, in their article, they explain how “Every cell phone repaired is one less that needs to be manufactured.” This is a good thing, considering how much valuable resources are wasted in manufacturing electronics. Most electronics contain many rare earth metals in them, such as gold, silver, tin, etc. In fact, according to their article, “Recycling is Destruction,” 17 of them can be present in one's device and 99 percent of that cannot be recovered for recycling. People tend to replace their electronics as soon as they stop working or they accidentally break them. They’ll find it more easier to buy a new one, when repairing can save them money and prevent the rare earth metals in them to go to waste. Even if one considers recycling, repairing is still the better option, since even when recycling electronics, 30 percent of the material cannot be recovered, excluding rare earth materials, in which 99 percent cannot be recovered. These rare earth metals are not an unlimited resource, they’ll eventually run out. This is more alarming considering a phone cannot be made out of 100 percent recycled materials. In conclusion, repairing is a better solution to prevent e-waste and save valuable resources from depleting. If more people know the benefits of repairing, then we can be one step closer to solving the problem of e-waste. IV.

Methods The procedure goes as follows: 1) Flip the MacBook so you have the back of it facing upwards and unscrew the 8 screws you see on back. 2) Place screws somewhere where you don’t lose them and remove the backing by prying it open with your fingernails. 3) Find where the RAM for your MacBook is located. 4) Remove the RAM by using two fingers to push along the plastic hinges of container so that the top one pops out, and do the same for the bottom to pop out. 5) Get your new RAM and put it at the bottom of the two slots making sure to insert it correctly. Do the same for the top slot. 6) Put the backing of the MacBook back on and screw back on the 8 screws. 7) Turn on the MacBook and see if it shows the correct amount of RAM you put in. 8) Enjoy!

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Required Materials: 8GB minimum of RAM

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Screwdriver

V.

Significance: It is important to change the ram in order to upgrade the computer without having to purchase the latest and greatest computer. When you purchase a computer it might only have a few gigabytes making it harder for your computer to work, adding more RAM will multiply the amount

your computer has available two, three, or four fold, which will future proof your computer. This is much cheaper than buying a brand new computer that might not be worth the cost. It will also last much longer than usual. People tend to see that a computer is slower than usual and might not be working the same, so they decide to buy a new one. The solution to this is very simple and people should repair a computer instead of buying a new one.

References "Recycling Is Destruction. - IFixit." Recycling Is Destruction. - IFixit. Np., nd. Web. 2 Apr. 2018. “Repairable Products Make Good Sense” - IFixit." Recycling Is Destruction. - IFixit. Np., nd. Web. 2 Apr. 2018. “The E-waste Problem” - IFixit." - IFixit. Np., nd. Web. 2 Apr. 2018....