Computer Hardware - Guide to the PC Hardware

Required Tools:

Phillips-head screw driver (+)

Needlenose pliers

Anti-Static wrist strap (or ground yourself to metal)

Large work area

Optional Tools: Electrical tape

Flashlight

Compressed air

Before you begin make sure you have all the tools you need and a clean space to work. Make sure you have all required tools and materials.

Unpack the materials once package at a time and inspect them to make sure they are not broke or defective. Keep all receipts to insure proper returns if needed. Keep all parts inside their anti-static bags and gather all support manuals that came with the materials. Go to a room with plenty of light and if at all possible…no carpet. Carpet attachs static electricity and could cause damage to your parts and void warranties.

If you have an extra PC or notebook computer available I suggest leaving them on to find out any diagrams or manufacturer’s notes online.

STEP 1: THE CASE

After you have receive the case you bought, inspect it for damage. Make sure you have a working power supply and case fans (if applicable). If you did not buy your power supply with the case then you can see how to install it in the next step.

To access the inside of the case simply unscrew the bindings from the back or unlock the side door with your key, this all depends on your computer case. Once inside check and make sure that the drive bays are clear and you can easily access them. Also check the I/O Shield located on the back of the computer.

The I/O Shield is what you will eventually connect the monitor, USB, mouse / keyboard, and networking. You may need to switch this out with the I/O Shield that came with your motherboard if it will not fit properly, but we will discuss this later in the topic.

STEP 2: THE POWER SUPPLY (if already installed skip to step 3)

The power supply is the part that connects your computer to the power outlet in the wall. NEVER take the power supply apart as it will most likely void the warranty. Inspect the power supply to make sure the ends are not missing or broke and the red switch is flipped to 115V (US). You can usually find this switch on the top of the power supply. It may already be flipped up, if it is then continue on without doing this.

You need to install the power supply from inside the computer. Bundle all the cords coming from the right of the power supply to keep them out of the way. Insert the power supply with the 3 prong male power connection facing out (OUTLET <-------- =[]|[PS}-------->CASE). Screw the power supply into place using the philips screw driver. Make it snug, not to tight. Look at the final result and make sure you have all the connetions open and not being blocked by any part of the case.

Looking to have dual video cards…if you MAKE SURE the power supply says “Supports SLI” somewhere in the description.

STEP 3: THE MOTHERBOARD

First find the pegs or screws that come with the motherboard.

Compare the motherboard and the case I/O Shield. If the motherboard does not fit in the supplied I/O Shield then remove it, and put in the I/O Shield that came with your motherboard.

Now locate the screw holes on your motherboard and find the corresponding holes on the motherboard plate (or tray) in the case. Put a standoff (the pegs) in each of these holes on the tray and position the motherboard so that you can see the holes in the top of the standoffs through the screw holes in the motherboard.

The small metal tabs are intended to make contact with the metal parts of the connections on the back of the motherboard and ground them, but you may have to bend these tabs a bit to get the ports all properly mounted, this is where those needlenose pliers may come in handy. If you have trouble lining up the screw holes, double check that you have the standoffs in the proper holes on the tray.

Now fasten a screw through each of the motherboard screw holes into the standoffs underneath. These screws should be snug but not tight, there is no reason to torque down on them, hand tight is fine, otherwise you can damage the motherboard. There, the motherboard is in, now it’s time to plug the other components into it.

Looking to have dual video cards, if so then MAKE SURE the motherboard says “Supports SLI” somewhere in the description.

Eric Oliver

http://www.zero3computers.com

Learn how to build a computer, buy a computer, or fix a computer. Zero 3 Computers sell custom PCs, but also offer knowledge to keep you from having to buy another one. Don’t let the overpriced rule your pocket…we give you the tools, its up to you to make or save money

STEP 4: THE CPU (THE PROCESSOR)

Read the instructions carefully, look at the parts, study the diagrams that came with your CPU and make sure you thoroughly understand what you are going to do before you try to do it. If you can not get something to fit do not force it and take a second to check all parts and your diagrams to make sure you are still doing everything right.

The details of the installation process differ in slight but important ways for each manufacturer’s processors, and even within a manufacturers product line. Therefore, for these details, you should rely on the instructions that are provided with the CPU.

The two things that will most likely go wrong with Custom Computer Builds are CPU and heatsink related. DO NOT do the following unless you want to waste the money you just paid for your CPU and motherboard.

