THE CUTTING EDGE: COMPUTING / TECHNOLOGY / INNOVATION : Upgrades Can Help You Stay Near ‘State-of-Art’
The neat thing about computers is that they’re always getting faster, cheaper and more powerful. The bad thing about computers is that new software and new operating systems almost always demand hardware that’s faster and more powerful. A machine that was near “state-of-the-art” a year or two ago will likely be anemic by today’s standards.
Fortunately, you can often upgrade your existing machine to increase its memory, hard-disk storage and, in some cases, speed. It’s often the most cost-effective way to go. In theory you can upgrade any computer, though if you don’t have at least a 486-based PC, upgrading will probably be more expensive and troublesome than it’s worth. Before undertaking any upgrade, you should carefully compare the cost to that of buying a new machine, factoring in the resale value of your old machine or the tax write-off if you give it to a tax-exempt organization, school or religious organization.
There are, of course, lots of things you can do to enhance a computer, but when it comes to improving overall performance, the three main options are adding more memory, adding more hard-disk storage and replacing the central processor (CPU) with a faster one.
Adding more memory will often yield the most dramatic results for the least amount of cost and effort. Most MS-DOS programs work just fine on machines with four megabytes of memory, but if you have a Macintosh or an IBM-compatible PC running Windows or Windows 95, you’ll need at least eight megabytes for decent performance. Windows 95 works best with 12 or 16 megabytes--even more if you’re working with very large graphic files.
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Adding memory is generally pretty easy because most machines use snap-in memory modules, called “SIMMs,” that pop into a memory slot on the motherboard. You can usually order SIMMs from the company that made your PC, but you can also get generic memory at most computer and electronic stores, or purchase a memory expansion kit, which normally comes with instructions, a warranty, and technical support. Viking Components of Laguna Hills ([800] 338-2361 or [714] 643-7255), for example, manufactures kits for desktop and notebook PCs which cost about $200 for four megabytes, $400 for eight megabytes and $650 for 16 megabytes, although prices may fluctuate and can vary depending on the type of machine.
The Viking box says “easy installation,” which is true only if you’re comfortable taking apart your PC and snapping things on the motherboard. I’ve done that more times than I can remember but I still had trouble figuring which way to plug in the SIMM module. A call to the company’s toll-free 24-hour technical support department put me through to a technician who guided me through the process. Another option, for the technically timid, is to have the memory installed by a dealer, who should be able to do it in less than 15 minutes.
Macs use similar memory modules which, typically, cost about $50 a megabyte.
In 1982, when IBM introduced its XT with a 10-megabyte hard-disk drive, some people thought it was overkill. Now, many PCs sold for home or small business use come with a gigabyte (1,000 megabytes) or more of storage. Because of the enormous demands of Windows and Macintosh software, it’s not hard to fill up even one of those drives.
Microsoft Office (which includes a word processor, spreadsheet and presentation program), for example, takes up 61 megabytes. I recently installed a race car simulation game that took up 20 megabytes.
Anyone who bought a PC more than a year ago might have as few as 200 megabytes. If you’re thinking of getting a larger drive, consider keeping your old one and adding a new one. If you have an IBM-compatible PC, chances are you have an “IDE” (integrated drive electronics) hard drive, which means you can add another one without having to buy an additional adapter board.
Hard-drive prices are have been on a steady decline for the past year. About a year ago, I bought a one-gigabyte drive for $450; today you can get one for as little as $220. The hardest part of installing a new IDE drive is taking apart the machine and mounting the drive in place--a process that can be anywhere from easy to gruesome, depending on the type of case you have. You’ll have to run a cable from the disk controller (or motherboard) to the drive and plug in power cables from your PC’s power supply. Dealers generally charge about $30 to $50 which, in many cases, is well worth it.
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Installing an extra hard drive on a Mac is easy, especially if you buy an external SCSI (Small Computer System Interface) drive which simply plugs into a connector on the back of the machine. Some Macs now have IDE drives and some models have an area for an internal SCSI drive which, typically, is about $50 less than a similar external model.
It may or may not be cost effective to upgrade your CPU. If you have an older Intel 486 CPU, you may be able to take out your old CPU and replace it with a faster 486 or the new 83-megahertz Intel Pentium Processor ($299). To find out which, if any, OverDrive chips can work in your computer, call Intel at (800) 321-4044. A faster CPU can have a dramatic impact on the performance of your software, but don’t even consider replacing the CPU until you’ve upgraded to at least eight megabytes of RAM (random access memory).
Replacing a CPU is easy if you have a “Zero Insertion Force” (ZIF) CPU with a lever that opens up the pin connector holes to let you slip out the old CPU and slide in a new one. If you don’t have a ZIF socket, you have to pry out the old chip and be extremely careful not to bend the pins on the new one. A skilled technician should be able to do it in less than 10 minutes.
Of course, whatever you do, don’t expect it to last forever. Eventually, there will be even faster and more powerful computers and operating systems designed to use up every ounce of horsepower they offer. It’s a never ending story.
