| If you've been using the same computer for several | | | | $100-$200 will be sufficient. |
| years, chances are that its performance might be | | | | Upgrading your CPU is usually not cost effective. |
| degrading. You might notice your computer is gradually | | | | Depending on what you use your system for, the |
| becoming slower and slower. One reason why | | | | performance boost can be minimal. It can be an |
| computers become slow over time is that advances in | | | | upgrade worth considering if you're upgrading to a |
| technology are making software and hardware | | | | high-end machine and know what you're doing, but it's |
| requirements go up. | | | | fairly complicated to replace the CPU and its fan (or |
| Upgrading your current system is the most cost | | | | other cooling system). If you're considering upgrading |
| effective depending on the parts you want to upgrade. | | | | your CPU, consider buying a new pre-built PC. Or, if |
| For most people, adding more memory (RAM) can | | | | you're willing to spend some time, learn to build your |
| give your system a significant boost. They come in | | | | own PC. |
| three flavors: DDR, DDR2, and DDR3. DDR2 memory | | | | If you're considering a new PC, decide whether or not |
| modules are the most common in the market and are | | | | you're going to use it for gaming, office work or both. If |
| relatively cheap, being $50 or less. Choose the type of | | | | you're a gamer, building your own might be the best |
| module your computer accepts; a system can only | | | | way to go as you're selecting what goes in your |
| accept one of three flavors, e.g. a system may take | | | | system; you can build one without breaking the bank, |
| DDR2 but not DDR or DDR3. | | | | for no more than $1000. Otherwise, there are prebuilt |
| If you're a gamer, consider upgrading your video card. | | | | systems out there for around $300 or less if primary |
| Most pre-built computer systems have integrated | | | | use is office work. |
| graphics, which share the same RAM with the CPU, | | | | Deciding whether you should upgrade your system, |
| giving the system a penalty in performance. Dedicated | | | | buy a prebuilt PC, or building your own is easy. |
| video cards have their own memory and processor, | | | | Determine which upgrade is most cost-effective for |
| letting the main memory and CPU do other things, thus | | | | you, and that's within your budget. You might even |
| giving your system a performance boost. For decent | | | | learn a thing or two about how computers work. |
| performance, a modern mid-range card for around | | | | |