Tips: Computer upgrades

[Firth]

Greetings just a few tips I have for those that wish to or are thinking of getting upgrades for a computer.

The first thing you will probably think about is what it is you want to upgrade and your budget which sounds pretty simple however it's not always as simple as that you also have to factor in many other things otherwise you may be in for disapointment.

Know I computer.

Before stepping out and going on a spending spree for computer parts it's important to know what you want, what your computer currently has and if it is compatable with the other parts on your computer for example an Intel processor won't fit in an AMD motherboard make sure you choose either one or the other.

Processor: Make sure the type of processor and the socket type matches the one on your current or the new motherboard your going to get, if you havnt upgraded im a long time especially because the chances are they have changed since then. You will also want to check the the power comsuption to see if your power supply is adequate

Motherboard: This is the base of your computer and is where everything is joined together take a note of the features of the motherboard you have or the one your looking to get, take a note of the memory card sockets, processor socket and what PCI slots depending what your planning to use it for (multiple GPU's etc.)

Memory: Make sure the memory card slot and the speed of the memory cards are compatable with you speed that your motherboard can handle. You should also check how much memory your motherboard can take, how many slots you have and how much RAM you looking to add to it. If you add too much ram or if the memory cards are faster than what the motherboard will allow then you may have an unstable system and your memory cards won't be able to run at the speed they can which will lose you out in value for money

Graphics card: The video processor , you will want to check that the motherboard has the correct slot for the graphics card and check carfully because a PCI express 16x 2.0 graphics card won but able to run to its full potential in a standard PCI express 16x slot. You also need to check the power comsuption and check if the graphics card requires additional power connectors (modern high end ones likely are) and you need to check if the power supply has the adequate power output and cables, not all of them do. If not then your card will be under powered and possibly won't run stable.

Power supply: Argueably one of the most important parts of the computer. This is the point where electricity is plugged in and is then converted to an output that powers the computer. You need to make sure that the computer your looking to upgrade has a good power supply and if its enough to power the computer. If under powered your computer can be unstable and won't run as fast as it could and may be very unreliable. Also make sure you just buy the cheapest you can find, this needs to be good quality, especially if you leave yor computer on fir long hours or 24/7, should this fail then it could damage every component on your computer you will have to buy everything new.

Hope this helps some of you and feel free to leave feedback if I missed anything out or you have something to contribute then please add it, also if you think its a pile of crap and a ways of time please let me know alot of you know alot about computers as it is and probably know more than myself but still there's some people that may benefit from the advice, thanks

- Pfc. Firth

[St-Denis]

A website with Euro prices would help alot to help u, soo we dont get fuck with prices.