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Computers Upgrades & Extras

Up-grading or just adding more to your PC

Up-grading (or buy new)

In this day and age where technology is racing and prices come down to reflect this, one must consider if up-grading is worthwhile or it's just as cost effective to go out and buy a new PC.

In a situation where you have a perfectly good PC which is running well for your needs, but you buy a camcorder and find the computer just won't take the extra graphical work, all you may need is a Graphics Card. A good graphic card can cost as little as £40 if you look around. They're easy to install (you only need a posidrive screwdriver to take the holding screws off) and will solve the problem instantly.

However, you may find that after doing this, the hard drive isn't big enough to store your videos, the ram is insufficient, the power unit isn't big enough or the Processor isn't capable of the workload. If that's the case, a new fully built PC will probably cost less than buying all the parts you need to bring the computer up to spec.

Always make sure when you're buying any new part for your PC that the specifications of your computer are up to taking them, or it's just false economy. A new chip will probably mean a new motherboard, which takes memory of a different type and so on.

I've done this, brought loads of 'bigger this, faster that' etc., but at the end of the day I've probably spent more than buying a brand new set up!

Extras for Your Computer

You can easily get gadget happy with all the various extra you can buy for PC's. The first thing to consider is that they've all got to be plugged into the PC!

Most are connected using the USB ports and the standard amount is 4 or 6 on a PC.
Taking out the fact you've probably got a printer, a scanner and possibly an ADSL modem, the chances are you'll need to purchase either a new USB port attached to the motherboard (installed similar to the graphics card or an external adapter with about 6 ports for you to play around with.

A 'normal' selection of extras would be Microphone (for use with Skype, Mesenger etc), a Webcam (the same), MP3 players, ipods, mobile phones, digital camera, external hard drive and so on.

A lot of Webcams have built in microphones as well, so that's one saving. If you have a digital camera or camcorder, the speed of the PC gathering the information will be far faster using your Firewire connection (some older camcorders and cameras won't have this).

If you're using a storage card from a camera, you may have a Multimedia input on your PC where you can put most cards available in. If not, you can buy these quite cheaply.

I would tend to buy a multi selection type. Should you change your Sony for a Canon, it'll save you buying another one solely for that product.

TV on the Computer

If you want to watch TV on the PC, either full screen or as a window tucked away in the corner, then get a PCTV Card. Again this fits into your Motherboard at the back of the Unit, then all you do is to plug an aerial lead into it and away you go. The benefit is that you are using one monitor for both TV and Computer - another money saver. You still need a TV licence though.

The supplied Software will usually include a program to record as well. Beware though, half an hour of recording a TV show, or camcorder clip, will take up about 4GB of your hard drive. Could be best to burn it to DVD and release the space on your PC.

Most PCTV cards have a composite input as well and these will enable you to plug older camcorders in.

Whenever buying any extra for your PC; if from a shop take your PC spec with you to check out the suitability or if buying online, check the spec before purchasing.

For the low cost approach, search every availability there is. I've brought things which retail at £100 for only £35 by just spending a couple of hours searching every available source.

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