Myth of the Upgradable Computer
February 1, 2000
© 2000, Douglas E. Welch
In an effort to combat consumer’s worries about their computer
becoming obsolete too quickly, many computer manufacturers have
touted the ability to upgrade their systems when new technology
was developed. While it might be nice to think that you can have a whole new
computer without buying one, you will quickly find that an upgraded
computer will never be as fast or full-featured as one you can
buy today.
Weakest link
There is a saying that a chain is only as strong as its weakest
link. The same is true with computers. You can add a faster processor
chip or faster hard disk to your old computer, but you will still
be saddled with other components running at their older, slower
speeds. Even if you upgrade nearly every part of your computer
it will still be slower and lack features available in current
models.
If you are looking to merely extend the life of your computer
you can add memory, hard disks or other devices, but if you want
to make a significant improvement you are always better off replacing
your old computer with a new system. You can always pass your
old system along to someone with slightly lower requirements.
No choice
Older computers can have limitations on the amount of memory you
can add or what types of hard disks you can install. For example,
you might need to add 128MB of memory to run the latest graphics
package, but in the case of my laptop, I can only have a total
of 72 MB. There is no way around such a "hard" limitation. If
you want to run this piece of software you will need to buy a
new computer.
Today’s hard disks can transfer information at much higher speeds
than older designs. Unfortunately, older computers may not recognize
drives using the latest technology. Even if the computer allows
you to use the new hard disk, more than likely, you will not be
taking full advantage of the features of the new drive. You might
be getting only a fraction of the performance for which you paid.
You can also upgrade the main processor in your computer in several
ways. Some systems allow you to remove the existing processor
and replace it with a faster one. This is, by far, the best method.
Other upgrades, using plug-in cards will not be as fast. Even
then, though, your new processor will still be saddled with the
older components in your computer since they can only process
data at a slower rate.
What’s the cost?
Finally, you may find that the cost of upgrading your old computer
to the level you want may actually be close to the cost of a new
computer with many times more power and new features. Due to the
speed of innovation in computers, old systems were often superseded
very quickly by new ones. Luckily, since most of today’s computers
so far out-distance our needs, you will probably find that this
new computer may last you longer than your current one.
You can wring some additional performance out of nearly any computer,
but if you want to truly make a leap in your computing power,
you are better off buying a new system that sports all the latest
technology in one package.
Douglas E. Welch is a freelance writer and computer consultant
in Van Nuys, California. He also writes Career Opportunities, a weekly column on high-tech careers and A Gardener's Notebook. You can find more of Douglas' writing on his web page at: http://www.welchwrite.com/
He can reached via email at douglas@welchwrite.com
|