1. Switching the computer on “just to see if it works” before adding any CPU cooling unit. Without cooling, CPUs heat up at extreme rates (a CPU heats up anywhere between ten times and a thousand times as fast as a cooking area on your stove!) By the time you see the first display on the screen, your CPU will already be severely overheating and might be damaged beyond repair.

2. Mounting the CPU cooler improperly. Read the instructions that came with your CPU and cooler very carefully and ensure you are using all components in the correct order and correct place.

Align the corner of the CPU (look at the above picture) that doesn’t have all the connectors to the motherboard’s matching CPU Slot (look on Part 1 for motherboard image). Once you have the CPU in the slot move the bracket surrounding the CPU Slot to lock the CPU in to place.

Use thermal paste to cool your CPU. Apply it only to the CPU die (the square piece of silicon in the middle of the TOP half of the CPU) and do so sparingly — most modern CPUs take no more than a grain of rice sized dab of thermal paste.

If using a thermal pad supplied with your cooler, make sure you remove any protective tape from the die just before installing and do not get it dirty - and do not combine thermal pads with thermal paste, it’s either one or the other. Then, check that you install the cooler in the right orientation and that you set it flat on the CPU die without exerting undue pressure on any edges or corners - the latter can make small pieces of the die break off, killing the CPU.

Tighten the cooler using only the specified holding devices - if you did everything right, they will fit. If they don’t fit, check your setup - most likely something is wrong. After mounting the cooler, connect any power cables for the fan that is attached onto the cooler.

Try to fit the CPU and cooler with the motherboard on a flat surface to avoid bending or breaking the motherboard.

STEP 5: MEMORY (RAM)

Find the memory slots located on the motherboard. Look on the image on Part 1 if you need help. Once you find their location on the motherbaord push on the levers (white plastic in the picture) on either side of the DIMM socket, so that they move to the sides. Do not force them, they should move fairly easily.

Put the memory module in the socket. Line up the notch in the center of the module with the small bump in the center of the memory socket, making sure to insert it the right way. Push down on the module until both levers move up into the notches on the sides of the module. There should be a small “snap” when the module is fully seated. Although this does require a fair bit of force, don’t over do it or you may break the module.

As you handle the RAM, try not to touch the copper stripes you can see along the bottom edge, as doing so is the best way to damage the part. Start adding RAM at the slot labeled “Bank 0″ or “DIMM 1″. If you don’t have a stick in “Bank 0″ or “DIMM 1″ the system will think there is no RAM and won’t boot. On newer motherboards with 4 slots, you’ll see alternating colors. For example, slot 1 is blue, slot 2 is black, slot 3 is blue, slot 4 is black. If you were to put 1 gigabyte of RAM in your PC, it’s best to use dual channel 512MBx2 sticks. Put the first 512MB stick in slot 1, and put the 2nd stick in slot 3 (the two slots that are blue) - leaving slot 2 empty. This will give you better performance, vs. putting 1GB in slot 1, or two 512MB sticks in slot 1 and 2.

Keep in mind Windows XP will only recognize a little over 3.5GB or memory, so its a waste of money to buy more unless you upgrade to Windows Vista.

Eric Oliver
http://www.zero3computers.com
Learn how to build a computer, buy a computer, or fix a computer. Zero 3 Computers sell custom PCs, but also offer knowledge to keep you from having to buy another one. Don’t let the overpriced rule your pocket…we give you the tools, its up to you to make or save money.

Eric Oliver,
http://www.zero3computers.com Technician and system builder.

Need of cleaning a computer monitor

Monitor is the most important and expensive part of a computer/ laptop. Proper care has to be taken for maintaining the glow and charm of your computer. If you want your computer to run efficiently for long, then you have to clean it every now and then and it should be well maintained. If you clean your computer regularly, it can save your computer from getting damaged and being dusty. It is bad practice to place the monitor or computer on the ground. It should be placed on a proper table. Be sure that when ever you clean your monitor or computer, you unplug the computer. Other than the monitor other parts of computer can be cleaned with a vacuum cleaner, monitor is very delicate and as it is made of glass, it should be given separate care. Like all other parts of the computer, the monitor should also be cleaned.

Content

Make sure that your computer table is quiet clean, do not litter the place with all your food items or tea and coffee, as once if they fall on the monitor, it is completely spoiled and you will have you spend tremendous amount for buying a new monitor. Don’t press your monitor with fingers. Many people do not know how to clean the monitor of the computer. Never treat your monitor as a piece of empty box.

