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Upgrading your PC

Toronto Star Fast Forward section front for July 17/97

Several months ago, your shiny new computer was the hottest thing since July sidewalks. Whether it was a new system to replace something older or your first computer, it appeared to run blazingly fast.

If you were like most new computer purchasers, the biggest problem you had was keeping up with it. Screens would change with dizzying speed and unless you forced yourself to slow down before pushing buttons, things could get away from you. That was then and this is now.

Today, particularly if you use the system to do the same tasks repeatedly, you're no longer surprised by what it does or how quickly it does it. In fact, you've probably come to a point where you know so well, at almost a gut level, what the computer is supposed to do next that you've begun to get impatient with it. You may even have found yourself waiting for it to get to where you want to go while drumming your fingers on the edge of the keyboard and muttering, "C'mon, darnnit, work faster!"

Congratulations. You've hit the wall. Aside from new technology you can't use or new software that either runs too slowly for comfort or not at all, you've encountered the phenomenon that is most likely to drive you out looking for a new system in the near future. Frustrating, isn't it?

Things change so quickly in the computer business that it almost appears your new system is obsolete ten seconds after you take it out of the box -- and you've almost got it right. Actually, it was out of date before you got it home ('cause at the time there was a newer, faster model on a truck somewhere between the factory and the store). If you did your homework before your purchase, however, and planned an upgrade strategy before you bought the system, you're in luck because now you can put it into practice.

Make no mistake. Sooner or later, you'll have to replace the whole system. But, depending on the age of the system and its manufacturer, you may be able to replace many of its components with faster equipment, at reasonable cost, in order to prolong its useful life for another year or two before the shopping madness starts all over again.

If you have anything older than a computer with an Intel 486 processor in it, start shopping now -- by the time you replace all of the components to bring the system up to today's standards (assuming that critical parts such as the motherboard will fit -- not likely), you'll have a pile of components left over sufficient to rebuild your old computer. If you do have a 486, you still have choices (although they narrow every year), but there are some quirky factors to consider. If you have an early Pentium-based system, you have more choices -- and we'll get to details, below.

Who does the work?

Regardless of the age of the system and the level of upgrade you want to tackle, you get to make a critical decision right off the mark. Do you do the work yourself or have the retailer who sells you the parts do it for you?

Doing the work yourself is possible with a little care and patience. All you'll need is a multi-headed screwdriver and either small needle-nosed pliers or long tweezers to pick up small things you drop. You won't buy any component that doesn't come with a complete installation manual and you'll periodically ground yourself to prevent static electricity from harming your components. If you don't have a manual for the system's main board (i.e., the motherboard), STOP. Don't even think about messing with it yourself. Let the dealer assume the headaches.

Do-it-yourself Pros and Cons

Doing it yourself is satisfying. You can use your computer with pride knowing you did the work.

Doing it yourself allows you to construct a custom system with the best of all possible components. You can turn your slow turkey into a screaming eagle.

Doing it yourself is educating. By learning enough about the components inside your system, you'll have a clearer idea of what to look for when you do end up replacing it and you'll be able to help yourself if something goes awry in the future.

Doing it yourself gives you bragging rights. Not everyone is comfy inside their computer -- in fact the thought of removing the case scares some folks spitless.

On the downside, doing it yourself can cause problems. Not all components are happy in the company of all other components. You may encounter hardware and software conflicts that can drive you to a frazzle before they're tracked down and killed. More often than not, even in a modern system running Windows 95, "Plug 'n' Play" is more aptly described as Plug and Pray.

Doing it yourself, particularly on a large upgrade, costs more than buying a new system (although it is true that the cash outlay takes place over a longer period of time). Individual parts have a higher markup than off-the shelf pre-packaged systems.

While the parts may have a warranty, the work you do doesn't. If you accidentally fry a component with static, drop it, mis-connect certain power leads or encounter an unresolvable conflict, you're on your own. If the retailer does the work, the guarantee should not only include parts and labour, but also a written confirmation of compatibility with your existing hardware and software.

Getting a friend or acquaintance you met at a computer user group meeting to help you may be a good idea, unless of course s/he doesn't really know as much as s/he pretends -- so now there are two of you causing havoc.

How much is your time worth? Did you get a computer to become a computer expert or simply to use the thing?

What you can do to a 486

My guess is that by this time next year, 486-based systems will join older (i.e., 386, AT-286 and XT) systems in the "don't bother" category. Even now, it helps to keep in mind that unless your 486 was manufactured right at the end of the production cycle anything you put in it will stay in it. A typical 486 from the middle of the production cycle has 30-pin memory slots, VESA (Video Electronic Standards Association) expansion slots and a hard drive controller on a circuit board with a single IDE-type connector for one or two hard drives. You won't find these in a new system.

