Modems:
Dial up modems are at their maximum speed, if you have an older modem
that gets say 28.8 or less connect speed you may want to buy a new one and get
the 58.8 connect speed, makes a lot of difference when you connect. Check out
the page on how to increase your Connect Speed before spending your money. Cable
and DSL modems are the property of your ISP provider and they will upgrade those
at their discretion.
Power Supply:
If you are adding components to your computer consider the power
supply. Most computers come with an adequate power supply that will support a
few additional components. Lets say you have the typical computer, one hard
drive, one CD-ROM, regular video, no extra fans, you haven't upgraded the
processor, same sound card, etc. Stock computer. Now you want the latest and
greatest video and a new sound card, more memory, and a new second hard drive.
You power supply may not be able to carry the new load you are putting on it.
You need to look at the power supply in your computer, it should have a label on
it telling you the wattage it supplies. Normal computers (not specialized) have
a 200 or 300 watt power supply. Adding one or two components will not cause any
problems, any more that that I would suggest upgrade to a power supply that has
a higher wattage output.
CPU:
Or processor upgrades. Memory will give you a large performance increase,
so will a new processor. The cost of a processor upgrade and how far you can
take the upgrade depends on your motherboard. A few manufactures have a upgrade
path built into their motherboards, others don't, my computer main board (ASUS)
supports Pentium IV, I have upgraded it three times, it currently is running at
2.8 GHz. (slightly overclocked, see Overclocking). To tell if your motherboard
can take a newer processor will take a some research, you need to check the
manufacture's web page for specifications. You need to know what processor you
currently have, then check the specifications for a listing of supported
processors.
Motherboard:
Or mother boards, upgrading these will depend on your case and how
much you have to spend. If you have a proprietary computer there may not be a
motherboard that will fit the case. You also have to consider if you want to
upgrade the computer for function or speed. If you can use your old components
it will be cheaper. Which components will work on the new motherboard? The
processor? The memory? Is it smaller? Will the cables for the hard drive(s) and
CD-ROM reach? The location of these connectors may not be in the same place as
the old main board, may be as far as six inches further away. ( My fist ASUS
main board had the connectors along the right hand side close to the drive bay,
the new one all the connectors were on the left, all my drive cables were four
inches to short, even the cables supplied by ASUS were to short.)
See each item's page for more information on upgrades.
