You should pay attention to THESE when UPgrading your BELOVED pc.

The lifespan of the computer usually lasts from two years to five years on average. The more advanced your type of system, hardware components and applied software, the longer your computer will run. As time goes by, users gradually find that their pc system is not as fast as it used to be. That is just because their pc has stored so many components that it has no space to store other files or can not catch the upgrading speed of the latest software. When this happens, users have the option of either upgrading or replacing their PCs.

Memory

A computer memory upgrade is often the best value for increasing overall computer performance. And adding computer memory or upgrading computer memory is also one of the easiest computer upgrades.

Add Or Upgrade Memory (RAM) To Improve Computer Performance

Adding Random Access Memory (RAM) is a simple and cost effective way to enhance your computer's performance. Although the computer may function with 512MB of RAM or even less, generally 1024MB is a acceptable minimum. Especially computers running under Windows XP and Windows Vista should have at least this much, but you should see a performance improvement with 2048MB of RAM. It's entirely reasonable to have more than 2048MB.

The Right Memory for Your Computer Memory Upgrade

Different computer has different computer memory. Most computers in use today use DDR or DDR2 types of memory for their main system memory (RAM - Random Access Memory). But even among compatible memory modules, there are a number of manufacturer's from which to choose. It's not only important to purchase RAM that's compatible with your computer, it's important to choose top quality RAM. Many computer problems are due to the use of sub-quality RAM. For top quality RAM without paying extra the place to go is Crucial.

Crucial memory comes with a lifetime guarantee and ships free. And they take the uncertainty out of knowing which RAM is right for your computer with their handy RAM advisor. Start by selecting your computer make (such as Compaq computers, Dell computers, Gateway computers, etc) or motherboard (such as ABit, ASUS, EPoX, MSI, etc.), clicking Go and then follow the selections to find the RAM compatible for your computer memory upgrade! The page listing the compatible memory modules will also show the maximum amount of memory your particular brand and model of computer

Hard Drives

The next comes to the pc hard drives which grows quickly with the adds of more and more digital audio, video and pictures. It is recommended that a new internal hard drive for installation or an external drive should be bought if there left no space on the system. You should pay more attention to one point whether it uses the older ATA interface or the new SATA if you are going to install the drive inside of the computer.

CD/DVD Drives

Many third-party programs that control CD or DVD burning (as well as some player applications) install CD- or DVD-ROM filter device drivers into Windows. These filter drivers are meant to allow for low-level hooks into the hardware, to allow for functions such as packet writing (where a CD-R/W or DVD-/+RW can be written incrementally, like a hard disk).

These filter drivers sometimes have problems that can cause the CD or DVD drive to stop working correctly. The device entry for the CD or DVD drive in the Device Manager may show up with an error descriptor that reads "The device could not start." Additionally, there may be an error message that reads "One of the filter drivers for this device is invalid." The devices themselves do not show up in Explorer. Error codes for the device include code 31, code 32, code 19 or code 39, and sometimes the even more ominous warning "Your registry might be corrupted" appears.

Video Cards

A video card, also known as a graphics accelerator card, display adapter, or graphics card, is a hardware component whose function is to generate and output images to a display. It operates on similar principles as a sound card or other peripheral devices.

The term is usually used to refer to a separate, dedicated expansion card that is plugged into a slot on the computer's motherboard, as opposed to a graphics controller integrated into the motherboard chipset. An integrated graphics controller may be referred to as an "integrated graphics processor" (IGP). For most computer users an integrated controller is sufficient, as it can handle most web applications and e-mail.

CPUs

Abbreviation for central processing unit, and pronounced as separate letters. The CPU is the brains of the computer. Sometimes referred to simply as the central processor,but more commonly called processor, the CPU is where most calculations take place. In terms of computing power, the CPU is the most important element of a computer system.

On large machines, CPUs require one or more printed circuit boards. On personal computers and small workstations, the CPU is housed in a single chip called a microprocessor. Since the 1970's the microprocessor class of CPUs has almost completely overtaken all other CPU implementations.

The CPU itself is an internal component of the computer. Modern CPUs are small and square and contain multiple metallic connectors or pins on the underside. The CPU is inserted directly into a CPU socket, pin side down, on the motherboard. Each motherboard will support only a specific type or range of CPU so you must check the motherboard manufacturer's specifications before attempting to replace or upgrade a CPU. Modern CPUs also have an attached heat sink and small fan that go directly on top of the CPU to help dissipate heat.

Two typical components of a CPU are the following:

• The arithmetic logic unit (ALU), which performs arithmetic and logical operations.
• The control unit (CU), which extracts instructions from memory and decodes and executes them, calling