Computer Upgrades Guide
How To Give Your PC a New Lease on Life
You Work Hard To Improve Yourself Every Day – Make Sure Your Computer Keeps Pace
Computers have transformed nearly aspect of human existence during the course of the past few decades. From word processing to on-line shopping to hyper-sophisticated gaming, these incredible machines place previously undreamed of resources in the hands of Canadian consumers. With all of that power at your fingertips from the moment that you hook it up, it’s easy to forget that your computer always has the potential to do even more!
In this age of exponentially increasing technological development, your PC can fall behind pretty quickly in the data race, but that doesn’t mean you have to scrap it and start over from scratch! All of those ports and tower slots are there for a reason: to give you the most flexibility possible. Opting to tweak your system instead of replacing it with the latest model can save you a great deal of money on needlessly duplicated parts and proprietary software (especially if you were able to take advantage of an extra-long term warranty on your current computer). Instead of spending indiscriminately, upgrading allows you to aim your funds at exactly the areas (memory, processing speed, graphics, sound, etc.) that require improvement. This guide is chock full of great ways to keep your computer on the cutting edge, even if it’s getting a trifle long in the megabyte.
Know Your Mainboard
Before you begin your quest to make your PC all that it can be, it’s important to make a careful inspection of your mainboard (also known as a motherboard). Here, you’ll discover a complete map of your computer’s potential – and vital information about its limitations. Once you’ve studied this central printed circuit board (located in either your computer tower or under the keyboard of your laptop), you’ll know whether you’re in a good position to upgrade (i.e. if the mainboard simply can’t accommodate the improvements you need, you might have to take the plunge and buy a brand new system). Every mainboard is different, so this section can’t go into too much detail, but we can point out a few of the most crucial things to look for.
A. Desktop Computers
Desktop computers offer the most flexibility to users looking to upgrade their PCs. Their mainboards’ placement within a good-sized tower means they usually have more sockets and slots to spare, but that does not mean that they don’t have limits. When you open up your desktop and take a look at its mainboard, you’ll see a layout that resembles a miniature city made of components. Take careful note of the amount of space (and the type of interface) allocated to the CPU socket (along with the CPU fan), the graphics processor, the PCI slots (the more the merrier) and various connectors for integrated peripherals like USB devices. Most crucial of all (because it will affect the amount of RAM you are able to add to your computer), make certain to verify what kind of (and how many) memory sockets the mainboard contains. These could range from SIMM (single in-line memory module) to DDR3 (double data rate, type three), and they cannot be used interchangeably. Armed with this data, you’ll be able to make an informed decision about whether to upgrade or buy a brand new system – and you’ll know exactly what types of new components will mesh with your existing system.
B. Laptops and Netbooks
Laptops and netbooks are extraordinarily convenient to use when you’re on the go, but they’re quite a bit more limited when it comes to upgrading potential. The reason for that is self-evident: laptop mainboards are, by definition, far more compact and specialized. While desktops have adjustable slots for CPUs, RAM modules and other cards and chips, most laptop components are permanently soldered directly onto the circuit board, thus foreclosing on the possibility of an upgrade. However, laptop hard disk drives can usually be replaced or upgraded (within certain limits) without too much trouble – and many do have extra RAM slots. Laptops can also be tricky to disassemble, so don’t start taking your portable PC apart the way a desktop user would. Instead, consult your computer’s manual for detailed schematics – or visit the manufacturer’s website, which will usually provide you with all of the information that you’ll need to determine what your options are, upgrade-wise.
On a more encouraging note, many upgrades these days are made via peripherally connected devices (like a massive external HDD), and these are just as easy to use in conjunction with a laptop as they are with a desktop – although they might not be so convenient to carry around with you. Most laptops will have at least a couple of extra USB slots (and if these ever get scarce, you can also bring a USB splitter into play), so don’t rule out the external route to a revitalized portable PC!
1. Storage Memory
Storage memory is the virtual real estate that provides scope for all of your great ideas and the materials that inspire them! With the complexity of today’s computer games and the importance of backing up your music and home video collection in digital form, that space goes quickly! Modern desktops and laptops generally come equipped with huge storage capacities, but it’s usually only a matter of time until you run out! Thankfully, this is perhaps the easiest aspect of your system to upgrade, with a huge range of options appropriate to just about any situation or budget.