Only those 486 computers built right at the end of the cycle will have peripheral component interconnect (PCI) expansion slots, a pair of enhanced IDE (EIDE) connectors for hard drives and CD-ROM drive, and 72-pin memory slots found in today's Pentium-based systems. If yours fits this category, you have a somewhat easier decision to make because you can take new components for your 486 into your next machine.

Let's start small and work up. If your 486 has VESA slots and you're not using them for VESA devices, you can get a performance boost by replacing them. You may have to search because the parts are becoming scarcer over time, but a VESA-based graphics controller will be faster than a non-VESA equivalent. Cost: under $150.

A VESA-based hard drive controller will provide faster throughput (the speed with which data gets through the controller to and from your hard drive) than a non-VESA equivalent. Cost: under $100 (and quite probably under $50).

If there is no external cache memory in your system now, you can get up to 42 per cent better performance with 256 KB. Consult your dealer for the proper memory chips, but don't expect to pay more than $100 for them (and if your motherboard is capable of it think seriously about going to 512 KB).

Adding more main system memory will provide smoother and faster operations with any flavour of Windows (3.1x or 95). You'll need to match new memory components to what you already have. Consult the dealer if you can't find out whether you have 30- or 72-pin single inline memory modules (SIMMs), whether they use on-board parity checking (they'll have nine chips on the surface) or not (any other number), what speed they are (60, 70, 80 ns -- faster chips won't help because your system will run at the speed of the slowest memory you have), and gold or lead/tin contacts (you want to match the slots you have to avoid contamination).

If your system has any kind of Intel 486 processor in it now, it's probably a candidate for a brain transplant. It doesn't matter whether the current processor is a 486 SX or SX/2 (no internal math processor), or DX or DX/2. It also doesn't matter if the motherboard is running at 25 or 33 MHz. It does matter if you have a system with a DX-50 processor, because unless you can turn your motherboard down to 33 MHz, there is no upgrade path. It also matters if you have a non-Intel processor, particularly if it's soldered to the board (some IBM systems), because there probably isn't an upgrade path here, either.

Intel-based SX, SX/2, DX (other than DX-50) and DX/2 systems will in all likelihood accept an Intel DX/4 Overdrive processor. These too are becoming rare, but can still be found with searching. These are clock-tripled processors. Your vendor will be able to advise you whether the part will work in your particular system. Keep in mind that the original 486 processor used 5 volts from the processor socket. The 486 DX/4 is a 3.3 processor. If you're planning to upgrade your old 486, you need either the DX4 overdrive or a special kit for the AMD or Cyrix replacements noted below, because both have a voltage regulator to overcome the difference.

If you have a 486-based system and are considering the Intel Pentium OverDrive upgrade, check the rather comprehensive list of compatible and incompatible systems at Intel's Web site.

Another option is to use either a Cyrix (not-so-good) or AMD (quite good) replacement processor. Check parts available through Kingston Technologies or Evergreen Technologies. Cost: under $180. Kingston posts a list of incompatible motherboards at its web site and Compaq's name shows up with great regularity.

Last, but not least, we come to the biggie: a complete motherboard replacement. Unless you opt for a board using Intel's ATX form factor, most Pentium boards should fit your 486 chassis. Unless you have VESA-based components, you'll be able to take most of your internal expansion cards with you. Little (aside from a desire to get something faster or larger) will prevent you from transferring your hard drive(s), CD-ROM drive, audio board and modem as well.

Motherboard fun

Talking about motherboard brands is a crapshoot. Manufacturers change components and designs about every six weeks to two months (and sometimes more often). So, the board de jour that everyone loves this month may be scorned next week. Some clues will help.

About 75 percent of the boards currently on the market are either manufactured by Intel and has the company's name or some other company's name on them, or contain one of several Intel logic chipsets. The chipset determines what type of main system and cache memory the board will support and how fast they'll run, how the PCI bus is implemented, whether it supports Universal Serial Bus (USB) and so on.

Until last year, Intel's chipsets used the trade name, "Triton." For a while there was also a Triton II. For reasons that aren't clear, the company dropped the name in mid-1996. In other words, when you see a board advertised today with the name Triton, Triton II or the totally bogus Triton III, it doesn't mean anything because there are no more Triton chipsets. This is one thing a lot of retailers either haven't realized or have ignored. If you see "Triton," you don't know what you're being offered.

