Upgrade or Buy A New
PC?
Personal computer technology
keeps speeding forward
at a breakneck pace. Depending
on how quickly a manufacturer
rolls out new machines,
it's only a slight exaggeration
to say that the PC you
purchased last month is
already obsolete. If you
bought late in a given
cycle, chances are good
that a newer (and maybe
even less expensive) model
has already replaced it.
If you're one of those
folks who always buys
the latest and greatest,
well, more power to you.
Most of us, however, live
in a world of limited
budgets.
If your PC is getting
long in the tooth, you
have several options.
You can, for example,
upgrade your current system
by adding new components
or replacing some of its
existing ones. Or you
can just buy a new machine.
[Click
here to view our PC upgrade
service]
But before you decide
what to do, it's a smart
idea to do a bit of soul-searching
and take a hard look at
why you're unhappy with
your existing PC. Is it
too slow? Does it have
reliability problems?
Do you want to play the
latest PC games, work
with images from your
digital camera, or edit
video from your camcorder?
Those are good reasons
to consider an upgrade
or new PC purchase.
However, you might also
want to consider the possibility
that your existing PC
does meet your needs.
Despite the seductive
call of new, ultra-fast
PCs stuffed with the latest
features and tons of storage
space, the bottom line
is that many of us just
don't need that much PC
power. If most of your
time is spent sending
e-mail, surfing the Web,
doing household bookkeeping,
or even writing the next
great American novel,
you really don't need
the blistering speed and
bells and whistles of
the latest models.
On the other hand, a
few judiciously selected
upgrades could help you
ease into more-sophisticated
computing without busting
your budget. And although
the computer companies
won't like to hear this,
upgrades can allow you
to put off purchasing
a new system for months,
perhaps even years.
How Old Is Too Old?
Before we look at the
types of PC upgrades you
might consider, it's important
to talk about which computers
are worth upgrading. The
best measure is the age
of your PC. If your computer
is less than two years
old, it's a good candidate
for upgrades. If your
PC is much older than
that, there's really no
point in trying to upgrade
it. PCs that are three,
four, or more years old
are simply unable to take
advantage of the newest
components such as hard
drives or graphics cards.
In some cases, specific
upgrades--such as processors
aren't available for older
PCs; in others they'll
work, but at slower speeds.
For example, while you
can install one of the
newest mega-space hard
drives in your old PC,
it won't work at maximum
speed. Some older PCs
also require special upgrade
components--such as memory
chips--that are difficult
to find or so expensive
that upgrades just aren't
economical.
When to Buy New
Aside from the age of
the PC, there's no hard
and fast rule for when
upgrades just aren't worth
it. But if you decide
to upgrade most of your
PC's components with higher-end
options, the price can
quickly approach the cost
of a brand new PC. In
that case, you should
opt for a new computer,
which will give you a
system where everything
is designed to work together
using the latest technology.
In addition, some applications
require superfast systems.
That's particularly true
for editing video from
camcorders or playing
the latest eye-popping
computer games. These
require very fast processors,
oodles of RAM, and big
high-performance hard
drives. Admittedly, you
can get by with an upgraded
system, but you'll have
to live with compromises.
You can, for example,
edit video on an older,
upgraded system, but you'll
spend time twiddling your
thumbs while the system
catches up with you. And
you won't be able to use
some of the more advanced
video effects that would
be a piece of cake for
a brand new system.
Tips on choosing the
right CPU for you
The CPU (central processing
unit) is the brains of
the computer and it is
the central component
that determines how powerful
and expensive your system
will be. The performance
of the processor, which
is measured in megahertz
(MHz) or gigahertz (GHz),
determines how quickly
the computer responds
to the requirements placed
on it and the higher the
number, the faster the
processor.
The two major players
in the CPU market are
Intel and AMD. While each
has their individual strengths
and weaknesses, both offer
processors with comparable
levels of performance.
Here's a breakdown of
their offerings:
Entry Level - AMD Duron
and Intel Celeron - These
chips are designed for
inexpensive computers
and are best suited for
office applications (word
processing, accounting),
Internet access and light
multimedia tasks (viewing
video, digital photography,
etc.). While you see PCs
powered by these chips
with the same speed rating
as more expensive processors,
they are missing a few
features that are found
in their pricier cousins.
The most important of
these is the size of the
cache. Cache is where
the processor stores frequently
accessed instructions
or data for faster performance.
For example, Celerons
are equipped with 128K
of cache while a Pentium
III has up to 512K.
