Home
Reviews
News
Features
Group Tests
Top 10
Forums
A-List
Downloads
Business
Lifestyle
Magazine
Popular Searches:
windows
,
asus
,
Mobile Edition
|
Login
|
Register
|
Newsletters
|
Sitemap
|
RSS
Monday November 9, 2009 7:53 AM AEST
PC Authority
>
Features
>
Upgrading: power up your PC
1 - Introduction
2 - Media centre
3 - Home PC
4 - Digital creation
5 - Gaming PC
6 - Business PC
»
FEATURE
Upgrading: power up your PC
by
Tim Dean
on Jun 30, 2005
Tags:
PC
|
upgrade
Related Articles
The Ultimate PC Upgrade Guide - Part 1: Motherboards
32 Reasons why PCs are Better than Macs
Top tips to save money on tech
Latest Features
3D coming to a screen near you
Top 10 amazing research projects
Laptop buyers guide: all you need to know to pick your perfect laptop
Is email wasting your day? The two-minute rule for Outlook, and other tips to feel like you've achieved something each day
An old PC is like putty in your hands. Tim Dean looks at how you can shape it into a new system with a few easy upgrades.
An old PC is like putty in your hands. Tim Dean looks at how you can shape it into a new system with a few easy upgrades.
Perennial as the seasons, is the PC upgrade cycle. The IT industry moves so fast that it only takes 18 months or so before your new whiz bang PC starts losing its whiz and after a couple of years becomes well short on bang.
However, in lieu of forking out a couple of grand for a brand new PC, you can upgrade a few select components, and breathe new life into your system. Besides, why get a new PC when your existing case, keyboard, mouse, CD burner, speakers etc are all fine, but you just need a bit of a performance boost?
How much you can upgrade really depends on the age of your PC and how many of the existing components are salvageable. You may find that a CPU upgrade requires a new motherboard, which might also mean new RAM, but if you make some frugal decisions, you can still save a bundle. You should also be wary of creating new bottlenecks with your upgrade, such as if you install a new 3GHz CPU and 1GB of RAM, but are still running Windows ME off a 10GB 5400rpm hard drive.
To take the guesswork out of upgrading, we’ve picked out the most important components for a number of different roles. With a few well chosen upgrades, you can turn your three year old PC into an as-new gaming system, digital content creation workstation or even a home media centre.
So grab your Philips head, tear off that anti-static wrapping, pack some sandwiches and make a day of upgrading your old PC with the
PC Authority
quick upgrade guide.
This article appeared in the
July, 2005
issue of PC Authority.
1 - Introduction
2 - Media centre
3 - Home PC
4 - Digital creation
5 - Gaming PC
6 - Business PC
»
Email this
Print this
Tweet this
Send us your tips
Back to top
Ads by Google
Comments
Be the first to comment on this article.
Thoughts on this article? Add a comment below.
Login
or
register
to submit a comment.
Top Stories
New York launches antitrust investigation into Intel
The New York Attorney General Andrew M. Cuomo has announced it is launching an anti-trust investigation into Intel after allegations that the chip giant abused its market position.
5 More Free PC Apps You Can't Do Without
More digital Swiss Army knife software, including utilities and tools that are so useful you won't know how you ever did without them
Movie tech: The science behind the film 2012
The Mayan prophecy might be counting down, but the science behind the new film 2012 might leave a few people confused. We look at what the film got right and what is best left to conspiracy theorists.
Popular
Most Discussed
Tesla breaks land record for electric car on a single charge
Web's Best 50 Free Downloads
32 Reasons why PCs are Better than Macs
5 Free Linux Apps You Can't Do Without
Official: Windows 7 Australian pricing announced, see how it compares to Vista
The 30 best features of Windows 7
5 Free PC Apps You Can't Do Without
Microsoft Windows XP Service Pack 3
Naked DSL Buyer's Guide
Amazon expands Kindle to the PC
XP vs. VISTA
(116)
32 Reasons why PCs are Better than Macs
(72)
Web's Best 50 Free Downloads
(24)
The 30 best features of Windows 7
(14)
New Apple iMac with high-res screen, bigger processor and Magic Mouse
(14)
Windows 7 can't stop Mac OS X
(9)
The world's most toxic video game consoles
(7)
Official: Windows 7 Australian pricing announced, see how it compares to Vista
(7)
Red Hat share price trumps Microsoft's
(6)
Whatever happened to....Zip Disks?
(5)
follow us on Twitter
HOT DEALS ON
Apple
Desktop PCs
External Hard Drives
Flat Screen TVs
GPS
Headphones
Home Theatre
iPhones
Laptops
Monitors
MP3 Players
Software
Speakers
Webcams
Plan Finder
Powered by
WhistleOut
Mobiles
Deals
Broadband
1)
Apple iPhone 3GS 16GB
33 plans
3%
2)
Nokia E71
42 plans
15%
3)
Apple iPhone 3GS 32GB
33 plans
13%
4)
HTC Touch Diamond2
4 plans
4%
5)
Apple iPhone 8GB
33 plans
1%
iiNet BoB
Now Available
Wireless Internet and up to 5 cordless handsets in one easy to setup package.
Virgin Mobile
Online Deals
Save up to $100
More info»
$50 Credit on Selected
Plans with 3 Mobile
Save $50
More info»
Free Mobile Broadband Starter Pack
Worth $99
More info»
«
1
of
4
»
1)
iiNet
32 plans
1%
2)
Netspace
33 plans
2%
3)
Optus
45 plans
3%
4)
Telstra BigPond
41 plans
3%
5)
3
7 plans
3%
Compare:
Mobiles
|
Broadband
PC Authority