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Upgrade Your Personal Computer
Introduction
Personal computer (PC) hardware upgrades cover a lot of territory, including the addition of USB/Firewire ports, random access memory, multimedia components, jumbo hard disk drives, etc. Major upgrades include replacement of the motherboard and processor. Fortunately, the PC market is well defined by industry standards, which reduces your risk as far as compatibility issues are concerned. Mainstream product manufacturers are keenly aware that magazine reviews can make or break their products, so they are highly motivated to offer quality hardware at competitive prices.
What Brands to Shop For
Product reviews are a great start, but I've found that my preferences don't always agree with those of magazine editors and their Internet reviews. Your preferences will no doubt be different as well. However, I can advise that when you research on-line, it's generally safest to stay with well-known brands, especially those manufacturers who have pioneered the device technology. For example, when it comes to motherboards you'll have a number of product offerings and reviews to back them up. But my preference has always been Intel since they have the design knowledge behind their processors and chipsets. Even though other brands appear to fare better in the performance comparisons, Intel products are conservatively designed and usually provide rock solid performance for years, if not decades. Even if you have highly demanding applications, the difference of 1 or 2% in performance will hardly be noticeable. Many of the alternative name-brand products perform well, but experience has shown that inexpensive hardware may lead to a problemic computer. The consumer should be aware that benchmarks don't always tell the whole story. AMD makes excellent processors that have certain benchmark advantages over Intel, but they also have disadvantages. Generally, AMD processors are good alternatives to Intel and are very popular with the gamer crowd.
Saving money is always good so it is recommended to settle on a specific hardware model, and then shop for the best value. Know the difference between best price and best value. For example, shopping the best price on a DVD burner may not always lead to the best value. You may save a few dollars purchasing a low-priced model but then you run the risk of compatibility, durability, or warranty issues after the sale. I recommend purchasing models made by well-known manufacturers from mainline e-tailers. For example, since Plextor pioneered burn-proof technology their CD and DVD burners remain my first choice. Choose a model at Plextor's web site, and then shop for the best price from an on-line e-tailer.
Beware of prices below the norm as this may indicate refurbished merchandise, grey market warranty, or other potential problems. Shop the bottom line; that is the total delivered cost, which includes shipping, handling, and sales tax. Unless you're really paranoid, avoid add-on warranties since electronic devices usually fail immediately, in which case the base warranty should cover replacement.
Monitor
Put your money into the most important feature of your computer, the display. Prices continue to drop for liquid crystal display (LCD) monitors. A good rule of thumb is to allow about one third the cost of a computer system to go toward a flat-panel monitor. Where high-end video and gaming software is the intended usage, the cost for monitor and video card can easily exceed that of the computer. For applications requiring precise color rendering, invest in a monitor calibration system, such as from Greytag MacBeth or Pantone. For details, see my tech note "Advanced Digital Photography and Color Compensation".
Selecting a monitor is a personal choice. There are many options so perhaps the best way to choose is to visit several retailers, talk to their sales staffs, and decide which technology best suits your budget.
Motherboard
This is a very popular upgrade and results in significant gains in performance. Purchase of a new motherboard requires a new processor and memory so the impact on your wallet can be pretty steep. Since you keep your peripherals, the overall cost of a motherboard upgrade will be about half the cost of replacing the entire system. Your operating system and application software will need to be reinstalled, so this is a good time to upgrade to the latest versions available.
Pentium 4 motherboard selection tips. Choose a motherboard that has the VGA video port, LAN port, and sound function built in. Many mainstream boards that include these features can be purchased for less than $150. Even with these built-in functions, you can upgrade with your own video or sound card. If you have particular performance needs for a high-end video or audio card, then do your research and purchase the features you desire. Processors well into their market cycle are available for around $200 and memory around $45 per 256 MB.