Even though many companies have come up with many liquid products for cleaning monitors, they are not so effective and some may perhaps ruin your monitor. Generally monitors are of two types, they are cathode ray tube (CRT) and Liquid crystal display (LCD), so depending upon the type of the monitor you can clean it. For cleaning the dust of a CRT monitor always use a cloth which is extremely soft or use an anti static cloth. Then spray a small amount of fluid liquid in the cloth and then gently rub the monitor in one direction throughout the monitor. After you’re done doing that then use a dry cloth to dry the monitor.

Cleaning a LCD monitor

The process of cleaning a LCD monitor is little different as the LCD monitor is little fragile. To start cleaning a LCD monitor take a soft cloth and first gently wipe the dust from the computer and then put cider vinegar or alcohol on the cloth and water as well upon the cloth and then rub the cloth tenderly on the LCD in the same direction for the entire LCD monitor. And finally use the other dry and soft cloth to dry the monitor.

Whether if you are cleaning a LCD monitor or CRT monitor, the first thing which you have to do is switch off your computers and unplug it. Don’t use a liquid which is very soapy. Always use a lint free cloth. If you do not have a soft or lint free cloth, then you can even clean the monitor with cotton swabs or foam swabs. All the above were few important points and tips for cleaning a monitor.

Learn more about my Hanns-G 28 Widescreen Monitor here.

Shane Woods is a established MLM marketer who specializes in helping people earn residual income online. You can learn more at his blog http://www.whoisshanewoods.com

Desktop computers which are easily accommodated on a desk are micro computers that find usage in both offices and homes. The four kinds of computers that are widely used nowadays are workstations, internet servers, special communications computers and personal or home computers. Desktop computers being relatively cheaper are extensively used in homes, schools, and businesses.

Being usually modular, the components of desktop computers may be substituted or upgraded without much difficulty and various elegant cases and styles are also there for the asking. They are required for multiple tasks such as video editing, internet browsing, office work and digital photography.

The very first desktop computer system was introduced in 1975 by Micro Instrumentation Telemetry System (MITS) 8800. This offer, made numerous other companies interested in the production of personal computers. Tandy Corporation (Radio Shack), came up with their first personal computer in 1977, with a keyboard and CRT. Apple II and Commodore PET which are now the market leaders also released their first models that very year.

Introduced in 1981, by IBM, the PC marked a turning point in the computer world, as the Intel 8088 microprocessor based device became a thundering success. The new 16 bit microprocessor introduction paved the way for more powerful and faster devices. The fact that IBM PC worked on an operating system that could be incorporated by any other company`s computer as well, made standardization possible. The Apple Mac PC, which ran on Motorola 68000, was another popular 32 bit PC brand that was launched by Apple Inc in 1984.

A contemporary computer would come with CPU, display motherboard, primary storage (RAM), and keyboard, mouse, power supply, optical disc drive, expansion cards and secondary storage (HDD).

There are ports in all the desktop computers, for plugging in various external devices like keyboards, monitors, scanners and printers. The ports can be of many kinds. They may be for power connection, headphone, modem, card reader, PS/2, VGA, universal serial bus, Firewire, ethernet, serial and parallel.

Detailed guidelines are available on the net that one should consult before going in to purchase a desktop. Here are a few points that may work as a checklist to help you make a well informed purchase decision:

Making a choice between an Intel processor and AMD is very difficult indeed. The relative speed and the number of cores in the processor, brings in the main difference in the matter and therefore detailed research on the net is needed in order to make the right decision.At least 1 GB of memory is advisable for the system and the older DDR memory standard is better eschewed. Faster memories are essential for better performance and so future upgrades should be made possible.

Nowadays, it is best to have at least 250 GB or more storage space. Usually, in most drives serial ATA interface is used for easy installation. It is best to keep a Multi format DVD burner which supports both +R/RW and -R/RW with a 16x recordable speed.

Integrated graphics should suffice for those who are not into 3D graphics. The points which one should pay attention to are the memory capacity and performance of the card, the direct X version which it supports and the output connectors. In order to run games smoothly, a direct x 10 card with 256 MB memory should be a sound choice.

External interfaces are preferred to internal cards now, in order to make upgrades and add peripherals to computers. Make sure that both IEEE 1394 or FireWire points and USB 2.0, are present in a desktop computer.

CRTs monitors have been taken over by LCDs nowadays due to the fact that LCDs are less power consuming and smaller in size. The 4:3 ratio screens have now been taken over by larger display screens and the lowered prices of 20-22 inch models are also encouraging.