A. Internal Drives
You can generally replace your desktop or laptop’s internal storage drive without much difficulty. Once upon a time, storage memory was synonymous with the hard disk drive, but today the HDD is only one of two popular internal storage options (the other being the solid state drive, or SSD – see below). No matter which route to more memory you decide to take, always double check to make sure that the upgraded drive is compatible with your machine before making a purchase.
i. Internal Hard Disk Drive (HDD)
Every time you save a file or program onto your computer, the internal hard disk drive is the default location – and with all of the material that modern users wind up dealing with, that space fills up quickly! If your disk is getting a little too full for comfort (or experiencing difficulties of any kind), why not trade upwards and obtain a more capacious drive with a brand new warranty? Constant technological development has pushed HDD capacities to previously unheard of levels that will give you immense leeway when it comes to storing games directly on your computer – or backing up your CD and CVD collections. One thing to watch out for is the form factor of your HDD. These sizes, which range from 1.8” to 3.5”, each have different capacities, and aren’t always easy to substitute one for another (i.e. if your computer uses 1.8” HDD – which has a maximum capacity of 320 GB – you might not be able to replace it with a 3.5” HDD, which can tip the scales at 3 or 4 TB).
The 3.5” HDD has become the industry standard size for desktops during the past couple of years – and some of the most important manufacturers of these disks include: Western Digital, Seagate, Hitachi, Hewlett-Packard and Lenovo. You can pick up a basic 500 GB Hitachi model for as little as $40. If you’re looking to take a quantum leap forward to the 2TB level, you can do it for as little as $75 (for a Western Digital internal HDD) or $88 (for a Seagate model). And if that’s still not quite enough, Western Digital and Hitachi both offer state-of-the-art 3 TB HDDs (the largest disks on the market for now – although 4 TB models exist in prototype form) for less than $150!
ii. Internal Solid State Drive (SDD)
A solid state drive can do anything a hard disk drive can do, without using moving parts such as read/write heads and spinning disks. The SSD’s use of non-volatile memory chips renders it practically impervious to harm and data loss. The technology is already becoming standard equipment for portable PCs, and is rapidly gaining on HDDs for desktop use. Solid state drives work more rapidly and efficiently than HDDs and are much less susceptible to wear and tear. Until recently, one of the major drawbacks of the technology was a prohibitive pricing structure, but as the SSD has gained more of a share of the market, prices have begun to drop (although they do still cost much more per GB than HDDs do). The other major drawback of using an SSD instead of an HDD is that the former device has much lower storage limits – however, this too is changing.
In the meantime, one interesting option is to pick up a hybrid SSD/HDD, which combines a great deal of the functionality and toughness of the SSD with the expanded storage space of the HDD. You can pick up a hybrid 2.5” Seagate Momentus XT solid state drive (with a 320 GB capacity) for as little as $113. If you’d like to try a pure SSD, a 64 GB model from Kingston sells for about $145, and a 256 GB drive from the same company will cost you about $455. In order to make the leap to the 500 GB level, you’d have to have about $2000 to spend on an OCZ Technology Group Z Drive 2 Series model. Keep an eye on these prices though, because SSD manufacturers are definitely poised to make their wares more competitive with HDDs in the near future.
iii. Laptop HDDs and SSDs
Laptop HDDs are one of the few portable PC parts that are easy to upgrade (provided you pay careful attention to your machine’s manual). Most laptops on the market today use 2.5” HDDs, which have much lower storage capacities (maxing out at about 1.5 TB) than their 3.5” counterparts. You can purchase a 2.5” Momentus Mobile HDD from Seagate (with a storage capacity of 120 GB) for as little as $28. If you’d like something a little larger, a 320 GB Hitachi Travelstar model will cost you about $45. If you want to take extra special care of the data on your portable PC (and benefit from increased functionality as well), you can pick up a 256 GB Kingston 2.5” SSD model for about $480. Meanwhile, a state-of-the-art OCZ Technology 2.5” SSD Agility 2 drive (with a 400 GB capacity) sells for about $2000.
