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Hardware is vastly improved from a
few years ago. Quality is up and prices are down due to the shear
volume produced. Generally, the hard drive, fan and mouse contain
all the moving parts in your computer, and they should last a
long time.
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There are several reasons why you may want new hardware
You want a newer or faster computer. Something in your PC has
worn out. You need a better video card for games or video
editing. Your sound card or speakers don't perform well enough
especially for audio editing. Scanning your printed pictures
peaks your interest. You bought a new piece of hardware which
uses a USB port and your PC doesn't have one.
Whatever the reason, there are a few things to keep in mind
when adding hardware to your computer:
Requirements. There may be requirements for the
processor (CPU speed,) RAM (amount of memory) and operating
system (Windows 98, XP Home, etc.) Bottom line: Read the box or
the (web) specifications page carefully.
Watch out. Even if you read the box carefully you
may need to upgrade your computer's bios. This often happens if
the device you are buying is a lot newer than your computer's
motherboard. Upgrading the bios is a critical operation and can
render your PC completely inoperable if something goes wrong.
This procedure is not for the faint of heart.
Proprietaryism. Some major manufacturers (Dell,
Compaq, HP and others) have proprietary software setups making
it difficult to change out existing components using alternate
brands. Information about this is usually found by doing careful
searches on the Internet, or by phoning the manufacturer. You
won't find these kinds of “gotchas” on the company's
website.
Warrantee. If your new piece of hardware is
internal and the PC is still under warrantee you may void it by
opening the case. Usually there is an obvious piece of “warning”
tape that will be torn if you open the case. If they are going
to cover any problems with your PC they want to be sure no one
else is going to mess with its innards. To maintain the
warrantee you may have to bring or send your computer in and pay
to have the upgrade done.
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