Revitalize your PC and save money | Computers

By KayBrener
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Upgrading your PC is a great way to save some of your cash; swapping out old hardware for newer, faster components is often cheaper than buying a new PC, and if armed with some technical knowledge, can match the results, speed and pep, of a newer computer. It's wise to come up with a game plan before you start randomly upgrading parts, though.

Consider what your PC already has inside and make a note of it. There's no sense in upgrading your memory if you already have the maximum amount your motherboard will allow, and if you're seeking a performance boost, doubling your RAM can often be easier and cheaper than doing a CPU transplant. A good PC upgrade plan consists of knowing your current hardware, doing a little research, and finally, doing the hardware install.

The list of priorities for IT purchases must always start with the RAM. A little word of caution is necessary: take a look at your motherboard manual and other documentation concerning your existing hardware and see which type of RAM you must purchase. If the new RAM is not compatible with the rest of the computer, then it will be just wasted cash.

Buying RAM also depends on other considerations. For instance, a CPU with a high bus rate works well with a memory that has a low access time. In such situations, purchasing new or extra RAM is a must.

Another aspect that must stand at the foundation of your upgrade plan is the main uses your machine performs for. If you are a 3D video games fanatic, or you work with complex and resource consuming graphic software, then upgrading your graphic chip is next on your list. This is among the most expensive investments in your upgrade, so evaluate the situation while cold headed.

Graphics cards are quite expensive, so it is not worth spending over $600 only on this upgrade if you do not necessarily needed. For surfing the web, consulting your e-mail or writing text documents, making such a huge expense is simply useless. Another thing that must be kept in mind when purchasing a video card is to see which is the slot type your card goes on the motherboard. Whether is PCI, PCI Express or AGP, the new item must be compatible or otherwise, you will just throw money out the window.

With MP3s, digital photographs, and videos quickly eating up precious hard drive space, a hard drive upgrade is a must if you don't want to run out of space for future files. Grafting on an extra 200 gigabytes to your system for your files to reside on is faster and less of a hassle than having to backup to a thumb drive or DVD.

Another great plus of new hard drives is that they come with a special software that provide you with the ability to transfer all of your old hard drive into the new one. This means that you do not have to install Windows all over again and you do not have to appeal to intermediary backup solutions just for this. You will surely enjoy the advantage of having a new faster hard drive that will save and load files at a speedier rate than you experienced before.

Many PC gamers and aficionados upgrade their motherboards to stay on the cutting edge of computer technology. But if you've a plan for a new mobo, make sure you don't have a proprietary PC-think Dell, HP, IBM, et al.-as in some instances you'll need to purchase a new case just to get it to squeeze in, and you'll often spend several times as much for the newer main board than you did for the older one.

Upgrading the components in your PC can give your old computer a much needed spring in its step. But before you open up your wallet and your PC's case, be sure to have a game plan before performing transplant surgery on your box.

About the Author

Kay Brenner is a PC errors consultant who specializes in restoring your slow PC, saving you from the hassles of struggling with a sick computer. To reclaim your dream machine you first bought, download a free PC Fix

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