B. External Drives
If it’s impractical or impossible for you to upgrade your internal HDD or SSD (or if you already have a top-of-the-line 3 TB internal HDD in place and still need more room!), an external drive can be a fine alternative. These devices, which usually connect to your PC via a USB connection, can really beef up your storage capacity and are ideal for backing up crucial material. They can be used in conjunction with desktop or laptop computers – although they aren’t necessarily the most portable devices in the world. A good strategy for laptop users would be to keep backed up and seldom used files on an external HDD (or SSD) that remains stationary on your desk, and store all of the most frequently used items on the PC’s internal drive.
i. External HDD
External HDDs grow more sophisticated and capacious every day – and you can add a new one each time your digital library (in this age of massive MP3, eBook and MP4 collections) threatens to become unmanageable. Among the most important manufacturers of these devices are LaCie, Western Digital, Iomega, Clickfree and Seagate. Just a couple of years ago, external HDDs were fairly expensive items, but prices have dropped so rapidly that they are now well within the budgetary range of ordinary Canadians.
For example, you can pick up a 1 TB (which can hold about 250,000 average quality MP3s, or more than a thousand movies from DVD, once they are compressed into the avi format) external HDD from Verbatim for about $82! A 2TB model from Seagate will cost you just a few dollars more (about $90), while higher performance 2 TB HDDs from Iomega (price: about $140) and Western Digital (price: about $160) are also quite affordable. At the higher end of the market, you can purchase a 3TB LaCie Professional Hard Disk (with optimal transfer times and USB 3.0 compatibility) for about $330 – and a monster 5 TB Big Backup Server from the same company sells for about $863.
ii. External SSD
External solid state drives share the strengths and the weaknesses of their internal counterparts. They are far more durable and efficient than external HDDs – but they are also less capacious and more expensive. For backing up the most sensitive documents and other files, there’s no safer repository than an external SSD – but the differences in terms of GBs per dollar (vis a vis an external HDD) are quite pronounced. For example, the most basic 32 GB external SSD from Verbatim will cost you about $126. You can double your top-quality storage space by purchasing a 64 GB model from the same company for about $191. Larger external SSDs will doubtless begin to appear in the days ahead, once production methods and market penetration allow manufacturers to drop the prices, but for now external SSDs aren’t likely to fulfill all of your external storage needs (which doesn’t mean you shouldn’t invest in one for taking care of the select files that you simply cannot afford to lose!)
C. Memory Cards and Memory Card Readers
Memory cards provide PC users with an ultraportable means of transferring data from one machine to another – a crucial advantage in this age of multiple-computer homes, frequent division of labour between work and home computers and constant shifting of materials from phones, video games, cameras and other devices onto PCs.
i. SDSC, SDHC and SDXC Memory Cards
The most advanced memory cards on the market are Secure Digital devices which work on the same non-volatile (i.e. no moving parts) principle as solid state drives (on a smaller scale). These cards come in a variety of formats, all of which have different storage capacities that are tied to their respective communication protocols. As a rule of thumb, SDSC (standard capacity) cards generally don’t exceed 2 GB, while SDHC (high capacity) cards can store up to 32 GB of material and SDXC (extended capacity) cards have a theoretical maximum capacity of about 2 TB (although most of the models on the market today don’t exceed 128 GB).
If your data transfer needs are modest, you can pick up a 2 GB SDSC card from A-Data (capable of storing up to 400 high resolution photos) for about $14. Jumping up to the 8 GB level will cost you anywhere from $15 (for a basic MicroSDHC card from Transcend) to $100 (for a wireless memory card from Eye-Fi that will beam your pictures directly from your camera to your PC or other mobile device). For hefty data transfer situations, a 128 GB Professional SDXC card from Lexar Media (price: about $199) should give you everything you need! Don’t forget, however, that non-wireless cards will require a memory card reader on your PC in order to complete the operation.
ii. Memory Card Readers
Memory card readers enable you to pull data directly off your camera, video game or smart phone’s memory card and transfer it onto your PC. With the proliferation of SD and SD micro cards on the market these days, it’s wise to purchase a card reader that can handle any and all formats. These devices themselves are usually connectable to your system via a USB cable, and are generally quite affordable. For example, you can pick up a 74-in-1 card reader (which is compatible with 74 types of cards, including the crucial SDHC and SDXC formats) from Rosewill for as little as $15! Meanwhile, a more specialized SDHC/SDXC portable USB reader (which will also accept standard SD cards) from Sony will cost you even less (price: about $13)!
