T2W Trading Community

Upgradeability

If you’re not in the position where you can afford – or want – to replace your PC every 18 months to 2 years, another major factor you should consider is how easy your PC will be to upgrade.

Due to their compact nature, you should consider that a laptop PC will be substantially more difficult to upgrade than a desktop PC. Obviously, a laptop has little or no room for additional components, so upgrades are typically restricted to more RAM and a more powerful graphics card.

• RAM

  One of the most common upgrades, and by far the simplest to do, is adding more RAM. As I explained earlier, the more RAM the better. You simply can’t have enough. First of all, you need to make sure you get the same kind of RAM as you currently have. A lot of older chips (pre Pentium 4) are either 100MHz or 133MHz SDRAM (Synchronous Dynamic Randomly Accessed Memory). This is the most popular because it offers excellent performance for a cheap price.

  You can now buy another type of RAM called DDR-SDRAM, which offers even better performance, and is standard fit in most Pentium 4 equivalent computers - but is of course a little more expensive. The “DDR” part stands for Double Data Rate, and allows a 100MHz chip to have an effective clock speed of 200MHz. The fastest DDR-SDRAM currently on the market is called PC3200/DDR400, which has an effective clock speed of 400MHz. Most DDR RAM types are interchangeable between PCs – the PC will run at whatever speed its Data Bus runs at – but you should check with the manufacturer to be sure.

  RAM is very simple to install, even if you know nothing about computers. The method described below is for the installation of additional RAM in a Desktop PC. Laptop PC’s normally have a small cover on the underside of the machine that needs unscrewing in order to gain access to the RAM chips.

  All you need to do in order to fit more RAM is unplug the PC from the mains, and remove the main cover for the PC. Then, earth yourself to remove any static charge – you can do this by touching the skeleton of the PC (electrical equipment and static charges don’t mix very well, and you don’t want to end up frying the motherboard). Once you’ve earthed yourself, you can safely add more RAM.

  

  The RAM is held on small removable circuit boards that clip into place on the motherboard, in slots called DIMMs. These are secured by means of a tiny clip at each end. To remove the existing RAM, simply press down gently on the clip at each end of the RAM chip, and the boards will pop up and out. Remove them by holding them at the edges (don’t touch the chips themselves), and then simply replace with the new RAM chips, pushing them gently into place (don’t force them) until the securing clips at each end lock the card into place. It’s then just a matter of putting the cover back on and firing it up – the PC will detect the new RAM and begin to use it instantly. It’s that easy.

  
• Hard Drive
  You might consider either replacing your current hard drive, or adding a second to increase storage capacity. Again, hard drives can be purchased quite simply now from either your high-street store or via various shops on the internet, and are relatively easy to install and configure.

  At time of writing, modern hard drives come in anything from around 20 GB capacities (that’s the data equivalent of around 5000 A5-size books) up to several hundred GB – depending on the size of your wallet. They also operate at quite a wide range of speeds, and of course this will affect how quickly you can access the data stored on the disk.

  There is a simple, step-by-step hard drive installation guide that you can read here

• Processor
  Upgrading the processor is a more complex task than either of the above, and if you’re not familiar with PC architecture, it would be a task best left to a professional. The motherboard within your PC on which the CPU sits will support a range of processors – although Intel and AMD use different motherboards. However, if you’re thinking of upgrading the CPU on an older motherboard, it may not support the newest processors. If in doubt, check with the manufacturer of your motherboard first.
  

  Many modern Pentium 4 PCs should not really require upgrades for the foreseeable future unless you’re really struggling with performance – in which case a RAM upgrade will most likely help out no end. If you’re using an early Pentium III chip (or equivalent) then an upgrade to P4 or equivalent would give substantial benefits – but weigh up the costs first. Bear in mind that if the overall cost is around 60% of a new PC, it might be more effective in the long run to simply buy a newer PC and give your old one to the kids.

  If you’re interested in finding out more about what’s inside your PC, you can download a nice little application called Everest Home Edition which will tell you more about your PC’s internals than you ever need to know.