Mid Level - AMD Athlon
(200 MHz bus) and Intel
Pentium III - These chips
provide a solid mix of
power and affordability.
They do a good job of
handling more processor
intensive tasks like audio/video
editing and 3D imaging
as well as speeding up
the rest of your computing
tasks.
Top Of The Line - AMD
Athlon (266 MHz bus) and
Intel Pentium 4 - These
are the fastest processors
available. They're best
suited for those who put
a premium on multimedia
performance and power-hungry
applications like computer
aided design.
While it might be tempting
to buy a PC with a 3.0
GHz Pentium 4 instead
of a 2.4 GHz, it's not
necessarily the most economical
decision. The newest processor
to hit the market usually
does not have enough of
a performance improvement
over its predecessor to
justify its high price.
You can find a better
deal by buying a couple
of speeds below the leading
edge.
Moving Data to Your
New PC
If you do opt for buying
a new PC, you've probably
wondered, "How do
I move my stuff from my
old PC to my new one?"
It's a major consideration,
but there are answers.
If your new PC comes with
Microsoft Windows XP already
installed, as it probably
does, XP includes a "Files
and Settings Transfer
Wizard" that will
help you copy essential
data from your old PC.
(On your XP system, click
Start, All Programs, Accessories,
System Tools, and then
choose Files and Settings
Transfer Wizard.) If you
don't have a home network,
you'll need a special
cable to connect your
old and new computers.
However, one thing the
Files and Settings Transfer
Wizard doesn't do is transfer
your applications to your
new computer. You'll need
to reinstall them. To
do the whole job, you
can use a program like
Eisenworld's $30 PC
Relocator, which transfers
all your applications
in addition to your files
and settings.
Choosing the Upgrade
Path
Upgrading a computer
isn't rocket science.
If you're handy with a
screwdriver, you can do
it. But it does require
some careful, methodical
work. If you're all thumbs,
or the impatient type,
you can still forge ahead
on the upgrade path, but
it's not a bad idea to
get a computer-savvy
friend to help.
[Click
here to view our PC upgrade
service]
One caveat: Don't
expect to be able to upgrade
your PC's microprocessor.
Two to three years ago,
processor upgrades from
companies such as Kingston
and Evergreen Technologies
were readily available
and popular. But they're
usually not an option
anymore because today's
motherboards are designed
for specific processors
running at specific speeds.
And even if you could
upgrade to a faster CPU,
you'd find that it wouldn't
make a huge difference
in overall system speed.
The processor is just
one of the many components
in a PC that must work
together for maximum performance.
Memory
Memory - RAM - Random
Access Memory. RAM is
by far the easiest and
most productive of upgrades
to do. RAM is your computer's
short-term memory, which
it uses to store the information
that you are working on.
Adding memory will allow
your applications to open
faster. There are a great
number of different types
of memory (EDO, PC66,
PC100, PC133, DDR2300,
DDR3300 etc.).
The SDRAM DIMM is the
most widely used memory
type in older standard
desktop systems. SDRAM
has various speeds; 66Mhz
(PC66), 100Mhz (PC100)
and 133 Mhz (PC133).
NOTE: DIMM stands
for dual inline memory
module
Only buy the correct
speed for your motherboard.
You need to check the
motherboard's specification
before making the purchase.
If the specs says that
the motherboard only supports
100 MHz SDRAM, then buy
only PC100 SDRAM only.
66MHz modules will not
work on a 100/133MHz bus
speed.
While some 133Mhz module
will work on 100Mhz motherboard,
do not assume all 133Mhz
memory work on 100Mhz
motherboard.
In addition, please check
with motherboard manufacture
to see if the motherboard
bios support 256MB(32x4)
or 512MB(64x4) new standard.
If not, it will only read
half of the memory capacity
even though your computer
starts up normally.
Please contact your motherboard
manufacture to update
the bios to accept (32x4)
or (64x4) new standard.
Generally, for motherboard
that accept (32x4) or
(64x4), it must be able
to take 512 MB in each
memory slot, If the motherboard
doesn't support (32x4)
or (64x4) standard, please
order the (16x8) or (32x8)
standard.
If you are upgrading
an old mb (say P3), choose
PC133 256 mb double sided
SDRAM. It fits all older
motherboards that do not
support single sided SDRAM.
Most desktop computer
use non-ECC (error correction),
non-registered, and non-buffered
memory modules.
ECC and registered memory
modules are normally used
by servers that require
these features and ECC
memory are far more expensive
than the non-ECC memory.
