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Last Updated: 01-Aug-2009 |
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Hardware Upgrades There are many ways in which a desktop computer can be upgraded economically. But before describing a few typical upgrades, it is important to identify a few caveats:
1. Memory (RAM) Probably the most significant upgrade in terms of effect, and yet in most cases far less costly than might be imagined. Of all the enhancements that might be made to a computer, this is the one that should be considered first, as the improvement in system performance can be quite dramatic. It used to be held that 256MB of RAM is adequate for Windows XP; in fact that is the absolute minimum that XP requires to perform at all, and many manufacturers even today sell new computers this amount. For XP to run efficiently, you need a minimum of 512MB of RAM, and if you can afford 768MB or even 1000MB (i.e. 1GB), so much the better. 2. Second Hard Disk Most desktop computers are capable of hosting two hard disks, and installing a second disk provides two important benefits: it will improve system performance; and it allows for the establishment of a built-in automatic backup of all your data (such as documents, emails, photos and music files). The original disk will be partitioned into two, resulting in the appearance of a second "virtual" drive; in fact you will still only have a single original physical drive, and "Drive C" - the first partition - will continue to contain your Windows operating system as well as your installed programs. Likewise the new disk will also be spit into two, with the first partition being assigned as Windows' "utility" room to contain the swap file and temporary files. Placing these files in the first partition on the second disk significantly improves system performance. The second partition on the new drive will contain all your data; the advantage is that all the files that should be backed up are in one place, completely separate from Windows and the programs. In fact, the second partition of the original disk will be designated as the data backup "drive" and backup software will be installed to ensure that all the contents of the data drive are regularly and automatically copied to this partition. This guards against the primary risk in all computers: hard disk failure, which is far more common than most people realise. By way of example, an 80GB hard disk costs somewhere around £45 incl. VAT. 3. Graphics Card Many computers are sold with no separate graphics card, and as a result the requisite display capability is delivered by the computer's motherboard itself, using some of the main system RAM to do so. For simple internet, email and basic word processing use, this configuration is probably quite sufficient; however adding a powerful dedicated graphics card can make a major difference to the performance of the system, especially if the computer is used to play games or videos, or is used for any form of "graphics-intensive" application, such as a digital imaging program (e.g. PhotoShop). A graphics card will include its own RAM (thus no longer using some of the main system RAM); moreover this RAM is optimised specifically for graphics display and is therefore more efficient and effective, byte-for-byte, than conventional RAM. A typical graphics card with 256MB of RAM on board would cost around £40 incl. VAT. 4. Optical Drives These are the various flavours of CD and DVD drives; and as with hard disks, most PCs can accommodate up to two such drives. One configuration is to have two DVD drives, one of which is also a DVD-Rewriter. As such the system will be capable of creating original CDs and DVDs, as well as making corresponding copies. It must be mentioned that you should only copy an original CD or DVD provided you do not infringe its copyright; and in any case, many such originals are "copy-protected" such that it is physically impossible to obtain a viable copy. A modern DVD-Rewriter would only cost around £25 incl. VAT. 5. Processor Upgrade This is almost always a borderline choice: very often the computer will already contain the fastest processor (CPU) that the installed motherboard can support, and where there is room for improvement, the increase in CPU power will only be marginal and probably, expensive. If you should be interested in any of the above we would be happy to quote accordingly; however where an upgrade is combined with one of the major services listed on the left, we would not normally charge any additional installation fees. Otherwise most upgrades (but not the addition of a second hard disk), would fall within our 1-hour minimum fee, and so the installation cost would probably be £50+VAT. 6. TV with Freeview Most of today's computers are technically capable of delivering television pictures and sound, using special add-in modules (known as "PCI Cards"). This will enable you to receive digital Freeview signals, and to record programs to your hard disk; and with if you've also got a DVD-Writer (see 4 above), you can then transfer the recorded program to DVD. The technology is still relatively new so prices are very volatile; however a typical module from Black Gold (the "Rolls Royce" of such devices) could cost around £65 incl. VAT for use with Windows Media Center Edition (WMCE), or £75 incl. VAT for use with Windows XP. The former relies upon WMCE's built-in TV viewing and recording functionality, while the latter incorporates this in the bundled software. 7. Laptop Upgrades Some possible upgrades for laptops, other than memory (RAM) are:
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Last Updated: 01-Aug-2009 |
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