When older PCs start holding modern work back

AI, collaboration tools and new ways of working are changing what businesses need from their PCs. A device may still work, but that does not always mean it can handle today’s workloads efficiently. For organisations, understanding when older hardware starts affecting productivity, security and support is becoming an increasingly important part of managing the workplace.

According to Intel, 65% of IT decision-makers say AI capabilities are now the most important criterion when choosing new business PCs.

The shift is already visible in everyday work. More video meetings, AI-assisted applications and features such as background blur and noise reduction all place additional demands on a device.

On older PCs, those demands can show up in different ways. Battery life may fall more quickly, applications can become slower when several demanding tasks are running at once, and devices may need to work harder to deliver the experience employees expect.

“Older hardware simply wasn’t designed for the new software,” says Anders Huge, Head of Public Sector at Intel.

At an individual level, a slower application or shorter battery life may seem like a small inconvenience. Across an organisation, however, additional support requests, downtime and slower workflows can add up.

According to Intel, modern AI PCs can deliver up to 34% better productivity performance than an average four-year-old Windows PC.

Microsoft also points to potential time savings from newer AI capabilities.

“Our research also shows that, on average, each employee saves five working hours per week with our new Copilot+ PCs,” says Anders Demner, Senior Partner Development Manager at Microsoft.

Why modern workloads put more pressure on older PCs

Intel introduced its first AI PCs in 2023. Many computers still in use today were therefore designed for very different workloads from those they are expected to handle now.

AI capabilities are also being added to a growing range of everyday applications. This does not mean an older computer suddenly stops working. But it may have to work harder to perform tasks it was not designed for.

“It creates a double negative effect. The battery is old, while the CPU, or processor, is also being asked to handle tasks it was not optimised for,” says Huge.

One important difference between older PCs and today’s AI PCs is how different types of workloads are processed.

Traditionally, much of the work was handled by the CPU. Modern AI PCs combine the CPU with a GPU and an NPU, with the NPU specifically designed to process AI workloads efficiently.

“The NPU and GPU take some of the load off the CPU. More and more applications will use this type of functionality,” says Huge.

For the user, the benefit is not simply having more processing technology inside the device. It is about allowing different tasks to be handled by the components best suited to them, helping the PC work more efficiently as applications become more demanding.

When PC performance becomes a business issue

Workplace computers have become critical tools for many organisations. When a device stops working, the impact can extend far beyond the device itself.

Huge points to the global CrowdStrike incident as an example. During the disruption, 8.8 million computers worldwide experienced blue screens. Organisations with remote management capabilities were in a better position to restore affected devices without having to access every computer manually.

“Airlines that had Intel remote management enabled could resolve the issues remotely instead of manually going around and restoring every computer,” says Huge.

For organisations managing large numbers of endpoints, the ability to respond remotely can make a significant difference when something goes wrong.

The wider point is not about preparing for one specific type of incident. It is that performance and manageability have become business considerations as well as technical ones. Devices need to support employees during normal working days, but organisations also need ways to manage and recover them efficiently when problems occur.

Security increasingly starts with the hardware

Performance is only one reason to evaluate an older PC environment. Security capabilities have also evolved.

According to research from Intel and Microsoft, increased ransomware risk ranks as the biggest business threat associated with keeping older PCs in an organisation.

“Cybercrime is the world’s third-largest economy. Having strong security is becoming increasingly important,” says Demner.

Modern PCs increasingly have security capabilities built directly into the hardware. Microsoft Pluton, for example, helps protect sensitive information such as passwords and encryption keys and receives security updates through Windows Update.

“This means security can be kept up to date in a completely different way from before,” says Demner.

Huge also highlights the importance of keeping both devices and their security capabilities current.

“An old, unpatched computer is the most dangerous one. Just as new computers are built for today’s software, security features are also continuously evolving.”

Intel and Microsoft are also developing technologies designed to detect malicious activity in a computer’s working memory.

For organisations, this means the security assessment of a PC should go beyond whether the operating system and applications are still running. Hardware-based protection, patching and remote management capabilities can also form part of the picture.

Look at value, not specifications alone

The case for modernising a PC environment is not simply about buying faster computers.

According to calculations from Microsoft and Intel, modern Copilot+ PCs can deliver up to 271% return on investment over three years through a combination of higher productivity, lower support costs and reduced security risks.

As with any projected return, the actual value will depend on how devices are used, the needs of the organisation and which employees benefit from the additional capabilities.

Many businesses are also still using computers purchased several years ago. Some of those devices will continue to meet their users’ needs. Others may increasingly struggle with the applications and workloads they are expected to handle.

“Many older computers simply can’t handle the new applications being used today,” says Pontus Willquist, VP Client and Endpoint Solutions at Dustin.

But updating a PC environment does not mean buying the most powerful device available for every employee.

“Needs vary depending on the role. For some employees, a computer that can handle Teams video meetings is enough. Others working with AI development or advanced graphics need more processing power,” says Willquist.

This is where a more structured approach can help. By looking at roles, workloads and the performance of existing devices, businesses can identify which PCs should remain in use and where an upgrade can make a meaningful difference.

Plan your PC environment around how people work

The pace of change in AI does not make every older PC obsolete. But it does make regular evaluation more important.

A device that continues to work reliably for one role may no longer be the best fit for another. Looking at the PC environment as a whole can help organisations avoid both replacing equipment unnecessarily and keeping devices in demanding roles for too long.

Dustin can help businesses assess their existing PC environment, identify where devices still meet current needs and plan upgrades where they can provide greater value.

Devices that are replaced may also still have value. Through Dustin’s Takeback service, businesses can recover value from equipment they no longer need while supporting reuse or responsible recycling.

The goal is not to replace every older PC. It is to understand what your teams need now, how those needs are changing and which devices can continue to support them effectively.

As AI, security and workplace applications continue to evolve, PC decisions are becoming less about age alone and more about whether the hardware can keep up with the work it is being asked to do.