CL stands for CAS Latency.
When a module is labeled
CL2 it means there are
only two clock cycles
before the module can
send the first block of
data.
CL3 means there are three
cycles before the first
block of data is sent.
Cl2 is considered to
be a small percentage
faster than CL3 modules.
Hard Drive
Hard Drives - Internal
Storage - After RAM, hard
drives are the next most
popular PC upgrade. Drives
keep getting bigger, and
prices keep falling. The
longer that you own a
machine, usually the more
files and information
you build up. It won't
be long until that drive
will be full. Adding an
additional hard drive
will allow you to store
much more data. A large
number of PC desktops
will have space to run
multiple hard drives (which
would appear as a D: drive
along side C:) and they
are very inexpensive to
add. IDE hard drives work
on a Master and Slave
system, whereby two devices
may attach to each connector,
one is a master and one
is a slave device - your
new drive will need to
be set to the right setting.
CD-RW Drive
Optical Drives - Internal
and External Optical devices
- CD writers, DVD writers
and Combo drives are available.
These can fit either internally
to your machine, or externally.
These devices allow archiving
and additional storage,
and the ability to write
your own CDs and DVDs.
If your PC didn't come
with a CD-RW drive that
allows you to create your
own CDs, adding one is
a relatively simple upgrade
that adds real utility
to your computer.
Graphics Card
Graphics Cards - The
graphics card is the device
which your system uses
to display on its monitor(s).
A new graphics card can
render images on your
screen faster, produces
sharper and higher-resolution
images. There are two
types; AGP and PCI.
AGP is a newer technology
and can handle cards with
up to 256MB of memory,
allowing the fastest possible
output. It is worth noting
that if you have a slow
processor then these make
less of an impression.
High end graphics cards
require cutting-edge systems
with fast processors (usually
at least 2 GHz) and lots
of RAM.
PCI is an older type
of connection, there are
PCI graphics cards that
you can buy, but they
are of a lower spec than
those available for the
AGP slot.
Sound System
If you're into PC music,
a new sound card and latest-technology
speakers make a difference
you can hear. A new sound
card and speakers can
give you a sound system
that rivals the stereo
system in your living
room.
Monitor
Since you spend all your
PC time looking at your
monitor, investing in
a newer, bigger monitor
can be better than getting
a new PC. Your eyes will
thank you for it. If your
old PC came with a 14-
or 15-inch CRT monitor,
stepping up to a 17-inch
or even a 19-inch tube
will make all the difference--especially
if you roam around unwieldy
spreadsheets regularly.
Or, you can opt for one
of the hot new flat-screen
LCD monitors. They're
bright and crystal-clear.
And prices are falling:
You can opt for a big
17- or 18-inch LCD for
a few hundred dollars
more.
Connectivity
FireWire - FireWire
is a high speed connection
used by many external
devices. Mostly it is
used for the import/export
of digital video and connection
of high speed storage
devices. FireWire can
be added very cheaply
into a free PCI slot,
and is a user upgradeable
part. Once you have FireWire
you can add external hard
drives, external CD/DVD
writers and many other
devices to enhance your
computer.
USB - USB is stands
for Universal Serial
Bus and has two revisions.
USB 1 is used for the
connection of printers,
scanners and mice, it
has a slow connection
speed (ideal though for
these devices), the majority
of new peripherals are
USB - so a cheap USB card
can expand the connectivity
of your machine considerably.
USB 2.0 is the second
revision of the USB connection
it has a much faster connection
rate and, like FireWire,
can be used for a wide
variety of storage and
optical devices. USB 2.0
is backwards compatible
with USB 1, so a USB 1
device will work on USB
2 - and the other way
around, albeit at a slow
speed.
IDE - IDE is the
most common internal device
connectivity, it is used
for CD writers, hard drives
and removable media. In
larger PC desktops it
is possible to run out
of IDE connectors on the
motherboard, but still
have space for more devices,
in these cases an additional
IDE PCI card can help
by giving you extra connections.
SCSI - SCSI stands
for Small Computer
Systems Interface
and is used for connection
of hard drives and CD
drives internally, and
scanners. SCSI is a fairly
difficult connectivity
to master, and requires
a great deal of thought
beforehand - it can provide
the fastest internal transfer
speeds but at a cost (SCSI
hard drives can be up
to 6 times more expensive
than their IDE equivalents
). A lot of high end scanners
also use SCSI to get the
fastest throughput.
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