PC DILEMMA UPGRADE OR NEW.Byline: Dan Keating This article is about a recently deceased person. Some information, such as the circumstances of the person's death and surrounding events, may change rapidly as more facts become known. The Miami Herald One of the thorniest questions I hear all the time is: Upgrade or buy new? There are three key factors. The most important is: How many components of your computer need to be upgraded? Let's go Let's Go may refer to: Television
The processor: This is the computer's brain and the first place people look to upgrade. If you've got a 386 or slow 486, upgrade chips are available that will make it a fast 486. This can be a good move if the rest of your system is already up to snuff, but it's not worth it to drop a beautiful new engine into a heap of junk. There are also chips to upgrade a 486 to Pentium speeds. RAM: Random access memory is where the computer stores things being used by the processor. If you're running new operating systems Operating systems can be categorized by technology, ownership, licensing, working state, usage, and by many other characteristics. In practice, many of these groupings may overlap. (Windows 95 or OS/2 Warp The client version of the OS/2 operating system. It includes peer-to-peer networking, fax and communications programs, multimedia viewing and editing applications and IBM Works (word processing, spreadsheet, database and other office tools). Introduced in late 1994 as Version 3. ), or lots of new software, you want at least 16 meg of RAM. If you're running just DOS or Windows 3.1, 8 meg may be all you need. RAM is now less than $50 per megabyte, and provides a noticeable boost in performance for many tasks. Unless you're comfortable inside the computer, have it installed where you buy it. Storage: Hard disk storage prices have plummeted. Two years ago, 340 megabytes was a lot. Now, you can get 1,000 megabytes (called a gigabyte) for the same price - around $200. If you like to use a lot of software and find yourself out of space, this upgrade is a good move. Video system: It's the controller inside your computer that translates computer stuff into images on your screen. It has its own processor, as well as storage called video RAM Also called "VRAM," it is the type of memory used in a display adapter. Video RAM is designed with dual ports so that it can simultaneously refresh the screen while text and images are drawn in memory. It is faster than the common DRAM or SDRAM chips used as main memory in the computer. . If colors, graphics and multimedia are important to you, you'll need to upgrade this as well. Multimedia: You need a CD-ROM CD-ROM: see compact disc. CD-ROM in full compact disc read-only memory Type of computer storage medium that is read optically (e.g., by a laser). player and sound system to take advantage of the explosion in multimedia games, entertainment, reference works, on-line offerings and even business programs. Add-on systems start around $250. The second key factor is how much you have invested in the machine now. Is it already running the software you're comfortable with? Do you already own it outright? Do you have lots of your records, correspondence and other things stored on it? The third and last factor is how close you need to be to the cutting edge. If you're investing in a new system, you'll want one that can handle the current standards. If you've already got a system and know you'll never do anything but type letters and play hangman HANGMAN. The name usually given to a man employed by the sheriff to put a man to death, according to law, in pursuance of a judgment of a competent court, and lawful warrant. The same as executioner. (q.v.) , you don't have to worry about the latest trends. How does this apply to some specific situations? If you've got a computer already, upgrading it is often a good bet. Unless you're trying to transform an antique into a cutting-edge rocket, you can usually find a happy medium between the number of parts that need to be upgraded and how comfortable you can be without the latest bells and whistles A slang English term for exceptional features in some product. In the computer field, it typically refers to functions in software that may be greatly appreciated by some users, even though they may not be necessary most of the time. . |
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