Upgrading to 16GB of DDR3 is worth $30.

Yes, if you have 8GB or less. Modern web browsers eat RAM like candy—ten tabs plus a few extensions can easily push past 6GB. Once you hit the limit, your system starts swapping to disk, and everything slows down. Office work (especially large spreadsheets or multiple documents) has the same problem.

$30 for used RAM is a no-brainer. DDR3 is reliable enough used—it either works or it doesn’t, and returns are easy on eBay or r/hardwareswap. Your system won’t suddenly become a gaming rig, but it will stop stuttering during everyday use.

One caveat: if you’re already at 12GB and you only browse with three tabs, the gain is marginal. But going from 8 to 16 will feel like a new machine.

For thirty bucks, just do it.