Upgrading or replacing
computer hardware
Most people have a computer,
but as time goes by it will have problems
running the new software available. You may
have to upgrade you PC in order to use the new
games, software or peripherals that keeps
being developed. To know what to upgrade and
why, is important, so you get the most out of
your personal computer.
Most computer components can
be replaced, unless it's a proprietary design
of the manufacturer. Some may have devices
embedded onto the motherboard or main board.
Most embedded or on-board devices like VGA
cards or sound cards can be disabled to
install a better one using one of the
available expansion slots of the PC.
You might need to update
your display adapter because your new games
are slow and the display is choppy for
example. You may need to install a bigger
hard-disk to be able to install the much
bigger applications on the market. Adding
memory to speed up the overall performance of
your computer. Most of these can be done
easily with a Philips screwdriver and does not
require much dexterity.
Before, installing the
drivers for a peripheral was harder and
sometimes needed to have the proper settings
on installation to match the components
hardware settings, usually done with jumpers.
If you did not specify the proper memory range
or interrupt, the device would simply not
function or could even crash the PC.
Now with Plug&Play, it's
basically all auto-configured and will usually
not need you to specify any settings since the
device has the information and will pass these
to the Plug&Play bios of the computer. This
eliminates conflicts in memory ranges,
interrupt assignments and bad user hardware
settings.
This help peripheral
manufacturers deliver an easy to use
component that can be installed by a customer
without the need of a professional technician,
making the cost lower, minimize technical
support calls, and make it available to more
computer owners.
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