Computer Notebook Upgrades
As we strive to improve our PC’s with the latest in software, modifications, and upgrades, we sometimes overlook important concerns. Some can affect our computer’s speed, others its length of useful service, or in a worst case scenario, lead to catastrophic system failure.
Regarding speed, often we purchase the most memory demanding software and games without giving a thought to the amount of RAM our system has. If it performs sluggishly we blame the entire computer, when it is simply this one component that demands our attention.
One of the most striking examples of a sudden decrease in computer performance can come when the operating system is upgraded in a PC with insufficient RAM. This may prove to be a problem for many people upgrading from XP to Vista. Yet, with RAM so easy to install, and relatively cheap, it need not be.
Another concern are the things we can do to shorten our computer’s life spans, the most common of which is overheating. Everyone has heard tales of the “smoked” PC, that overheated and crashed. Less appreciated is the stress electronic components suffer when operating at higher than recommended temperatures over long periods of time.
Regarding speed, often we purchase the most memory demanding software and games without giving a thought to the amount of RAM our system has. If it performs sluggishly we blame the entire computer, when it is simply this one component that demands our attention.
One of the most striking examples of a sudden decrease in computer performance can come when the operating system is upgraded in a PC with insufficient RAM. This may prove to be a problem for many people upgrading from XP to Vista. Yet, with RAM so easy to install, and relatively cheap, it need not be.
Another concern are the things we can do to shorten our computer’s life spans, the most common of which is overheating. Everyone has heard tales of the “smoked” PC, that overheated and crashed. Less appreciated is the stress electronic components suffer when operating at higher than recommended temperatures over long periods of time.
Often this starts when a new heat source is added during an upgrade, say a firecracker hot graphics card. Unless the case’s cooling system is very efficient, the temperature inside is going to go up. It may not go up enough to crash the computer suddenly, but it will start sapping the life from your PC. The cure can be as easy as installing an extra exhaust fan, costing perhaps $5.
Anyone attempting to significantly upgrade their machine, with a new graphics card, or CPU, must ask themselves if their power supply can handle the extra load. If it can’t, a catastrophic system failure might be the result
