Type of Upgrade

Guidelines

Difficulty

RAM

A RAM upgrade can be a quick and easy way to speed up your computer. This is the best route to making any computer faster because more RAM means less time that your computer must pause to access the hard drive. One way to tell if you need more RAM is to see and hear if your hard drive is constantly being accessed. A more precise way is to look at your system's Task Manager, which will provide information on your system's performance.

Moderate

Modem

Upgrading a computer's modem will effectively speed up download time from the Internet; but most computers already equipped with a 56k modem, which is about as fast as they get. In order to get faster internet access you need to upgrade your Internet service to DSL or cable. New modems are usually provided with your DSL or cable service.

Moderate

Hard drive

Replacing a hard drive can be a momentous task because of the need to transfer files from the old drive to the new. You would also need to reinstall the operating system and all the software. It may be best to consider adding an additional drive instead of entirely removing the older one. Most motherboards can handle up to four hard drives.

Advanced

Processor

This is not an easy upgrade, and should be approached with caution. A faster chip will help make the computer process applications faster, but the additional speed may be negligible without sufficient RAM. The difficult part about installing a new processor is finding one that will work with your motherboard.

Advanced