Even the latest computers appear to become obsolete almost as
soon as you have purchased them. Newer specs emerge everyday and the latest
software often specifies bleeding-edge hardware requirements. Does that mean you
need to upgrade your machine every week? The good news is that you don’t have
to.
At PCQ Labs, we have a 486 with a 1.2 GB hard disk, 8 MB RAM,
and a 14" mono monitor running Win 95, Office, and e-mail. It takes some
time to boot up or load applications, but it works. If you are on a tight
budget, you can buy the hardware mentioned above for under Rs 5,000, install the
free Lotus Smartsuite from the January PCQ CD-ROM, and happily use it for a long
time to come. If you are buying such a machine with commercial software
installed, ensure that you get the license and the original media–to reinstall
if necessary–too. Of course, the price with installed software could go up.
Does a faster processor mean faster Web browsing? |
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Bleeding-edge hardware is required mostly for gaming, video
editing or other such activities. If you are into normal productivity use, such
as e-mail, word processing, etc, then your older machine could do equally well.
However, a few critical upgrades such as more RAM or a video card with more VRAM
could improve your machine’s performance dramatically.
Here’s a quick guide that can help you decide whether you
need to upgrade, and what you need to upgrade to.
Processor: If you are running a 386 or 486, you should
seriously consider buying a new machine. A classic Pentium or an MMX is also
prime for replacement, if you are into gaming, video work or serious
programming. But maybe, you would want to wait for a couple of months till you
get your next increment. There is precious little that you can salvage from the
386 or the 486, for use in a new machine. Even the cabinet will not fit the
newer motherboards and the port layout, including the USB ports.
Otherwise, like the many thousands out there, you can still
squeeze a lot of work out of the machine before junking it, and in the meantime,
you could even improve its performance quite a bit.
Remember that if you are going in for a processor upgrade,
then you are also likely to need a new motherboard. With a new motherboard, you
may not be able use your original RAM and video card too.
Memory: More often than not, it’s the lack of memory
that’s the culprit in slowing your machine down. If you are running at 8 or 16
MB, you should go for 64 MB. It’s not exactly easy these days to get SIMMs of
EDORAM that’s used in older machines. And EDORAM costs more than the later
SDRAM SIMMs. If you don’t know the type of RAM used in your machine, ask
someone who knows, or take the RAM out of your machine and show it to the
vendor. During boot up, some machines display the type of RAM used. Also, before
you rush out to buy RAM, check whether your motherboard can accommodate the new
RAM. You may sometimes have to replace the existing RAM with entirely new SIMMs,
as all the RAM slots may already be filled up. However, the performance boost
you’ll get from the extra RAM will pay back your investment immediately.
Hard disk: This depends on how much hard disk space you want.
Are you the type who loads all the software from the PC Quest CD? Then you’ll
really need lots of disk space. If you are running below 2 MB, you should
consider moving to a faster, larger hard disk. Hard disks today come with oodles
of space and are also cheaper to boot. Again, check whether your motherboard can
support the new hard disk, as some old motherboards–up to older 486s–do not
support hard disks above 640 MB. Today’s entry level is 10 GB, 5,400-rpm
disks. 17 GB is becoming more and more common, and 20 GB and beyond is also
available.
If you plan to keep your original hard disk, then do not
continue to use it as the primary disk. Use the faster, larger- capacity, newer
one as the primary hard disk, and load your operating system on it. Use the
older hard disk as the– secondary disk for storing infrequently used data.
Video card: Often, not enough importance is placed on this
critical part. Most of the latest games require a 3Dfx card to run. So, if you
are even a middling gamer, you are already feeling the misery of not having a
3Dfx card. Gaming cards today are AGP cards. If you have older motherboards,
they will not support these AGP cards, and you have to seek out a PCI card.
The amount of video RAM determines how much of color and
detail, etc, is displayed, and how fast the screen can refresh. Entry-level
video RAM is 8 to 16 MB. 32 MB is not uncommon for avid gamers. If you have an
onboard video card–a video card integrated with the motherboard–you can
override it by installing a new video card (PCI, as you are unlikely to have an
AGP slot, but PCI cards are extremely difficult to find), and connecting your
monitor to it.
Monitor: If you have a 14" or a monochrome, you may want
to consider a 15" color monitor. Not only are you getting into the
wonderful world of color monitors, a 15" monitor offers much more viewing
area. And the closing argument is that a 15" color monitor is now available
for less than Rs 8,000. When buying a new monitor, check out the electrical
connectivity. Some monitors connect to the SMPS of the PC itself. So, if your PC
doesn’t have an outlet for the monitor on the SMPS, you would be in trouble if
your new monitor needs to be powered off by the SMPS.
Modem: If you are using a modem that is rated at 14.4 kbps or
below, you are losing money every time you connect to the Internet. Not only do
the 28.8 kbps and faster modems provide more stable connects, they also download
much faster, saving you on connect time and telephone costs. A 56 kbps external
modem starts as low as Rs 2,500.
CD-ROM drive: If your CD-ROM drive is less than 8x, then
consider upgrading if you use it for anything other than playing audio CDs and
installing software. In other words, if you use multimedia titles, or play games
that run off the CD or run video, you need a faster CD-ROM drive. However,
beyond a point, the speed of the drive does not really have an impact on the
performance. So if you have a 20x drive, there is no need to upgrade to the
latest 52x drive.
Operating system: If you are still in the world of DOS or Win
3.x, then you should move up to Win 98 (unless, your specific application
requires the older operating system, and an upgrade is not possible). It costs
around Rs 4,800. Of course, Linux is way cheaper, and is likely to work better
on your machine, given that it’s not up to the latest spec.
Krishna Kumar