Roberto Sedycias works as IT consultant for PoloMercantil

Even Apple’s Mac computer is going to need a RAM upgrade sometime or another. As new technology is introduced, older models become outdated in terms of processing speed and memory storage.

Your Mac memory is not difficult to upgrade and with the right tools and knowledge you can perform the upgrade yourself and save some money by doing so. Just remember that Apple memory is going to be different than PC memory on a Compaq or Dell, so you have to take into account that you may not be able to use a generic memory board or module in your computer.

There is a great website that can help you upgrade your Mac memory. That website is Crucial Mac. You will need to know a few things about your memory computer module before you can begin buying products. You will need to know how many slots you have in your model as well as what your modules are currently running at, and to do this you will need to know the model of your Mac and know the series type.

If you do not know the model or series type you can use their Scan My System function which tells you exactly what is installed on your system. Consumer electronics are not hard to figure out if you have some place to start. Once you have your Apple memory options up on the screen, you will then be able to see if they have the computer memory modules that work best for your system.

If you run into trouble and are stuck trying to find what you want, then they do offer a support staff and Live Chat to help you decide what you need. The help computer hardware questions on the page can also answer any potential questions you may have about upgrading your Mac’s storage.

As mentioned above, you have to know a little bit about how your computer operates in order to make your computer run faster. Once you have the information you need, do yourself a favor for next time and write it down. It will save you time and effort later down the road.

If you have exhausted your help sections and are still having trouble, then you may want to consider taking your Apple into a computer repair shop for the Mac memory upgrade. They can do it rather quickly and it will not be very costly.

Enrich your knowledge further about the mac memory from Mike Selvon portal. We appreciate your feedback at our discount computer memory blog where a free gift awaits you.

If you’re getting ready to replace that old monitor or even buy a new computer system, choosing the right monitor may seem a little intimidating. New technology has given us more choices when shopping for a new monitor.

There are basically two types of monitors, a CRT monitor and the newer flat panel TFT type. Either of these monitors will serve it’s purpose and give you years of usage. So, your decision will probably be based more on what you want, or what you can afford! If you’re on a tight budget, you may not have a choice in which monitor you’d prefer. The basic CRT monitors have become less expensive and if price is your main obstacle, this could be your only choice!

Most new computer systems come pre-packaged with the newer TFT monitors. However, depending on where you purchase the computer, sometimes you will still have a choice. Especially if you’re buying from a smaller computer shop or having your system custom built.

First of all let’s clarify, there is a huge difference in a flat screen monitor and a flat panel monitor! And, knowing the difference between the two is very important.

Buying a monitor with a flat screen doesn’t mean that you’re getting a thin, lightweight monitor. A flat screened monitor is just basically what it the name implies, the screen is flat instead of having a curved surface! There are several benefits to having a monitor with a flat screen. The flat screen will cut down on the glare that comes from both the image on the screen and your surroundings!

Flat screens are specially coated so that lights or other objects in your room don’t reflect off of the screen. The images will be sharper, the text will be much easier to read and you’ll see a noticeable difference in eye-strain.

The CRT monitors are the ones that most of us still have, though are being phased out. They’re the older styled monitors that are large and heavy. These monitors use tubes similar to those in televisions. You can find many CRT monitors that now have the flat screens. Even though most newer models are now slightly more compact, they’re still large and can be quite heavy.

Although the newer TFT monitors have flat screens, they’re actually called flat panel monitors. They’re very thin and compact and provide a greater picture quality than the old CRT monitors.

Aside from a more vivid picture with less distortion, flat panel monitors are the best choice if you’re short on space! They’re usually only a couple of inches thick, so they take up a lot less space than CRT models.

Most flat panel monitors can be mounted on the wall behind your computer desk. They can also be mounted to monitor arms that will allow you to adjust the height and angle of your monitor. If you are considering buying a flat panel model, make sure you read the specifications. One of the things you’ll definitely want to check is the viewing range.

The viewing range on earlier flat screens was limited. Simply put, if you weren’t sitting directly in front of the monitor you wouldn’t be able to see the images. But, most newer models now provide a wider viewing area, just be sure to check before purchasing.

Another thing you will want to consider when purchasing a new monitor is how much you use your computer. If you spend hours in front of your monitor or you’re an avid gamer, the picture quality will be of major importance.

JBO Solutions supplies the UK with Computer Parts, TFT monitors and Computer Monitors.

* What is polarization?

Light waves consist of oscillating electric and magnetic fields. These two fields are perpendicular to each other and to the direction of light traveling. We call the electric field plane as the light’s polarization.