Motherboards come in two sizes: ATX and micro-ATX. The main difference is the number of expansion card slots, with ATX having five slots and micro-ATX having three. Both form factors are standardized, so select the one that matches the present motherboard in your PC's case. Mounting hole locations have been standardized for years, so they should line up. Earlier Pentium 4 cases provided holes for four extra standoffs to support the processor's heatsink assembly. Several of Intel's latest processors no longer require these standoffs, so compatible motherboards may fit into an earlier case that doesn't have heatsink mounting holes. Pentium 4 motherboards also require one or two extra power connectors not found on Pentium 3 power supplies. Power supplies are usually pretty easy to replace, so if you need an upgrade select a model rated for Pentium 4 systems.
You can reuse many of your older components such as the hard disk, CD drive, etc., but the latest advances in motherboard and processor technology have outdated your older peripherals. They will become bottlenecks, so you should upgrade to new drives as well.
Processor-Only Upgrade
Check your motherboard manufacturer's web site for a listing of processors compatible with your motherboard. Often, the motherboard's revision level and BIOS will determine which processors are guaranteed to work with your system. The market for processors continues to evolve at a rapid pace so the latest processors are discontinued within two to three years of their release. If your timing is good, you can pick up a fast processor near the end of its product lifecycle for a modest price. Another upgrade option is to purchase a processor from an aftermarket supplier such as PowerLeap at www.powerleap.com. They adapt new processors to the older form factors. The bottlenecks of memory speed, system bus speed, etc. are still inherent in the motherboard, but for certain applications this may be a cost-effective alternative.
Random Access Memory (RAM)
Increasing your computer's memory will increase your application software's efficiency, especially when it requires significant data storage space. The reason is that the operating system first allocates application storage requirements to RAM and when all memory space is used then it allocates to the hard disk drive. There's a big difference in data storage/retrieval time between RAM and disk space. So, adding RAM enables your operating system to allocate memory more efficiently, resulting in noticeable improvement in your applications.
Modern operating systems such as Windows 2000 and XP require a minimum system RAM of 64 MB. However, office suites, graphic software, video and audio applications, etc. will ask the operating system for a lot more memory space. Eventually, data is allocated to the hard disk, which is when the system slows down. This is particularly noticeable when multiple applications are open and you're changing back and forth between windows. Mainstream workstations need 256 to 512 megabytes (MB) of RAM for efficient operations, and we're finding 1024 MB of RAM increasingly common for high-end workstations.
Purchasing memory requires that you know your motherboard make and model number. Memory suppliers such as Kingston, Simple, and Crucial offer memory configurators that identify your particular computer so the memory will be compatible. There are specific requirements for matching speed, size, parity, etc. to your present memory modules, so you're going to have to open your case to determine the exact memory modules that your system has. (Bold for emphasis:) Follow your motherboard documentation for adding memory. If your upgrade was not compatible, the first sign of trouble is a blank monitor caused by a processor halt before the boot process starts. This is often the result of installing the wrong memory or installing the right memory in the wrong slots. When adding memory, check your motherboard documentation to ensure your new memory modules are installed correctly so they work with your existing memory modules.
Hard Disk Drive
Creating audio and video files can quickly fill a hard disk drive. Now that 250+ GB drives are available, and better yet affordable, many of you will benefit from this addition. If your motherboard is more than three years old, you may be hardware-limited to 137 GB in addressable hard disk space. As long as your computer is PCI 2.2 compliant, you can purchase a disk controller card that will bypass the 137 GB barrier. For example, the Promise Ultra 100 disk controller provides two IDE ports and works by installing a BIOS extension. Recognition of large drives (beyond 137 GB) is automatically performed when the computer boots. Another workaround is to install a SATA or SCSI adapter card. If your motherboard is compatible, then the latest SATA II (300 MB/sec) adapter card and storage drives may be for you.
DVD Drive
Digital Video Disk (DVD) is increasingly common on most new computers. Read-only drives allow you to watch DVD movies on your computer and Read-Write drives enable you to record up to 8.5 GB of data onto a double-layer disk. Modern DVD drives are usually compatible with CD technology so you'll get the functionality of both.
