COLUMNIST: Computer upgrades

The last two weeks I’ve been focusing on things that will help get your computer running faster via software means, and next week I’ll continue. Sometimes no matter what you do, however, your computer is just too old to handle modern software.

I remember the first computer I opened. It was a Tandy TRS-80 and I was daunted by the wires that seemed to be strung haphazardly through the case. This machine belonged to the school, and its monitor was having issues. I had volunteered to stay after school with the teacher and help fix it, mostly because I was curious.

Naturally I’m not saying you should open your PC up and start poking around if you don’t know what you are doing. The best way to learn is to find someone who is willing to let you watch while they work and answer questions. The components of a computer are complex pieces of technology, but they are extremely modular and that modularity makes a modern computer fairly simple to upgrade.

Interestingly, there are only several major components to a computer. In its most basic form, a computer is the motherboard, processor, RAM, sound card, video card, DVD or CD ROM, hard drive and power supply. That can be expanded to feature a network card, extra USB ports and specialty parts that industries rely upon. Motherboards can be found that have sound, video, and network integrated so all that is left to do is plug in a processor, RAM, DVD/CD, hard drive and power.

If one desires to upgrade a PC, how would you go about it? I like to start at the processor. I don’t often buy true top-of-the line processors. I prefer to look a step down. Right now, that step down is the Intel Core2 Duo line and its AMD counterpart. Once I’ve settled on a processor, I look at its socket type. This is its interface to the motherboard, and the motherboard must be compatible with it. I use that information to select a motherboard for the processor. If you have a computer with a motherboard, you can also look up that motherboard and see if you can upgrade the processor without buying a new motherboard. Once the motherboard is chosen, I look at what sort of RAM it takes, and how much it can hold. You can also check your computer to see if it has the maximum amount of RAM it can hold. RAM is the easiest (and cheapest) upgrade a computer can undergo.

After your RAM is chosen, the major components that tie together are pretty much done. Most modern motherboards use SATA interfaces for hard drives, and the hard drive comes with the needed cables. It’s really all about plugging everything in.

If you wish to piece together your own machine, you can find this information and more at sites like NeEgg.com or TigerDirect.com. If you want to be involved but don’t trust yourself to put it together, small computer shops around town such as CompuForce (www.cforce.net) can help you with choosing components and putting them together for you.

— Senior Production Coordinator Matthew Broughton is taking the “ech” out of tech. E-mail him at mbroughton@florencenews.com.