Sunlight and many other ordinary light is made of many light waves, each with their electric and magnetic fields oriented randomly. If all waves’ electric fields were aligned parallel to each other, we call this light linearly polarized.

* Polarization’s effect on optical fibers

Polarization does not really matter in multimode fibers but it can be crucial in single mode fibers especially for long distance and high speed rate fiber communications. Why? Let me explain it below.

Technically speaking, single mode fibers actually have two modes traveling in it. These two modes have orthogonal polarization and perfect single mode fibers cannot differentiate between them. These two modes are functionally identical and light energy can shift easily between these two polarization modes.

However, fiber’s geometry is not perfect. As a result, these two modes actually travel along the fiber at slightly different speeds. The effect is called PMD (polarization mode dispersion). The slight speed difference can cause problems in high speed fiber optic links such as 10Gbit/s and 40Gbit/s.

* Polarization maintaining fibers come to the rescue!

Polarization maintaining fibers are special kinds of single mode fibers, they are also commonly called PM fibers or Panda PM fibers.

PM fibers have built-in asymmetry which is also called birefringence. The refractive index of PM fiber differs for the two polarizations and this effect prevent light energy from coupling between two polarizations.

PM fibers can transmit light in a single polarization if the input light polarization is aligned to one of its two birefringence axes. And that is why they are called polarization maintaining fibers.

* The applications of polarization maintaining fibers

PM fibers are rarely used for long distance transmission because of their expensive price and higher attenuation than single mode fiber. They are commonly used for telecommunication applications, fiber optic sensing and interferometry.

Colin Yao is the sales manager at Fiber Optics For Sale Co. and an expert on fiber optic technologies and products. Learn even more about polarization maintaining fibers, PM fiber and Panda PM fiber on Fiber Optics For Sale Co. web site.

Blu-Ray is not only the latest but, since Toshiba withdrew its HD-DVD competing product from the market, the greatest replacement for DVDs and CDs. The HD-DVD versus Blu-Ray battle had close parallels between the VHS versus Betamax contest of the video age in the early 80`s.

This type of battle between mega-corporations is not only interesting for business analysts. The emergence of a clear winner in this battle allows the industry standard to be clearly defined and allows consumers to invest their hard earned cash with confidence.

Without going into too much technical detail, the new Blu-Ray technology is really quite similar to CDs or DVDs. One main difference is that, instead of using a red laser beam to read and write information, it uses a blue-violet beam. It is from this that it derives its name.

The blue laser beam has a shorter wavelength than the “traditional” red one and this allows the laser to be focused on a more precisely defined point on the disc. This allows the information to be packed more closely together and effectively increases the storage capacity of the disc.

The end result is that all of the extra information required for new high definition television (HD TV) can be fitted onto one disc and the consumer can enjoy high quality movies on their lovely big LCD TV set. The extra disc space will also allow lots of room for the cut scenes, alternative endings, interactive games, interviews and “the making of…” type of bonuses which have now become expected since the advent of “special edition” dvds.

A dual layer Blu-Ray disc can store around 50 GB of information - which is approximately six times more than a dual layer DVD. Four layer Blu-Ray discs capable of holding 100 GB of information have already been demonstrated and TDK announced that they have created a working experimental disc with a capacity of 200 GB. 250 GB discs are currently under research.

In order to play Blu-Ray discs a special Blu-Ray disc player is required. Whilst not compulsory, most manufacturers have been producing Blu-Ray disc players which have the capability to play both audio CDs and standard DVDs in addition to the Blu-Ray format.

It is interesting to note that the most popular Blu-Ray disc player is undoubtedly the Sony PS3. Ten million of these have shipped to date and it seems as if Sony’s decision to make their new console not just a gaming machine but a home entertainment system has paid dividends.

Considering that Toshiba shipped approximately one million HD DVD machines, the tenfold difference in potential customer base is so large that Sony’s triumph was more a matter of time than a great surprise.

Hamish Hayward
Blu-Ray DVDs
Buy or rent online - from Amazon.

With technology always changing, training is a major consideration for businesses today. That is why many businesses rely on computer rentals for training.

Why Choose Computer Rentals for Training?

There are several reasons why companies use rent computers for training. Perhaps the most important is this: better retention of information by staff.

No organization wants to spend time and money on training only to find that their staff did not learn enough to use new software effectively.

When it comes to software training, most adult learners find that hands-on time in front of a computer is much more valuable than simply sitting and watching someone else do the work. This is the main value of computer rentals for training - providing adequate resources for staff to achieve the learning outcomes you intended.