D. USB Flash Drives
USB flash drives are comparable to memory cards in that they provide a magnificent solution to the problem of portable memory storage, but there are significant differences between the two devices. USB flash drives enjoy a decided advantage over memory cards in that they do not depend upon a third device (i.e. the memory card reader) to interface with your PC. You can simply plug your USB flash drive directly into an available USB port and the data transfer can begin immediately! On the other hand, memory cards can often interface with devices like cameras, phones and video games that lack a USB port. Your best bet is to have at least one of each of these devices around at all times – that way you’ll be ready to handle any data transfer situation!
You can pick up a small (2 GB) flash drive from Mushkin, Dane-Elec or Wintec for less than $6! Larger (4 GB) devices from Sony, Kingston or A-Data won’t cost you much more than $6 either. For more significant data loads, an 8 GB drive from Kingston, Verbatim or PNY (all priced around $10) will come in mighty handy. And if you absolutely need to shoot the works on state-of-the-art portable memory storage, you can purchase a 256 GB SuperCrypt Pro device from Super Talent (with an estimated lifespan of about 10 years) for about $947.
2. Central Processing Unit (CPU)
The CPU is the “brain” of your PC – an absolutely vital component that controls the pace at which your computer can execute programs and process information. If you aren’t happy with your PC’s performance in these areas, a CPU upgrade will yield dramatic results in the blink of an eye! One of the best ways to approach the problem of a sluggish central processing unit is to take the leap into the brave new world of multiprocessing – a technological innovation which outfits your computer with the ability to think through two (or more!) problems at once (via a number of discrete “cores” that can work simultaneously). Dual core CPUs are now extremely common, and 3-core, quad-core and 6-core processors provide today’s consumers with a scintillating array of choices when it comes to quick draw computation!
Another crucial factor to consider when you’re on the CPU hunt is to take note of your mainboard’s CPU socket. Depending upon the type of foundational architecture you find there, you will only be able to upgrade to either an Intel or an AMD CPU. These two companies, which dominate the CPU market, each enjoy different strengths and weaknesses. For example, Intel is universally recognized as the industry leader in ultra-rapid processing; however, its products also tend to cost significantly more than AMD’s. Perhaps more vitally to the point for the purposes of this guide, Intel mainboards are often (but not always) configured in a way that precludes the installation of the company’s latest and greatest products, while AMD’s CPUs are renowned for their back compatibility with older mainboards. As a general rule of thumb then, an AMD system is a much better candidate for upgrading than an Intel system.
Apart from core count and socket compatibility (always make sure that the socket type – e.g. “AM2+” or “775” matches the designation on your mainboard) , the most important item on your new CPU’s list of specifications is its “clock speed” or operating frequency. This number, expressed in gigahertz, tells you how quickly the device will be able to execute programs (with higher values equaling faster performance). You can pick up a basic AMD Athlon dual core processor with a 2.80 GHz clock speed for about $50. A comparable dual core model from Intel (a basic Celeron processor with a 2.60 GHz clock speed) will cost you about the same amount. If you’d like to make the quantum leap forward to quad core multiprocessing, an Intel Xeon model with 4 cores and a 2.66 GHz clock speed sells for about $300, while an AMD Opteron CPU with a 2.6 GHz clock speed sells for about $307.
3. Sound Cards
If you’ve got a particularly sophisticated speaker set-up (i.e. 5, 7 or even more surround sound pieces), you’ll need the right sound card to make sense of all that audacious audio information! There are two main types of sound cards (with an extraordinary array of choices within each category): PCI and USB. The former type connects to your system via the Peripheral Component Interconnect, while the latter is an external piece of equipment that connects via a USB port. Either type of card can deliver the sound you need – the choice depends mainly upon the available options on your motherboard (i.e. do you have any PCI slots left?) One important difference between the devices is that USB sound cards will, as a general rule, use up more of your CPU’s processing power than their PCI counterparts. However, the overall impact of this difference is usually negligible.
A. PCI Sound Cards
You can pick up a basic 4 channel PCI sound card from StarTech (which will support simultaneous playback and recording functions – along with any microphone activity) for about $14! If you’re looking for something that can support a 5.1 speaker system, an Auzen Tech X-Studio Low Profile card sells for about $24, while an Ausus Xonar 5.1 model will cost you about $30. For true 7.1 theatre-quality sound reproduction, a 24-bit Diamond X-Treme sound card retails for about $35. If you want to go beyond the basic listening experience and begin producing high quality sound of your own (i.e. if you are a recording artist or high-tech podcaster), a far more sophisticated Asus Xonar Essence 7.1 model (which can reproduce sound up to an industry-best 124 decibels and cuts down drastically on headphone and microphone distortion) sells for about $207.
