Owners of old personal computers are increasingly noticing that their machines do not meet the high requirements of modern games. And some poor fellows still use PCs that don’t even pull browsers. In this case, computer modernization is vital - an upgrade. You can, of course, turn to specialists, but they use some kind of "wrong" price lists for computer components. They are more expensive than conventional retailers. And they put up a price tag for their services rather big. Therefore, it is much cheaper to upgrade yourself. But for this you need to consider many factors and learn how to choose the right components. In this article we will try to deal with the problem of upgrading a computer. Do it yourself is quite possible.
What is an upgrade
An upgrade (from the English upgrade) is an improvement in the technical characteristics of a PC or laptop by installing new and more powerful components. This procedure is performed when the computer is not able to run modern games normally. Although our compatriots may well wait for such a situation, when even ordinary browsers will be too heavy for a PC. Do-it-yourself computer upgrades are quite troublesome and expensive. First of all, it is necessary to determine the power of new components. You need to choose them solely on the basis of your needs. If you just need to go to Odnoklassniki and drive to the Farm Frenzy, then it makes no sense to build a powerful and productive machine with several video adapters. The game is not worth the candle.
Why do you need an upgrade
Most users upgrade their old friend in order to play some new toy. If modernization of a personal computer is needed to run modern games, then be prepared for the fact that you will have to pay a lot of money for new components. It is worth noting that the modernization of the PC (especially if it is very old) needs to start right away from the case, because new components may simply not fit in the old box. In addition, do not forget about cooling. An old case may not be enough to provide efficient heat dissipation from PC components. In general, gamers are mainly involved in computer upgrades. Or those who brought their car to such a state that it is unable to start even the Total Commander normally. But first things first. Let's start with the power supply.
Power supply selection
This component should be selected first. If you plan to assemble a PC with a powerful filling, then it is worth considering that an old and low-power PSU will not be able to provide a full-fledged electric power supply to all components. The modernization of the technical part of the computer should begin with an approximate calculation of the power and energy consumption of all its components. Based on these calculations, it is required to choose a power supply. If you take not powerful enough, the new computer will not start at all. And it's best to take the most powerful one. Then at the next upgrade you will not need to think about purchasing this component. It is also important to pay attention to energy efficiency. It’s best to take silver blocks. They have high power and low power consumption. Of course, you should not buy PSUs from unknown Chinese manufacturers. Although they are cheaper, they will not serve for a long time. So, the first step is to upgrade the computer's power supply.
Motherboard selection
Motherboard is the basis of everything. A sort of "polygon" on which all the other components of the computer are located. Upgrading the motherboard is a very crucial step. It is necessary to choose a board based on your needs, since an insufficiently powerful motherboard may not support some processors and interfaces. However, you should pay attention to the type of processor that is supposed to be used with the "motherboard". You must choose a board with the same “socket” (CPU mounting socket) as the processor. You should also pay attention to the maximum amount of RAM supported by the board. Do not forget about USB ports. The more of them, the better. It is necessary that half of them relate to the third version. Upgrading a computer can not do without a powerful and modern motherboard.
CPU choice
The principle of computer modernization states that all components must be compatible. Therefore, it is important to choose a processor with the same socket that is installed in the motherboard. And it does not matter, AMD or Intel. Although, in the light of recent events, choosing products from Intel is a risky business. Not without reason did the company manager sell his shares. Better to consider options from AMD. They are cheaper and no worse. However, when using a CPU from this manufacturer, you will have to think about high-quality cooling of the "stone", since these processors are real stoves. As for the number of cores and clock speed, it is better to be guided purely by your preferences and financial capabilities. But it’s better not to buy multi-core chips for games. Enough of the usual quad-core processor. The main thing is that the clock frequency should be high and the size of the third-level cache starts from 6 megabytes. Upgrading a computer without updating the processor is unthinkable. It’s worth remembering.
Choice of random access memory (type and volume)
RAM is the alpha and omega of any PC or laptop. It is she who decides how fast the operating system will work, how successfully the PC will cope with demanding applications and how well multitasking will be implemented. Remember one simple truth: RAM works fine only in multi-channel mode. Hence the conclusion: you need to buy two memory modules. As for the operating frequency, here we should proceed from the characteristics of the motherboard. It’s better, of course, to purchase a “RAM” with a higher frequency of operation, but they are very expensive. If the PC does not require multitasking and high performance, then you can do with memory with average performance. As for the volume, here you need to focus on the capabilities of the processor and motherboard. Modernization of an old computer sometimes begins precisely with increasing the volume and changing the type of RAM (if the upgrade is carried out in stages).