Video Adapter
The hottest games in town require the latest 128 MB video cards. Gamer software has been leading the technological need for high performance video adapters. In fact, the technology on the latest video cards is highly integrated and every bit as complex as the rest of your computer. But if your intended usage doesn't include demanding game software, then a more moderate video card will do. An AGP card with 16 MB of RAM is adequate for most office applications. If you expect to do graphics processing, a card with 64 MB of RAM is recommended.
A multimedia video adapter will allow your computer to display television on your monitor and to display computer content onto the television. High-end cards such as ATI's All In Wonder 2006 include a television tuner, video in/out, and sound in/out. Video processing takes a lot of computational power, so you'll need a very fast system. Look for the latest multimedia video adapter technology (PCI Express 16x or AGP 8x) supported by your motherboard.
Sound Adapter
A good reason to upgrade your sound card is to take advantage of the latest surround sound speaker systems. Six (5.1) and eight (7.1) channel sound cards, for example, provide the ultimate in sound quality from your computer. Also, the latest motherboards are available with 5.1 and 7.1 capabilities. If your computer is located close to your entertainment center, then take advantage of it by installing a patch cable from your sound card's output jack(s) to your entertainment sound system. If you plan on recording from your entertainment sound system, install a patch cable to your sound card's input jack(s). Your sound card should have high-quality 16-bit stereo analog-to-digital converters with at least 95 dB of signal to noise ratio. If your audio recordings have poor quality, then an upgraded sound card may improve your recording quality.
Wireless Local Area Network (LAN)
Wireless LAN's are hot these days, with 54 Mbps technology making its way into the mainstream and much higher rates only a year or two away. One option is to install the access point in a spare PCI slot. Another option is to use a USB cable to connect to an access point. For 802.11G data rates (54 Mbps), you'll need USB 2.0. In either case, keep intruders from accessing your Internet connection without your knowledge by changing your hub's default settings.
Wireless Keyboard and Mouse
Great upgrade for the computer geek who has everything!
Power Conditioning and Protection
An uninterruptible power supply (UPS) provides backup line power that will allow your computer to continue operating whenever power is lost. This is an excellent upgrade that will provide data protection, especially in areas where power fluctuations are common. In addition, surge-protected power strips should always be used with sensitive electronic systems, including television, video, and audio entertainment systems. For more information on power protection please read my tech note "Power Protection For Your Computer".
Universal Serial Bus and Fire Wire Ports
USB and Firewire technologies are similar but not compatible. USB devices are much more common but Firewire is very popular with the MacIntosh crowd, especially for multimedia applications. All computers now come with USB ports, and Firewire ports are very easy to add. If you don't have enough ports for all your devices you can add a hub or a PCI card that will give you thee or four additional ports. Older computers with the original USB 1.0 technology will benefit from the addition of a USB 2.0 card. The faster transfer speed of USB 2.0 makes a noticeable difference when transferring multi-megabyte files (e.g. audio and video files) or backing up to a portable hard disk drive. USB 2.0 speed is comparable to Firewire and backwards compatible with USB 1.0 devices. If you need front-mounted USB or Firewire ports, there are adapters that fit in a spare 3.5-inch drive bay. (e.g. Startech's 35BAYFWUSB)
External USB and Firewire Devices
If you can imagine it, someone has probably built a hardware device that operates on the USB or Firewire bus. External hard disk drives, CD/DVD drives, floppy disk drives, keyboards, speakers, JAZ drives, network hubs, etc. are just a few of the options available.
Technology: USB 2.0 is rated for 480 megabits per second (Mbps) and Firewire is rated for 400 Mbps. These are totally different technologies and although USB 2 appears to be faster, the Firewire folks claim it is more efficient at data transfers. Firewire II is the latest technology and is rated at 800 Mbps, so the argument effective ends here. Using Firewire, up to 63 devices may be connected, while USB allows for up to 127.