Beyond educational value, the use of technology rentals for training has other benefits:

• You can rely on someone else to configure the equipment and set it up.

• You save money by paying for the equipment only for the duration of the training, instead of actually buying the equipment.

• You will not be left with the task of removing the computers when the training is done.

Other Reasons to Rent Equipment for Training

When you hire a firm that offers technology rentals for training, you can also obtain other equipment from them that can enhance the training experience. It is one thing for each user to have a desktop computer. But trainers themselves need equipment in order to teach effectively. In addition to rentals for training, you can talk to the rental company about:

• A high-resolution projector

• LCD or Plasma screens

• Laser pointers

• Audio and microphones, which may be required for larger venues

• Server rentals that allow you to create a network in the training room

• Printers that allow users to print reports and forms that they generate during training

Renting these add-ons will improve the training without costing you a lot of extra money.

Setup and Takedown

When you opt for computer rentals for training, you don’t just save money. You also save time and minimize the involvement of your IT department. Renting computer equipment for training you can have the rental firm manage the tasks that would otherwise fall to your busy IT people. Rental firms offer services like:

• Configuration of each computer

• Setup of the classroom network

• Support for hardware that is not working properly

• Take down and removal of equipment

Whether you are planning some in-house training or you are a professional training consultant, be sure to consider technology rentals for training. You’ll save money and time, leaving you better able to focus on the important job of training.

For more information on computer rentals for training, classrooms or trade show events contact a technology expert at http://www.VernonComputerSource.com

Barry Byers is a small business technology consultant with clients throughout North America.

Are you afraid of your PC? Do you think it’s too intricate, too complex to even think about taking it apart. In this article I’m going to get you over your fear of the PC so that you will feel confident enough to be able to build or upgrade your own PC.

Despite it’s complexity (and it is a complex mass of circuitry and electronics) the basic design of the PC is very simple. You have a single main board (normally called a motherboard) into which every other component plugs. This motherboard mediates the connections between all the various components that go together to form a PC and it allows your main chip (that actually performs the computing) to access the memory (where all the temporary operations of the PC are performed) and the hard drive (the permanent storage).

Basically that’s all a motherboard is, a way of connecting the main computational workhorse of the PC (called the CPU or central processing unit  what most people think of when they mention a PC’s ‘chip’) to access the memory it needs to perform its tasks whilst allowing it to also access the permanent storage system (the hard disk drive) where instructions and results are stored.

Of course, you need power to achieve this and most of the spaghetti tangle of cables you see inside PCs are there to provide power. A few connect the motherboard to the hard disk and the DVD drive and floppy drive, but they’re in the minority.

You now have your basic PC (at least in terms of understanding the components). But you need to be able to communicate with the machine. So you add a keyboard and mouse. you also need to see what the machine is doing so you need output of some kind. These days this is typically to a monitor or screen of some description. Typically you will have a special card (called a graphics card) that plugs into the motherboard and creates video signals that can be seen on a display.

As well as the graphics card you may also have a sound card and some kind of interface card that allows you to plug into a network (though some or all these jobs can also be done by the motherboard).

Rather than being a scary tangle of meaningless electronics, a PC is actually just a motherboard with a collection of cards stuck into it. These cards all perform a single task and once you know what these cards are for you’re 3/4 of the way to understanding your PC.

In actual fact PCs are designed to be easily put together, to be easily taken apart and to be easily upgraded. They are modular and there are only a limited number of modules. Once you know what these modules are then you understand how your PC works and you can replace or upgrade any of these modules yourself.

It’s not scary at all, it’s logical! Did you know that you only need to undo 2 cables and unscrew 4 screws to replace a hard drive and add a new one. The same goes for upgrading a DVD drive or a CD drive. It’s even simpler if you want to plug in a new hard drive into your PC!

Learn all the basics (and there’s really not that much to learn) and you could build your own PC in less than a weekend. The process really is that simple.

Next time you think of calling out a PC engineer, why not get a guide to your PC instead and learn how to upgrade or repair it yourself. After all, upgrading your PC is much, much, cheaper and more environmentally friendly than throwing it away and buying another one. And you could be saving yourself $100 into the bargain.

Dyfed Lloyd Evans has been building and upgrading PCs for the past 20 years. He is the author of the Guide to Building and Upgrading your PC which is now available as a fully-illustrated Guide to Upgrading your PC eBook, proceeds from which go to charity. He also runs the Celtnet Articles repository where you can find even more useful PC tips and tricks.