B. USB Sound Cards
If you’ve got an extra USB port and a yen to hear your MP3s, games and movies at their best, just grab a USB external card and plug it in for instantly enhanced audio! These devices are especially well suited to laptops, which cannot be upgraded via a new PCI card. You can pick up an excellent 5.1 channel surround sound enabled USB sound card from PPA International for as little as $15! Moving up the ladder of sophistication, a StarTech Virtual 7.1 USB Stereo Adapter will support even denser sound collages and also provide convenient microphone and headphone jacks – all for less than $25! And for a state-of-the-art sound card that is compatible with HD signals, a 7.1 model from Diamond Multimedia’s Xtreme line will improve your sonic experience across the board for about $52!
4. Video/Graphics Cards and Video Capture Cards
With the ever-increasing size and sophistication of modern PC monitors, and the complex subtleties of the gaming software and internet sites that many Canadians use every day, it’s important to outfit your computer with a graphics card that is capable of making sense of that data/sensory overload! Graphics (or video) cards come in a wide range of models and price points, with the main distinction coming between those which are designed for hard core gaming aficionados and those which cater to more mainstream PC usage. Graphics cards are printed circuit boards that work like miniature mainboards to control every aspect of your visual experience. Among the most important specifications to study when shopping for a new card are: clock rate (which determines how quickly your card will process visual information), bandwidth (which controls how quickly the card’s “brain” will be able to project that information back onto your screen), video memory (expressed in MBs or GBs), memory type (expressed as either GDDR1, GDDR2, GDDR3. GDDR4 or GDDR5 – with the higher numbers indicating quicker processing speeds) and type of connection (either PCI or AGP – your mainboard may or may not have both options, and remember that a PCI graphics card will take up two free PCI slots).
A. Gaming Cards
Today’s top-of-the-line graphics cards are designed with the specific needs of the modern gamer in mind. In order to excel in these contests, you have to make split second decisions which depend upon absolutely faithful renderings of detailed scenes and ultra-rapid response times. Budget conscious gamers can get an eye up on the competition for as little as $50, with an HDMI compatible GeForce graphics card from XFX Technologies. If you want to push things even closer to perfection, an XFX Radeon HD model gives you twice the memory (1 GB vs 500 MB) and a much faster clock (850 GHz vs 550 MHz) for a little less than twice the price (about $93). It doesn’t make a lot of sense to go much beyond that level of sophistication unless you’ve got a state-of-the-art monitor to convey the unbelievably detailed graphics generated by the world’s most powerful graphics cards. However, if you do have the set-up for it, XFX’s highest achievement in the Radeon line boasts 4 GB of memory, optimal GDDR5 performance and a dual core graphics processor, and sells for about $750.
B. Mainstream Usage Cards
If you’re just looking for a graphics card that will provide accurate and rapid renderings of your favourite websites (and possibly a few streamed movies or DVDs), you can pick up a basic Radeon HD card from Gigabyte (with 512 MBs of memory, very serviceable GDDR2 processing and a 650 MHz core clock) for about $20. If you’re looking for an AGP connectable device, a GeForce graphics card from EVGA (which features 256 MBs of memory and 350 MHz of processing speed) sells for about $25. If you’re looking to spend just a little bit more for that extra oomph, a Gigabyte GeForce card with 512 GBs of memory, a 520 MHz core clock and snazzy GDDR3 performance will cost you about $33!
C. Video Capture Cards and TV Tuners
Let’s face it, sometimes your computer monitor is actually bigger and more sophisticated than your television! If that’s the case at your house – or if there’s a queue to watch programs in the living room on certain nights – why not take the visionary road less traveled and watch your favourite programs on your PC? These devices generally work by transferring information from your cable box to your computer via a USB cable. You can pick up an excellent TV Tuner from Pixtree for as little as $86! Or you could go the opposite way and play digital media acquired via your computer (such as AVI files) on your big screen TV, with the help of a handy device like Diamond Multimedia’s HD Media Wonder player – which sells for as little as $30!
