Hardware Upgrades

1) Upgrading Memory – Firstly be sure that the memory upgrade you are planning is actually going to make a noticeable difference to your computers performance. 90% of the battle in memory upgrades is in sourcing the correct memory chips, so do check first exactly what memory chips you need from your memory or computer supplier. Your original computer invoice may provide valuable evidence as to what is needed. Also you need to be sure that there are spare sockets inside our computer to insert the new chips or you may have to first remove some smaller sized memory chips, which will reduce your overall memory gain. Some types of computer motherboard require chips to be inserted in pairs. Beware that as soon as you open the memory sealed packet you will not be able to return the memory chips unless they have a physical fault. When installing memory chips ideally use a static discharger connected to a nearby radiator or metal frame and bear in mind that most memory chips need to be inserted firmly at a 30 degree angle.

2) Upgrading Hard Disks – This is a fairly awkward upgrade as again there are several issues involved. Firstly your computer may not be able to understand the large size of the new disk and so you may need an additional DDO ( Dynamic Drive Overlay ) disk normally available free of charge from the hard disk manufacturers website. Secondly you will need to decide if the new hard disk will appear as a second hard disk ( D: ) or whether you want to copy over all the existing information from the first hard disk. Be aware that this is not a simple matter of copying files normally from one disk to the other. Alternatively you may decide to re-load the operating system from scratch from the original media. However make sure that you have all the necessary disks / CD’s for your display adapter, Soundcard, Network Card, CD-ROM, Software CD's and license numbers etc. otherwise you may have difficulty getting your computer working properly again. Alternatively most backup drivers are available on the Internet and may be all available together on your computer suppliers web-site. It may also be possible to obtain drivers by typing in the name of the driver you require in a search engine query box e.g. www.yahoo.co.uk or by going to a dedicated driver site such as www.driverguide.com

3) Upgrading standard ISA / PCI cards such as network cards, sound cards etc. – Firstly ensure that your computer has both the necessary free physical slots inside your computer and secondly that there are enough free resources ( IRQ etc. ) for the new card to be configured. This can be seen in Control Panel, System, in most versions of Windows. PCI cards are normally faster and should be purchased wherever possible. All new computers and most second user computers from Pentium 100 upwards have both PCI & ISA sockets. Cards need to be inserted firmly at a slight angle, as often blank slots have never been used and are quite stiff. Wearing an anti-static discharge device is also recommended.

4) Upgrading processors and motherboards – The range of options available are largely dictated by the age of your motherboard. Most motherboards have a range of processors that they can understand, which are normally quite close in speed to the original processor installed. There seem to be some third party faster processors that claim they can drastically increase the processor’s speed, but again caution is the order of the day. You need to be a 100% sure that a processor will work in your motherboard before purchasing it, unless you are fortunate to find a supplier who will allow you to return it if it is not compatible. Should you wish to upgrade the motherboard as well do read the following section on general upgrade advice and also bear in mind your upgraded computer will still have a number of older components slowing down it’s overall performance.

5) General Upgrade advice – Technology is accelerating forward at a speed of knots and prices of new systems are tumbling. There are very good reasons to seriously consider a new computer system, rather than spending heavily on upgrading an older system, especially if more than one upgrade is being considered. Also many upgrades do not bring about the desired speed improvement. The saying ‘a chain is only as strong as it’s weakest link’ is very apt for computers, because an upgrade is only effective if the weak link is being addressed and only then if there are no other weak links that also need attention. In short be 100% sure that your upgrade is going to give a value for money benefit ( and some do ). If everything is working reasonably well then it may be worth considering leaving everything as it is for the time being. If you are in doubt please call.

Please email support@ITCroydon.co.uk for questions or support on upgrade issues.