Speed-Ups and Savings: Upgrade, Don’t Replace

August 28, 2009 - 3:50 pm

With software growing in sophistication, games increasing in detail, and new forms of media becoming widespread, the demands placed on home computers continues to grow at a rapid rate.

This development is relentless, with top-of-the-range computers being superseded by its successor within a matter of months. So how, we hear you ask, should you keep our home technology up to date with industry standards without spending a fortune? The answer is upgrades.

The cost and benefit to be had from upgrading a machine usually outweighs the benefits of purchasing a brand new PC. For instance, a RAM upgrade for £20 can extend the life of your computer for another 4 years, and you don’t have to be a computer scientist to upgrade your machine for yourself.

The benefits to upgrading are not just to your wallet, but also to the planet. When it comes down to it, netbooks, laptops and PCs are just pieces of plastic, metal, and silicon. This makes them far from easy to dispose of. When you buy a computer it’s not a short term commitment and, for the environment’s sake, it’s up to us to try and make them last.

So here are just a few facts and tips that will put you on the road to speeding up your system without causing too much damage to your wallet. A quick disclaimer before we proceed with the tips: when working on a computer, but sure that it’s switched off, unplugged, and that you’re observing anti-static precautions.

Know your system
Before you begin to upgrade your machine, you need to know what your existing system can be extended to. New hardware often has various requirements that must be met, so it’s important to know exactly what upgrades are possible for your computer.

The two best ways of finding this information out are by referring to the specifications provided by the manufacturer, or using a system information program. In either case, you are looking to find out what type of memory the system accepts, what upgrade slots are available and what types of processor the system accepts.

Knowing your system will prevent you from turning a cost-saving exercise into an expensive mistake.

Memory
Memory is high speed storage used by running programs. The more programs you have running simultaneously, and the more advanced their features, the more memory you need.

If you start to run out of available memory, the system will slow down significantly. Switching between programs takes longer and the system feels sluggish which can be very frustrating.

Luckily, memory is easy to upgrade, and are designed to be easy to fit and remove: perfect for a high impact home upgrade. With tools such as Kingston Technology Memory Search you can find Kingston Technology memory modules that are appropriate for your system, and what’s more at Kingston Technology how to guides we even walk you through how to install it.

Hard disk
What with music, movies and new programs, no matter how much storage you start off with it’s always easy to fill it up.

With a PC, it’s usually possible to add disk space to a system alongside what’s already there, by fitting a second hard drive. But there isn’t always room for this, particularly in laptops. In such cases it is necessary to copy everything from the old disk onto the new one. This sounds like a time consuming nightmare, but don’t fret, there are tools out there to help. Disk imaging tools, such as Norton Ghost^® and Acronis True Image Home 2009^®, are designed to make this process straightforward, allowing you to extend your disk space way beyond your current needs. Upgrading doesn’t just have to solve a current problem: it can also future-proof your PC.

At the time of writing, a 500GB HDD can be bought for less than £50, making storage costs less than £1 per 10GB. 64GB SSDs can be purchased from as little as £130. Now that’s definitely cheaper than that new computer you’ve been looking at.

SSDs - watch out, they're crazy fast!

Processor
Generally speaking, a memory upgrade will yield a greater performance increase than a processor upgrade, so before you go for this one, make sure that you’ve read the first section of this guide. However, if you run any programs that place a high demand on the processor, such as advanced video editing software, there may be a benefit to replacing it.

A processor with a higher clock speed will usually deliver higher performance when compared to older processors by the same manufacturer. You should also keep an eye on the number of cores the processor has: the more the merrier.

Graphics card
PC games are by far the most demanding applications that run on home computers, with millions of polygons having to be drawn per frame. An inadequate graphics card will either draw too slowly, resulting in visual stuttering, or simply won’t support features that provide the best visuals for new games.

The right graphics card upgrade depends on what you have now. New graphics cards start at around £50, but can go above and beyond £300. It’s best to look at the recommended graphics card specification for the most recent game you like to play, then considering investing in something a little more powerful than that, so that you have some headroom for the future. And why don’t you couple your new graphics card with some new memory? It will make an awesome upgrade combination, making the world of difference to your gaming experience.

The inside of your computer may look scary. If you're not confident, go to an expert.

Conclusions
It’s really worth taking a step back from the new computer magazine that you’ve been reading, and trying out some simple upgrades before you splash your cash on a new machine. It’ll save you time (who enjoys setting up software and transferring files?), money, and the planet.

If upgrades seem a bit beyond your tired computer and you do decide to take a plunge and get a sparkly new one, be responsible and take your old one back to the shop where you bought it. That way they’ll dispose of it in an environmentally responsible way for you. And if you are buying a new PC or laptop look into the spec and ask a sales assistant about the processor and memory to put off those upgrades for as long as possible.

Hopefully we’ve given you some ideas for the main system upgrades that you can carry out easily at home. In our opinion, memory upgrades are a great place to start and can often produce impressive results. If you’re an upgrade novice it’s definitely one to give a go: with a little help from Kingston Technology you’d be surprised how straight-forward it can be.