5. Additional RAM
The amount of Random Access Memory (RAM) on your PC determines how much it can think about simultaneously. If you’re the type of user who likes to multi-task, keeping several windows and programs running at the same time, a RAM upgrade could produce exciting results for an attractively low price. As a general rule of thumb, a modern computer can get by with as little as 2 GB of RAM, but will function far more efficiently at the 4 GB level, and will come close to optimal performance once it reaches 8 GB (unless of course you are running a lot of particularly demanding programs – such as video games and other graphics heavy software).
When it comes to RAM, the more the merrier is the only certain policy, although the amount of memory you are able to add will be determined by the limits of your mainboard (i.e. the number of memory slots it contains, and also by the type of memory it can work with – although most PCs on today’s market work with industry standard DDR3 memory). If you’ve got a basic 4 GB desktop computer, you can make a great leap forward to optimal performance in one purchase with an extra 4 GB of DDR3 RAM (divided into 2 separate 2 GB modules – so make sure you’ve got 2 slots open in your mainboard) from Crucial for as little as $31! And if you really want to go the extra mile (and possibly provision two separate desktops or laptops with nourishing memory), you can pick up a pack of four 4 GB RAM modules from Corsair for less than $100!
6. I/O Cards
With all of the new devices and accessories that are constantly appearing on the market (and on your desktop!), it never hurts to beef up your PC’s interactivity (so that you can use more of them at the same time). The easiest way to do that is to add new input/output (I/O for short) cards to your set-up.
A. PCI Parallel Port I/O Cards
A new PCI I/O card will enable you to add an extra parallel port (or upgrade a less efficient one) to your set-up. These ports are not as popular as they once were, but many printers, scanners and other devices do continue to use them, so it’s important to keep your connectivity options open. You can pick up an easy-to-install (always provided, of course, that you have PCI slots open on your mainboard) model from Syba for as little as $10! For even greater flexibility, a Rosewill PCI card that supports all types of parallel port specifications (from standard to extended) sells for about $12.
B. USB Cards
USB (including USB 2.0) ports have largely replaced parallel ports as the industry standard, and are available in a vast array of models and makes from the likes of StarTech, Syba, Sonnet Technologies, Belkin and LaCie. Designed to interface with anything from a digital camera cable to an external HDD to a microphone to a USB key, you can never really have enough USB ports on your PC! By adding these handy ports, you greatly increase your ability to multi-task – giving you a crucial edge in today’s hurly-burly hyper-technologized world! You can add a pair of USB ports (provided that your mainboard contains the requisite USB pins) for as little as $5, with a Female Low Profile Adapter from StarTech! Or you can use an available PCI slot to plug in an extremely convenient 5 port USB 2.0 PCI controller card from BTE, which sells for as little as $7!
7. Power Supply Units (PSU)
The PSU performs an absolutely vital function for your PC, converting regular AC electricity into the DC energy that your system requires to function. Among the most important manufacturers of these devices (often described as the “heart” of a computer) are Istarusa, Seasonic, Corsair, Antec, Athena Power and Coolmax. Most modern computers use ATX (Advanced Technology Extended) form factor PSUs, and these are not compatible with older, AT (Advanced Technology) models, so be careful if you are attempting to upgrade an AT-powered PC. Among the most important things to look for in a new PSU are: type of pin connection (most use either a 20-pin connector or a 24-pin model – yours will have to match the socket on your motherboard), PFC (Power Factor Correction) technology, which helps to reduce the needless waste of costly electricity and improves the unit’s overall efficiency, the warranty offered by the manufacturer or retailer, and the type of cooling fan included with the PSU (with the most sought-after being those which are outfitted to reduce noise as much as possible).
You can pick up an excellent 900 Watt PSU from Antec, with a 20+4 pin motherboard interface (which should work with most 20- or 24-pin mainboards), active power factor correction, excellent 88% efficiency, an estimated 100000 hours MBTF (mean time between failures) and a five year limited warranty – all for less than $100! If you’re looking for something that packs a little more punch and a lot more long-term stability, $345 will get you a 1600-Watt PSU from Ultra with a 24-pin connector, whisper quiet cooling fan, 82.5% efficiency and a lifetime warranty!