Video card selection
A graphics adapter is what makes a PC launch new games. If the assembly of the computer implies a game focus, it is better not to save on a video card. But then again, it all depends on the other components of the computer. So, you need to take into account the power consumption of the video card. If it is too large, then the power supply may simply not cope. Also, do not forget about the amount of video memory. It may be unbearable for the motherboard. Now about the manufacturers. If you need a high-quality video card for games, then it is better to consider products from nVidia. If your main goal is cryptocurrency mining, then there is nothing better than graphics solutions from AMD. True, one card is not enough in this case. In principle, it makes no difference who made the graphics chip. The main thing is to pay attention to the operating frequency of the cores. The higher it is, the more productive the video card will be. However, particularly powerful models are expensive. To run all the games, the average adapter from the nVidia Titan series is quite enough.
Hard drive selection
In general, it is not necessary to change this component at all. There is no best on the market yet, and large-capacity SSDs now cost a lot of money. Alternatively, you can purchase a small SSD to install an operating system on it. Upgrading a computer of such a plan will help the operating system to work and boot many times faster. Hard drives are much faster at work than conventional HDDs. This is due to the fact that the SSD works on the principle of RAM. While hard drives have an outdated mechanical design and slow magnetic disks. Installing SSD as a system drive will help to greatly increase the speed of a personal computer or laptop. And in tandem with a decent amount of RAM, you get a very interesting and powerful machine.
The choice of cooling system
The modernization of the system unit involves the replacement of the computer cooling system. The fact is that new components are much more powerful than old ones. They emit much more heat. Old coolers will not be able to cope with high-quality heat removal from components. As a result, they may overheat and fail. For new components will have to purchase more powerful fans. This is especially true for the processor and video card. In general, the best solution would be to install water cooling. It is, of course, more expensive, but much more effective than conventional coolers. The cooling system is a very important component of any computer. With insufficient heat dissipation, a PC or laptop can work unstably, overheat, and often turn off. But the most cruel disappointment will befall the user if the new, just purchased processor burns out due to the old and weak cooling system.
Choice of housing
If the modernization of the computer has begun, then it involves the replacement of all components with newer ones. And it’s far from the fact that they will all fit into the old building. not to mention the new cooling system (it certainly will not fit). This smoothly implies the need to purchase a new building. It is better to buy a box with additional cooling coolers and a dust filter. Also, the case must have a sufficient number of "seats" for all components. Do not forget about the size of the motherboard. If you take the case too small, then you simply will not install it there. Other parameters are chosen according to your taste: color, material, the presence of a plexiglass window and much more. A housing with the ability to manually adjust the fan speed is welcome. It’s also nice to have an information board on it that displays the temperature inside the case and other useful data. But such boxes are quite expensive. You can completely do without these excesses.
Sound card replacement (optional)
Many modern games require certain characteristics of a computer sound card. If this component is old, then the sound quality will be simply wretched. Modern toys in this regard are terribly finicky. Give them a card with 7.1 support, Dolby technology and high bit depth. But changing it is not at all necessary if you are not a fan of high-quality sound. But if you still need to change, then there are two options: built-in cards (for PCIe) and external (for USB). What is the difference? External sound devices are usually much cheaper. But some categorically do not like this option in terms of aesthetics. Then only an embedded card. But a good device will cost good money. In general, the modernization of the computer system unit does not involve the replacement of an audio device. And if you are not an audiophile, then such expenses are completely not justified.
UPS purchase
Uninterruptible power supply - a purely personal matter. But it will be a pity if all the collected beauty and power burn out at one moment from a power surge or a sudden outage. And in our country they like to turn off the electricity without warning. As for the device itself, its battery should ensure the operation of all the main components of a personal computer for at least 5 minutes. This is necessary so that you can slowly save the results of your work and turn off the computer correctly. Now uninterruptible power supplies are not very expensive. Any user can afford them. But the personal computer will be reliably protected from power surges and sudden power outages.
Conclusion
So, assembling a computer with increased power is a rather troublesome task. There are a lot of things to consider. And you do not always have to be guided by your desires and financial capabilities. It will be necessary to take into account the capabilities of the motherboard, power supply and housing. But the result will exceed all expectations. If everything is done correctly, then you can get a very powerful car for not so much money. In any case, it will turn out much cheaper than using the services of a specialist.