Before buying a new computer, consider whether you can improve your existing one. Some problems can be solved with a simple clean-up, or a relatively inexpensive upgrade. Below you'll find help in making that decision:
| Your goal |
How you can upgrade |
Possible for a desktop? |
Possible for a laptop? |
Where to find help* |
| You want more space in your computer for new programs and files |
Clean up your hard drive |
Yes |
Yes |
Visit our Cleaning, maintenance & security section |
| Add or swap a hard drive |
Yes |
Yes |
See our "Add hard drive storage space" section below |
| You want your computer to run faster |
Clean up your hard drive |
Yes |
Yes |
Visit our Cleaning, maintenance & security section |
| Add memory/RAM |
Yes |
Yes |
helpwithpcs or PC911
|
| You want a larger screen and/or better resolution |
Add a new monitor &/or upgrade your video card |
Yes |
External monitor: Yes; Video card: No |
Visit our Buying tips section |
| You want to record music or movies |
Add or swap a CD or DVD burner |
Yes |
Yes |
helpwithpcs |
| You want to record music or movies |
Add or swap a CD or DVD burner |
Yes |
Yes |
helpwithpcs |
| You want to enhance your video or gaming experience |
Upgrade your video card |
Yes |
No |
helpwithpcs |
| You want to hook up your new video camera |
Add a FireWire port |
Yes |
Yes |
Lifehacker |
| You want to hook up your new PDA or MP3 player |
Add a USB-2 port |
Yes |
Yes |
Lifehacker |
| You can't run the latest software |
Upgrade your Operating System |
Depends on the available hard drive space |
Depends on the available hard drive space |
For Windows, run Update from the Start Menu
For Macintosh, go to the Software Update Control Panel |
*These resources are provided for those who wish to learn more about upgrading or to perform the upgrade themselves. If that's not for you, consider hiring professional help (see the Repair section for resources).
Add hard drive storage space:
For desktops: Chances are your desktop PC has a space called a "drive bay" inside, reserved for a second hard drive and complete with the necessary power and data connectors. An 80- to 300-GB drive runs about 50 cents/GB plus $20. Installing a second hard drive on a fairly recent computer--one that came with Windows 98, Mac OS 9, or later--isn't difficult.
If your PC is more than three years old, find out from the manufacturer how large a hard drive it can accommodate. Older computers weren't designed for drives larger than 32 GB, but new drives often come with driver software that can work around this limitation. If you need to install such software, be prepared to follow directions carefully. If that's not for you, let a technician do it.
For desktops or laptops without room for another internal hard drive: External hard drives can generally be connected to computers dating back to 2003 that have a USB or FireWire port-or if it's a laptop, a PC-card slot. Older computers with a USB-1 connection may be too slow for an external hard drive, except one used simply for backups. However, if your PC is a desktop with Windows 98 or later, you can still add a plug-in PCI card (about $30) with USB-2 or FireWire ports to plug in the drive.
Not for the timid: changing hard drives. If you have no way to add a second hard drive, or your hard drive is becoming unreliable, consider moving everything to a new drive. How difficult this is depends on the type of computer and version of Windows you're running. Given the variety of configurations, complexity of the task, and potential for getting into trouble, we recommend against such hard-drive swapping, unless you're prepared to reinstall your operating system and programs from scratch. Otherwise, leave it to someone with experience and the knowledge of how to handle unanticipated problems. And, be sure to back up your important files, including financial documents and email.
To learn how to clean up your existing hard drive, visit our Cleaning, maintenance & security section.
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