8. LED and LCD Monitors
One of the best ways to improve your relationship with your PC is to make your set-up a lot easier on the eyes! Flat screen monitor technology has made dramatic strides forward during the past few years, with HD displays taking over as the industry standard and larger sizes coming onto the market for lower prices than ever before! If you’re just looking to make the jump from an old-style tube monitor to a lustrous flat screen display, you can pick up a basic 18.5” widescreen LCD model from Hannspree for as little as $90. If you’d like to move into a more luxurious viewing bracket, you can do so for the eminently affordable price of $234 when you choose a 22” SyncMaster HDTV model from Samsung. And if you aspire to become the monarch of all that you survey, a regal 47” HD monitor from LG Electronics sells for about $1373.
9. Keyboards and Mice
Sometimes upgrading your day-to-day computing experience can be as simple as trading upwards for a better or more flexible keyboard or mouse. We use these devices constantly, and if they aren’t up to snuff (or can’t extend themselves the way we’d like them to), they can cause a lot of needless frustration! Wireless versions of these devices, in particular, have greatly altered expectations concerning the functionality of PC peripherals – and are becoming extremely affordable!
A. USB Keyboards
If your trusty old keyboard is getting a bit run down, with loose keys that have been stripped of their letter decals by years of relentless use, why not replace it with a brand new ergonomic model that will show you some light at the end of your carpal tunnel syndrome? You can pick up a wonderful new Comfort Curve USB keyboard from Microsoft for as little as $20. If you’ve acquired a taste for the track pad thanks to your laptop, an ergonomic keyboard with a built-in pad eliminates the middle mouse for about $65. And for maximum flexibility, a Goldtouch split keyboard (which allows you to determine the most comfortable hand angle while typing – and to adjust throughout the day) sells for about $96.
B. USB Mice
Nothing is more aggravating than an unresponsive or erratic mouse! Don’t just sit there cursing a cursor that has strayed from the path you’ve set for it – get a new mouse immediately! There’s no need to suffer when you can pick up an excellent, smooth functioning optical mouse from Inland, Gear Head, Rosewill, Gateway or iMicro for less than $8. And if your wrist has been giving you trouble, you might want to invest a little more in a state-of-the-art ergonomic mouse from Goldtouch (available in right- and left-handed versions), which sells for about $61.
C. Wireless Keyboards
A wireless keyboard allows you to pull away from the desk and type from an angle and distance of your choosing, without worrying about getting snarled up in a tangle of USB cables. You can pick up perfectly serviceable wireless keyboards (with simple plug and play set-up and extended battery life) from Logitech or Gear Head for about $20. And if you’re looking to combine wireless technology with ergonomic features to keep those aches and pains at bay, look no further than a Microsoft Wireless Laser Desktop model, which comes packaged with a mouse and universal wireless receiver for as little as $91!
D. Wireless Mice
There’s nothing more freeing than using a mouse that isn’t anchored to your PC by an unwieldy USB cable! You can pick up a basic wireless mobile mouse from Microsoft for as little as $8! Other fine models from Expansys, Gear Head and Inland sell for just a few dollars more (in the $10 to $12 range). And if you’re looking to give your wrist an even better break, a wireless VerticalMouse 3 from Evoluent will lend a miraculously ergonomic hand for about $102!
10. Printers and Scanners
Another great way to take your PC to the next level is to upgrade your old printer with a sleek and inexpensive modern model (many of which now include a scanner to give you an invaluable two-way interface with the world of printed materials!) Today’s printer technology has reached such an exalted level that extremely efficient and multifunctional models can be produced and sold for mouth wateringly low prices! For example: a Lexmark 3-in-1 Inkjet printer (with high quality black and colour printing, 1 touch copy functionality, a powerful flatbed scanner and 6-colour photo printing) sells for as little as $50!
Laser printers are renowned for producing even higher quality documents, but you can still pick up an excellent model from Samsung for less than $60. And if you’d like to combine laser printing resolution with high-fidelity copying and scanning technology, Brother, Canon and Konica all offer “all-in-one” laser printers for the eminently reasonable price of $100!
Are You Ready to Take Things to the Next Level?
Many computer buyers forget that PCs (especially desktops) are structurally designed to facilitate future upgrades. The machine that you brought home from the store last month (or five years ago!) was never intended to be a finished product – it’s just the ground floor! Your computer can always be improved and made more responsive to your needs (that’s why they call it a “personal computer”, after all!) So make a checklist of everything that seems to be holding you and your system back and then start problem solving! Just like the Bionic Man, there is every chance that you can make your PC better, stronger and faster than you ever dreamed it could be!
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