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In a another column, I spoke about software upgrades, but I never mentioned
hardware upgrades. That's because it's a lot easier to talk about software.
Hardware standards change constantly. Many new parts don't fit in older
machines. Significant hardware upgrades are usually impractical.
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A significant upgrade to the Central Processing Unit (CPU) or even the Random
Access Memory (RAM) may require an upgrade to the system board. The new system
board might require a different power supply connection. Even if you change
the power supply, the new system board might not fit in the old case. To top
it all off, your old video card, modem, even the keyboard and mouse connectors
may not fit in the new system board. New Hard Disk Drives (HDD), or hard
drives, won't work on old system boards. Sometimes old hard drives won't
connect to new boards. You may as well throw in a couple of Universal Serial
Bus (USB) ports for that digital camera you got for your birthday and a new
Operating System (OS) that understands them while you're at it.
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As they say on the infomercials, "Wait there's more." Some proprietary, or
brand name, computers can only be upgraded using Original Equipment
Manufacturer (OEM) parts. Aftermarket parts just won't fit in these computers
and the OEM parts are expensive or difficult to get.
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By the time you buy a new CPU, RAM, system board, power supply, case, HDD, and
OS you have bought a new computer. This is coming from a guy who just bought a
thirty year old bicycle because it suited his needs perfectly
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So when should you buy a new computer? When the cost of making your present
computer adequate to your needs approaches the cost of setting up a new one.
Some of the factors in this decision include the ease of obtaining compatible
parts, and whether the time that needs to be spent optimizing the old system
approaches that of setting up a new one. Pay special attention to the
condition of the hard drive. Beware of noisy, old or slow HDD. Hard drive
failures are devastating.
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There are many bargains out there, in both new and used equipment. While the
price of a new leading edge computer remains fairly constant, only rocket
scientists and internet game players will ever use more than a fraction of
their computing power. The rest of us can get by comfortably with much less
powerful systems. You can get a feel for prices by reading Monitor or one of
the other free computer magazines or perusing the newsgroups like
ott.forsale.computing.
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Some simple do and don'ts for buying a new computer. Don't rely on brand
names. Computers aren't like cars, brand names seldom mean much, especially
when you're buying a desktop. One of the most famous names in computing has
consistently marketed some of the most disappointing PCs ever made. See "Open
Architecture" on the Articles page of our website www.UnderstandingComputers.ca
to learn more. Know what you want it for before you buy. You don't need a
monster PC to play solitaire or surf the web any more than you need a Ferrari
to drive to the corner store. Don't be in too big a rush to buy. Today's
cutting edge will be tomorrow's bargain.
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Last but not least, don't shop on price alone, especially for new equipment.
Reputation is more important than size. One of our clients reported paying for
a Gateway computer the day before the mail order giant closed its Canadian
retail outlets without notice. The computer sales market is very competitive
and profit margins are quite slim. The first corner to get cut is service, the
second is quality. Good shops cut their overhead first and their service last.
Pick a shop that specializes in computers and has been in business for a few
years. Talk to the service staff, see how long they have been with the
company. A high staff turnover is a sure sign of a troubled company. If you
aren't comfortable, try somewhere else.
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