Upgrade Report [Best PC Upgrades - 09/12/2006]

September 12th, 2006

Best PC Upgrades

PC World Contributor Robert Luhn

With a little know-how and some good advice, making the right upgrade
can keep your hot-rod PC blazing or extend the life of your wheezing
workhorse system. We have the information you need for either goal, in
sections that bring you up-to-date on all the major components and
offer
comprehensive, step-by-step guides to upgrading.

CPU Upgrades: Intel's hot new Core 2 Duo processors are the latest and
greatest CPUs here. For an older PC bump-up, we show you what you can
expect from a Pentium 4 upgrade in an older computer, as well as
providing a step-by-step upgrade guide.
http://www.pcworld.com/article/id,12...g/article.html
?tk=nl_urxhow,00.asp

Step-by-Step:
http://www.pcworld.com/article/id,12...g/article.html
?tk=nl_urxhow,00.asp

Graphics Board Upgrades: SLI and Crossfire are the new technologies
for
our video card section. We run through four different upgrade
scenarios--two for an older AGP system and two for a new system with
on-board graphics--along with our step-by-step guide.
http://www.pcworld.com/article/id,12...g/article.html
?tk=nl_urxhow,00.asp

Step-by-Step:
http://www.pcworld.com/article/id,12...g/article.html
?tk=nl_urxhow,00.asp

Memory Upgrades: DDR3 memory is coming, and we let you know what to
expect. Also, learn the benefits of an easy, inexpensive memory
upgrade,
and check out our step-by-step guide.
http://www.pcworld.com/article/id,12...g/article.html
?tk=nl_urxhow,00.asp

Step-by-Step:
http://www.pcworld.com/article/id,12...g/article.html
?tk=nl_urxhow,00.asp

Hard-Drive Upgrades: Perpendicular recording and hybrid hard drives
get
the spotlight in the hard-drive section. Once again we offer a
step-by-step guide--this one focuses on adding a new drive and
discusses
SATA.
http://www.pcworld.com/article/id,12...g/article.html
?tk=nl_urxhow,00.asp

Step-by-Step:
http://www.pcworld.com/article/id,12...g/article.html
?tk=nl_urxhow,00.asp

Optical Drive Upgrades: Are the new Blu-ray optical drives worth the
hefty price tag? Probably not--but much more reasonable DVD upgrade
options are available.
http://www.pcworld.com/article/id,12...ng/article.htm
l?tk=nl_urxhow,00.asp

Upgrade, Build, or Buy: To wrap up our coverage, we help you answer
two
critical questions: Is it time to get a new system instead of
upgrading,
and are you better off buying a new system or building it?
http://www.pcworld.com/article/id,12...ng/article.htm
l?tk=nl_urxhow,00.asp

And don't miss our handy extra tips and guides:

How to Install a New Power Supply
http://www.pcworld.com/article/id,12...ng/article.htm
l?tk=nl_urxhow,00.asp

How to Keep Your PC Cool
http://www.pcworld.com/article/id,12...ng/article.htm
l?tk=nl_urxhow,00.asp

Make Sure You Have the Tools You Need
http://www.pcworld.com/article/id,12...ng/article.htm
l?tk=nl_urxhow,00.asp

Gauge How Hard Your System Is Working
http://www.pcworld.com/article/id,12...ng/article.htm
l?tk=nl_urxhow,00.asp

Set Up Your PC for Multimedia Entertainment
http://www.pcworld.com/article/id,12...ng/article.htm
l?tk=nl_urxhow,00.asp

Visit our Upgrade Center tips and product reviews:
http://www.pcworld.com/tc/upgrade/?tk=nl_urxctr,00.asp