The magazine of the Melbourne PC User Group
To Upgrade or Purchase Anew?
Bernadette Houghton
 bernieh@iaccess.com.au

Sooner or later you will probably outgrow your current computer. Perhaps it seems to have become excruciatingly slow, perhaps you have run out of hard disk space, or perhaps you have set your eyes on a new software package that simply won't run on your machine.

Before you rush off and spend your hard earned money on a new computer or on upgrading your current one, consider your options - and beware of potential traps if you do decide to upgrade your hardware.

Do You Need to Upgrade At All?

First, consider whether you need an upgrade at all. A significant performance improvement can often be had at no cost by simply fine-tuning your existing configuration or by undertaking some hard disk maintenance. For example, disk access times may be improved by defragmenting the files on your hard disk. More memory may be made available to your applications by releasing TSRs or loading them into high memory. Perhaps a RAM drive could be installed or the disk cache that came with your operating system could be optimised. And so on and so on.

If you do not have the expertise or knowledge to optimise your configuration yourself, seek advice. It may be well worth exploring this option before proceeding to outlay significant amounts of money on new hardware or software.

Software Upgrades
The next cheapest option to consider is software solutions. There are numerous third-party software packages and utilities available that enhance performance in various ways. The most commonly used include
  • Memory managers to maximise the amount of available memory
  • Disk caches to speed up data access times
  • Compression utilities that increase the amount of data written to disk, effectively increasing the size of the hard (or floppy) disk. 
These are available either through shrink-wrapped commercial software or through shareware. 

The new operating systems such as MS DOS 6.2 or Novell DOS 7 include a number of performance enhancement utilities such as the above in the one bundle and can be a reasonably cheap way to extend the useful life of your computer. While the utilities may not always be as powerful as the standalone packages, they can perform a very satisfactory job. 

Shareware is also an excellent source of many other less commonly used performance enhancers, such as maths co-processor emulators, multitasking facilitators or interleaving utilities.

Software solutions to hardware inadequacy problems can work very well in many cases, although there is often a trade-off between speed and memory. Sometimes, however, nothing less than a hardware upgrade will do.

Hardware Upgrades

It is a good idea when determining what your hardware requirements are, to follow the same procedure you followed (or should have followed!) when purchasing your current computer. That is, fit the hardware to your software requirements rather than the other way around.

The hardware options to enhance your current computer's performance include, among other things

  • Hard disk upgrade (to increase storage space or improve disk access times)
  • Processor and/or motherboard upgrade (e.g. from a 286 to a 386 or 486)
  • Video graphics accelerator card (for faster screen updating)
  • More memory
  • Sound card (to enhance sound capabilities)
One or more of these options may make a significant difference to your computer. It may be much more cost-effective, however, to purchase a brand new computer rather than upgrade your current one. Consider
  • Cost. Is there much difference between the cost of upgrading and the cost of a new computer, with or without a trade-in?
  • Future upgrades. What is the likelihood that you will require a further hardware upgrade in the future? Keep in mind that software is constantly being upgraded, and almost invariably, each upgrade requires more hard disk space, more memory and sometimes a faster processor. Consider, too, whether the demands you will make of your computer are likely to increase.
  • It may well be cheaper in the long run to purchase anew now. Also, adding components botch-potch at different times increases the likelihood of compatibility problems occurring between the various components.
  • If one component is upgraded, will this set off a chain reaction with other components also requiring an upgrade? For instance, a new controller or power supply may be required. Consider, too, that a 486 computer with 1 MB of RAM and a 40 MB hard disk is not a very useful machine.
  • The age of your current computer. The older the computer, the more likely it is to fail and the greater the likelihood that your existing peripheral devices are simply too slow to be able to maximize the capabilities of a new piece of hardware. There is little point in spending money on a hardware upgrade for a computer that may have only a limited residual life.
And a final word of warning: there are some seemingly very good bargains for computer upgrades advertised, such as XT/AT upgrades to 386SXs for around $300. However, such bargains are not what they seem as the price generally refers just to the motherboard and/or processor chip and does not include other necessary components.

Conclusion
Upgrading your computer can be something of a minefield, and you will very likely receive all sorts of conflicting and contrary advice. It is possible to enjoy significantly enhanced performance for anything from nothing at all up to thousands of dollars. Consider carefully all the costs and risks of your preferred options before deciding what upgrade strategy to follow - you may well save yourself many future headaches. 

Reprinted from the July 1994 issue of PC Update, the magazine of Melbourne PC User Group, Australia

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