From Eveningsnews.com
Upgrade or Buy a New PC: Maybe a Tune-Up is in Order?
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Aug 20, 2005, 14:50
(ARA) - Your PC is running like a vintage ’57 Chevy. You’re frustrated with choppy graphics and slow game play, or maybe you added some new software, pictures, music and movies after you purchased your PC. To keep up with today’s latest and greatest version of Windows, online games and multi-media applications, it may not be necessary to invest a small fortune into a whole new system. It’s what’s under the “hood” that counts.
If your system is less than two to three years old, it pays to update it with more memory, better graphics and perhaps a secondary hard drive. A memory and/or video card upgrade is a simple, cost effective way to boost your computer’s performance, providing that’s where the problem lies.
Jumpstart Your PC with Memory
A memory upgrade is one of the best $50 investments you can make to increase your PC’s performance and troubleshoot possible memory problems. In fact, you will notice a significant improvement if you simply upgrade your memory from 64MB to 256MB.
Today’s PCs have memory configurations that may require upgrades to be the exact same size and speed to work optimally. These PCs are called dual channel memory systems. These systems typically come with two memory modules in them, but they have two spare slots (or memory connectors) that need to be populated simultaneously at the time of upgrade. Therefore, you need to buy memory in identical pairs for these systems. On the other hand, if your system came with a single memory module, adding a second module of the same size and speed should also increase system performance.
You should typically purchase enough memory to at least double what your already have in your system. However, you’ll get the best bang for your buck if you purchase the optimum amount of memory for your system at once. Keep this in mind, because it may be necessary to replace the entire RAM when you do your memory upgrade.
Refer to your computer’s manual to find out what memory modules your motherboard supports. There are many modules that might physically fit, but they may not be compatible with your system’s capacity or speed. Web sites like PNY.com provide online tools to help you pick exactly the right memory upgrade for your brand PC or MAC.
Muscle Your PC with Graphics
Now you’ve got a central processing unit (CPU) faster than 2GHz and more memory, but you continue to experience sluggish performance while playing online games, editing images and storing your favorite digital photos. So, what’s the problem? You most likely have an underpowered graphics processing unit (GPU), the microprocessor of your PC’s graphics card.
When you purchase a PC, it may come standard with the manufacturer’s on-board graphics or an underpowered graphics card. The on-board graphics set up actually steals from your system’s memory because it does not have dedicated graphics memory to use. While 32MB was plenty of memory for graphics cards just a few years ago, you'll need at least 128MB to 256MB of memory on your card if you want to play the latest online games and run the newest software applications.
Design applications like Adobe Photoshop may require plenty of “scratch pad” space to load and save layers in real time. Moreover, software developers are constantly increasing the intensity and complexity of the graphics in their programs, particularly online video games. Popular PC games such as DOOM 3 are memory and processor driven. Their performance will benefit from a graphics card that has a dedicated “engine” (graphics processor and memory) to render realistic, graphic scenes at high speeds.
There are many graphics cards from which to select, so it is important to determine the unique needs and specialized requirements of the systems users. Companies like PNY Technologies offer a full line of graphics cards at all price and performance points to help users make an informed purchase.
If you are only sending and receiving emails and occasionally Web surfing, an entry level graphics card will suffice in most cases. Although a mid-range card is a better upgrade for today’s e-mails and Web sites that are graphics intensive. This is also true for average users who store digital images and video; burn digital images and video to DVDs; download movies; and play the latest video games that need a little extra performance. For businesses, mid to high-end cards are typically best. For gamers and speed junkies, a high-end graphics card is the only hardware that will satisfy them.
“As with upgrading system memory, replacing your PC’s graphics card with one that has a bit more muscle will enhance your system’s performance and computing power,” says Anthony Gomez, vice president of sales and marketing for PNY Technologies. “The upgrade will enable your system to process and display complex images quickly.”
Replacing your PC’s memory and graphics card is like dropping a new engine into that old ’57 Chevy. They are two of the easiest upgrades you can make to extend the life of your PC. Courtesy of ARA Content
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