by Scott VanderPloeg
For the daily computer user the question of upgrading is a large and difficult one. Let's look at it in two ways; hardware and software. Hardware upgrades are the difficult ones, involving the tough call of buying a new system or adding new pieces to an existing system. Software upgrades are tricky as well, since it's human nature to want the best for yourself, and the draw of that new version is quite tempting. Let's look at hardware this time and save software to the next article.
Hardware upgrades are a natural progression for me. I've been building my own systems for years and am used to the upgrade spiral. The problem is the ever advancing state of technology: graphic chip manufacturers are working on a six month cycle, and processor manufacturers are moving faster. When do you upgrade?
I have a dual Celeron 466 MHz system at home with a Nvidia TNT2 Ultra graphics card and 384 MB of RAM. The motherboard is an Abit BP6, which has two 370 pin sockets allowing me to use only Intel socketed Celeron processors. To round it out is a 32X CD-ROM , 100BaseT network card, 19" monitor and a 56K modem. The 466 processors are getting long in the tooth, as is the TNT2 which is two generations behind. The question is : does the machine not do everything I want? I've been playing the latest games on Windows 2000 and don't see and frame loss or pauses during any of my computer work. Should I upgrade simply because there are newer items available?
Let's look at my upgrade options, and suggestions for others. The motherboard will only accept Celeron processors up to 533 MHz, because new Celerons and Pentium III socket processors have a different pin out that makes them incompatible. Should I spend the money to go up 66 MHz? I've decided to wait until these chips go below $100, then pick up two. Check your motherboard manual and see what it will support: you may be able to add a Pentium III to your system with only a flash BIOS update. I've been thinking about upgrading my motherboard and processor to AMD's Athlon, but they're refreshing their line this summer so I might as well wait. The graphics card may be a year old, but it's doing everything I want: a new GeForce 2 GTS card will set me back around $450, and will increase my frame rates considerably. I'm waiting a few months to see what the other companies release, then maybe I'll upgrade. TNT2 cards are really a bargain right now and worth the upgrade if you're suffering. With the release of the GeForce 2 cards, the original GeForce should really come down as well. My three RAM slots are filled, since I've been buying 128 MB DIMMs lately with the low price point. You can never have too much RAM, although testing shows very little improvement over 256MB, even in Window 2000. I could replace the CD-ROM with a DVD-ROM, but I've only seen a few DVD titles and I won't be watching movies on my PC. For what the average PC user does with a CD-ROM, anything over 16X is great. The network card is fine, as is the modem. I see a huge difference between 10BaseT and 100BaseT, so if you're running a home network get the fastest. 56k modems are cheap right now, so get one. The 19" monitor is beautiful and well worth what I paid, but do I want to spend over $1100 to add 2 inches and pick up a 21" monitor? Not really. I did see a big difference going from a 17" to a 19", but the realm of 21" monitors is just too pricey. A lot of options open to me, but for now I'm playing wait and see.
The tough question is for those who bought a name brand PC that uses proprietary or non-standard components from companies such as Dell, Gateway or IBM. Yes, these companies use off the shelf parts, except when it comes to motherboard and case designs. Generally, you can't upgrade the motherboard in these systems since the case is designed for the motherboard, a catch 22. What upgrades are available? Let's look at a real world example, a Dell Optiplex system I have on my desk at work. Dell integrates graphics, sound and networking onto the motherboard, so I can't just swap those parts out but I can disable them. As well, there is no AGP slot so I'm limited to PCI video card upgrades. This is clearly not a gaming system, and is aimed at work environments. Still, I could add a PCI Voodoo3 card to bump up the video, pop in a Sound Blaster Live card for clean sound and I'm sitting pretty. RAM, hard drive and CD-ROM parts are standard so no problem there. It's a Pentium II 300 MHz, but I could add a Pentium III in there without much effort. Of course if your system is from a "white box " or clone manufacturer, chances are good your upgrade path is bright. Again, your first step is reading your manual and seeing what can be done. Upgrading can be a frustrating experience, so decide if you want to tackle it yourself or get a store to do it for you. If you want to do it yourself, hit the web for upgrading guides and buying advice.
Should you bother upgrading at all, and just get a new PC every few years? This is the clean and easy method, but could be pricey. You never have to worry about upgrades, and you end up with several PCs at home for a family network. If you don't like to tinker, then this is the route for you. As well, if you can sell your old system then the cost of the new computer isn't so bad, but computer systems depreciate faster than cars.
One last example from a die hard upgrader. I upgrade fairly regularly, and so build up a stockpile of old parts. I started to get so many that I built spare systems and started a home network. Then I had too many systems, so I started selling them to clear space and get some cash to offset my upgrading. And so the cycle continues.
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