Quite often we junk our old system and buy a new one wasting
our investment in a computer that has served us well over the
past few years. You may have a name brand computer like Packard
Bell, Dell, Gateway 2000, IBM PS/2, IBM Aptiva, DEC, Compaq, HP,
Apple Macintosh, AST, Tandy etc.or a local clone and they all
cost you good money to buy. In just a few years, it looks
worthless. It doesn't always have to be like this. In many cases
you can save your existing investment by upgrading your computer.
These are some of the upgrade options available to you:
Memory
Upgrades. Adding more memory can substantially
improve the performance of your system in most cases.
Research has indicated that adding the right amount of
memory can boost performance by 40 to 50%. If the
computer has less memory than the software requires, it
keeps shuttling information between the memory and disk
wasting precious CPU time. Adding memory can often yield
significant performance improvements. Whether your system
takes the new 168 pin SDRAM DIMMS or the older 72 pin
SIMMs or 30 pin SIMMs, memory upgrades can improve your
computer's performance. Computer Memory has dropped
dramatically in price and it doesn't cost much to add
memory to your system.
CPU
Upgrades. Your CPU upgrade path depends upon the type
of computer you have. If you have a:
486 system. If your motherboard is one of the
later 3.3 volt variety (ask you vendor if you are
not sure), then most likely it can take the AMD
486 DX4-100 or 5x86-133 CPU's resulting in
significant performance improvement. If you have
a 5 volt motherboard, check if the CPU is
soldered on the motherboard. If yes, you have no
choice but to replace the motherboard. If no,
then it is quite likely that your motherboard
will accept a CPU
OVERDRIVE. Ask your computer vendor which
overdrive is compatible with your motherboard,
the Intel DX4-100 overdrive, Intel Pentium 83MHz
overdrive or the Turbo Chip 133. It is always
advisable that you contact your computer vendor
before ordering an overdrive. Whichever overdrive
you choose, you will get a significant power
boost over your existing CPU unless you already
have a 486 DX4-100 or higher.
Pentium System. If you already have a Pentium
system, ask your vendor if your motherboard will
accept a faster Pentium CPU. If yes, simply
replace the CPU.
If not, Computer
Upgrade Kits or Bare
Bone Computer Systems are your likely upgrade
paths.
Motherboard
Upgrades. If your current motherboard will not
accommodate a faster CPU or you have a 286, 386 or 486
motherboard and you want to move to a Pentium or Pentium
II System, replace your motherboard. Replacing a
motherboard can be accomplished in many ways:
Buy a motherboard
and CPU of your choice. Don't forget to order a
fan with the CPU. This option is for those who
know what they are doing and know the strengths
and weaknesses of the various motherboards and
which one will go well with the CPU they are
buying. If you are not technical enough to make
that judgement call, then go with the upgrade
kits or the bare bone systems where we have made
that decision for you.
Buy an Upgrade
Kit . Upgrade kits are ideal if you don't
want to bother with researching the motherboard
that goes well with your CPU speed. Price wise
also, it usually is better to buy a kit than buy
the items separately. However; you must have
enough technical knowledge and time to replace
motherboards. It is not as simple as you may
think and takes a good two to three hours.
Bare
Bone Systems. The difference between an
Upgrade Kit and a Barebone System is that the
motherboard is pre-installed in the computer
case. CPU and Memory is not included in the price
of the barebone system and you have to buy them
separately. If you buy a barebone system and
additional items like CPU, memory, video cards
etc., we install them for you in the barebone
system at no extra charge. All you have to do is
remove the salvageable parts from your old system
and install them in the new system (We can help
you on the phone or via e-mail if you get stuck).
It is far more easier than removing and
installing a new motherboard. The price of
barebone systems is slightly higher than if you
were buying a motherboard and case separately as
installation charges are added up. However; the
extra $30 or so is money well spent if you are
not a very technical person or don't have the
time to spare.
Video
Memory. If your only grudge with your current system
is the quality and the number of colors you can see, you
can add more memory
to your video card or buy a new video
card. No need to buy a whole new system.
Modem.
If you have anything less than a 28.8kbps modem, surfing
the internet can be an exercise in patience and very
frustrating. Select a modem
that fits your budget and you will see life around your
computer a little more bearable.
Disk
Drives. Most modern software applications require a
lot of disk space. If you have an older disk, you may be
squeezed for space and that may also slow down your
system as it tries to fit in the data as best as it can.
Besides, your old hard drive may be very slow. Newer disk
drives will not only give you more storage space, their
faster speeds will also help improve overall system
performance. Prices on hard drives have dropped so low
that you can get as big a hard drive as you want without
hurting your wallet.
Printer.
Do you think printing takes a long time on your system.
It could be that your system is too outdated but quite
often it is because your printer has very little memory
of it's own. Adding a little printer
memory can expedite the printing process. You can
also look into buying a faster printer. However; be
careful. Buying a printer that is just a shade faster
than your current one is not going to help much. Go for a
printer
that has a significantly faster output than what you have
now.
Monitor.
If you have an old VGA monitor, using the more colorful
software applications can be a little boring. To see
better colors or if you need a bigger screen, buy a new monitor.
No need to change your complete system.
If the above information does not answer your question or your
situation is different, send us an Contact Us and we will try our best
to help you.
