Have you noticed your computer running a little slow? Have you started to check out the new computer ads in the newspaper? Dont jump to the gun quite yet, it might be possible to upgrade your computer rather than replace it.
If youre in the market for a new computer, you can spend anywhere from $7,000 for a hot gaming PC, down to $300 on a stripped down basic computer, the choice is yours. Although the optimal price for a computer usually is around $1,000-$1,500. Thats a good computer, but not so good that youre paying top dollar for cutting edge technology.
But, with a modest budget of around $30-250, you can get the most common computer upgrades, memory, video cards, monitors, or processors.
What you should keep in mind, is that it’s almost always better to try to stick a tad behind the best equipment you can buy. If you’re looking for a new graphics card, the top of the line models usually cost around $500-800, while ones that are just a few months older can be had for $200 or less. You’ll get almost as much power and save a lot by doing your research.
A CPU, or computer processor is another hardware upgrade that can be very expensive when first released, and then drop to a third of the price in less than a year. They can go from $1,000 to under $200 in that time span. Yet, you can still get about 80% of the computing power for 1/3 of the price of the top of the line models.
Memory however is not the best place to skimp. The more memory the better, and its usually the best upgrade your money can buy. Just a few hundred dollars of additional memory can make a huge difference in your computer.
I typically recommend most normal users to upgrade at least once before they consider a new computer system. A little more memory, a second or third generation video card, and you can buy a few more years of usable life, without the upheaval of moving to a brand new computer.
In most cases however, even one good upgrade can keep a computer useful for 2-3 more years, even if you cant upgrade again. And that means the computer you buy today could last you a good 5-10 years with good upgrade choices.
Certain PC Users that play all the new games typically need to have better than average computer systems. These systems become obsolete fairly quickly, and need to be replaced more quickly. Usually a good solid gaming computer can last 2-3 years before it needs to be replaced with a newer system.
Because of the advent of portable hard drives, hard drives that plug into your USB port, its become much easier to move your files from one computer to another. Alternatively you can back up data on CDs or DVDs.
Some of the best deals on Computer Hardware can be found in your Sunday circulars. Oftentimes with rebates, you can get hardware much cheaper than what it normally costs. Of course you actually have to mail in the rebates, even I dont always remember to do that.
Once you have a feel for how much it would cost to upgrade versus the costs of a brand new computer, that should give you an a good idea of whether to upgrade or replace. If you can put in a $100-300 and use the computer for a few more years then it might be worth it to upgrade. However if the new hardware appeals to you, and its cost effective, replacing your current computer might make sense. Tough decision, but one that can pay off big dividends.
David C Smith
http://www.articlesbase.com/hardware-articles/computer-running-slow-upgrade-or-replace-132333.html
My computer is running slow, so I decided to upgrade the memory.?
I have max memory of 1GB and currently only have 256MB installed. I don’t know if I should replace the 256MB card or do I just get another 512MB and add it? Will I loose anything by replacing the old card? What would be best? And will it improve the speed of the computer?
What kind of RAM does your computer use? It must be pretty old to have a max of 1gb. I think your best bet would be to just add 512mb of RAM, that should help quite a bit.
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just adding the memory, btw you’re not loosing any data if changing them, but adding them is better way, more ram will be better.
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Depends on what you mean by slow. If you are refering to internet browsing, Its more likely your connection settings.
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Most likely if you upgrade to 1GB you will have to remove the old 256mb RAM and replace it with the single 1GB or 2X512mb RAM. Seeing as how your computer currently only has 256mb, I would say that it will improve the speed of the computer. Not to worry you will not lose any saved data on your computer if you upgrade the RAM.
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Always go with the highest RAM you can afford. Definitely replace the 256. Nothing is lost, nothing is stored on RAM. Upgrade to 1 G and you will have much more speed.
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i would just buy one 1Gb card,because if you have 2 different memory sticks in and they have different memory clock speeds,it will use the lower of the two speeds.its ok to only have 1 memory stick in.you wont lose anything at all and it will improve the speed some.now cleaning your computer of junk files and programs you don’t use anymore,doing a virus and spyware check and using a good defrag program will also help speed up your computer.Need more help email me.Go to the link below and use the Crucial Memory Advisor™ tool and it will give you the ram that will be compatible with your system.
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http://www.crucial.com/
Just make sure you add equal amounts of ram, i.e. 2x256MB, 2x512MB, or 1x1GB.
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Go to the following link, http://www.crucial.com they can do an on line check which will determine which ram your motherboard supports. They will recommend the optimum amount. You can order on line and although they are not the cheapest it is worth paying for good ram. They guarantee compatibility with your motherboard and give an excellent warranty.They also give fitting instructions. I have used them many times and always been satisfied. Hope this helps.
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How much memory does your computer have, both to store data that you want to store and to execute the tasks that you need taken care of? Sometimes, all you need to do to speed up your computer is to have additional memory installed. As you add more and more programs to your computer, you should expect more memory to be used up. You will find that you need to think about installing more RAM into your computer so that it can run as quickly as it did before.
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http://www.pcaholic.com
Learn how to clean up your computer and speed it up here:
http://fix-slow-computer.remove-junk.com
Good luck!
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Yes it will help in improving the performance of the computer. But A a computer may be slow due to various reasons, not only low memory. Like virus to HDD space.There is a nice article on slow computer and its solution in the following link. Have a look on that it may help you in resolving your issue.
http://www.itsupportcell.com/viewtopic.php?f=15&t=38
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http://www.itsupportcell.com/viewtopic.php?f=15&t=38
You don’t need to replace your card, just do some maintenance.
1) Delete any unused or unnecessary programs and files. These may be taking up space, memory and resources, thus slowing your computer. Also delete your cashe/ temp files, empty your recycle bin, clear your internet browsing history, etc.
2) Defrag your hard drive. Fragmentation severely degrades the speed, performance and reliability of your computer. Try Diskeeper 2008 its automatic so you don’t have to think about defragging all the time. You can download 30-day trial-ware at http://www.diskeeper.com
3) Registry cleaner: Your registry holds all the information regarding updates, installs, uninstalls etc. so this needs to be cleaned. This will optimize and remove redundant or unwanted items.
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To fix a slow computer you can go to http://www.regcleandownload.com
Download reg clean for free.
It can clean your computer and restore your system to optimum performance.
It works very well for me.
Hope that can help you.
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Try Ccleaner – http://www.ccleaner.com/
&
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AusLogics Disk Defrag
Disk fragmentation leads to system slowdowns, PC crashes, slow startup and shutdown and sometimes to system failures. Auslogics Disk Defrag is designed for fast optimization of today’s modern hard disks. Get the maximum performance out of your expensive hardware investments.
Download:
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Or
http://www.download.com/Auslogics-Disk-Defrag/3000-2094_4-10567503.html?tag=mncol&cdlPid=10857004
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Use This..
Crucial System Scanner tool For Memory upgrades… {For Pc}
http://www.crucial.com/systemscanner/index.aspx
{For Mac}
http://www.crucial.com/mac/
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