1. I was taking it to school. I didn't really have to worry much about this laptop. I got it for free, it wasn't worth too much, and it was an indestructible brick.
2. Storage size. I needed more storage in my main laptop while 128GB was enough for this one.
3. Reliability. This was SSD from AliExpress (XrayDisk). Not reliable enough for a main machine. And indeed, 2 years later and it has corrupted sectors.
4. Ease of replacement. This old laptop only required unscrewing 1 screw to replace the HDD. Originally it would be 4, but they were missing along with HDD caddy. Meanwhile checking video on how to open my main laptop... I'd probably tear some wires, break the plastic and also destroy the rubber feet which are somehow quite expensive.

I upgrade the device that needs the upgrade the most. Old, slow drive getting old enough that I need to consider reliability? Obvious upgrade. Old machine is lower capacity then I would like? High value upgrade. Which machine is going to see the most dramatic improvement? Let’s upgrade the old one first.

Makes sense to me.

As a side note, I have found using older laptops has given me a lot of peace of mind in truly using them “on the go”. I used to live in fear of my laptop getting forgotten at the pub when I grab a drink after work, stolen from the car, dropped as I dry to open a door with full hands, left in the sun on the seat next to me on the restaurant patio, having a drink spilled on it, getting fried plugging in to a sketchy plug in the customer’s warehouse, water damage in the rent while camping, and the like. I mean, who wants to risk $2000 to any of those scenarios. But having an old work horse, or a $200 steal I found online, or even the MacBook that I found at the recycle depot that only needed a $50 battery? Well, I am not nearly as worried about putting those machines at risk. As a result, intake and I use them everywhere. Oh, and I have them everywhere ( I often leave one in the car and have it when I find myself somewhere longer than expected. I have a laptop that sits in my young son’s room that I pull out while I sit with him at night sometimes. Super handy.

As a result, guess which machines I spend the most time on? It is the old ones. So upgrading the old machines actually has a bigger overall impact on my life.

My experience has been that, with Linux, old machines work surprisingly well for most of what I need them to do.