Instead, Intel has renamed the whole line of products. Today you can find an Intel 430FX PCIset (you don't want it), Intel 430VX PCIset (very popular), Intel 430HX PCIset (quick but limited), Intel 430MX PCIset (notebooks only) and Intel 430TX PCIset (the newest model) used for classic Pentium and Pentium MMX-based systems. Pentium II boards will use the Intel 440FX PCIset until it's upgraded later this year. For a more complete and up-to-date list of Intel chipsets, check the section front for September in the Computer Wares index when you're done here (there's a link at the top of this article).

I've spelled out the formal name for these chipsets for a reason, because where there is accidental confusion there is also room for deliberate confusion -- and that brings us to a chipset known as the VXpro currently being offered in Metro by several retailers on a motherboard manufactured by Houston Technologies (and there may be others). I've been unable to find out who makes the "VXpro" chipset -- except that it isn't Intel. According to a section of a motherboard manual faxed to me by one retailer, it's supposed to be "compatible with Intel ... Technology," except that there is a space between the words "Intel" and "Technology" where someone has blacked out which technology it's supposed to be compatible with. Several readers have sent me e-mail messages alerting me to this problem (thanks) and various UseNET newsgroups on the Internet are rife with warnings about it. Where the problem occurs is in advertisements listing a "VX motherboard." You need to ask if this means an Intel chipset; otherwise you might not get what you thought you were buying.

Retailers who don't want to promote confusion (as opposed to those who do), need to be clearer in their ads, too. If the product has the VXpro chipset, it should be explicitly stated. If it uses an Intel 430 VX PCIset, then either the full name or Intel's name at least should appear. The last thing consumers need is more confusion.

Pentium and beyond

If you have a Pentium system now, there are all kinds of things you can do to it, again depending on when it was made and by whom. Unless you bought the system last week, virtually all of the important components that add to your enjoyment have been updated. For example, according to ATI Technologies, the local manufacturer of graphics controllers, the speed of computer graphics adapters has been increased seven times in the past year (no, not 700 percent, but the speed has been increased seven different times). Hard drives are larger (IBM now has an EIDE-type drive at 8.4 gigabytes) and less expensive (about $108 per gig give or take a bit). CD-ROM drives are faster although "16X" and above aren't as fast as advertised (see Computer Wares, June 12). Modems using 56 kbps speeds aren't standardized yet, but nice, safe 33.6 kbps models are everywhere. With the introduction of the AWE 64, the SoundBlaster AWE 32 sound card prices have nose-dived.

If you bought a classic Pentium system and the new MMX models have given you processor envy, you may be in luck. If your motherboard allows for dual voltage values to the processor socket (check your manual) you may be able to upgrade to an MMX model. If not, Intel has delivered an MMX OverDrive part for 60 MHz motherboards with the proper socket (see below) and promises one soon for 66 MHz boards.

Later this summer, Evergreen Technologies promises to release a replacement part based on AMD's remarkable Pentium II workalike, the K6, for standard Pentium boards using Socket 7.

I can't take the space here for all of the ins and outs of processor socket types -- if you're uncertain what you have (check that manual), consult the vendor. Suffice to note that early Pentiums up to 66 MHz used a socket configuration known as Socket 4 (and 5 volts). Pentiums from 90 to 133 MHz used Socket 5 (3.3 volts). Pentiums over 133 MHz may use Socket 5 or Socket 7 (same pin-out, same voltage, but Socket 7 is capable of greater speed). 166 MHz or faster systems use Socket 7 and, if you're lucky can supply dual voltage values. Confused? Don't worry; it's normal (and, by the way, there was no Socket 6).

If you're hoping to go to Pentium II (what Intel called the Pentium Pro with MMX), there is no upgrade path. The Pentium II processor uses a single-edged cartridge (SEC) format that fits into a device called Slot 1. It's currently only available on motherboards using the ATX form factor, which means it won't fit your case/chassis combo. Sorry, consider the K6 as an alternative.

Here's a brief recap of where we've been so far. It is possible to extend the life of your PC by replacing or adding components. The cost of these replacements will vary. For under $200, you can double your memory (regardless of computer) and add significant ooomph to a 486 (new graphics controller, drive controller and cache or replace the processor itself). For under $300, you can add or upgrade to a faster CD-ROM drive or get the modem you're lusting for. For under $500, you can replace your motherboard (top of the line Pentium boards still sell for around $300 without processor or memory), take a step up the processor tree, get a new graphics card loaded with memory or add a second (large) hard drive.

Parts list

No company makes a complete computer. Today's systems are made up of a number of discrete components, all manufactured by different companies and, theoretically all designed to work together. Most of these components can be swapped for other industry standard parts to extend the life of the system.

The main components are:

Motherboard - the main circuit board inside the system. Together with the central processor, it is the computer. All other components plug into this board, either directly or via a cable of one description or another. The logic chipset on the motherboard will determine what types of main and cache memory can be used and how fast they'll run and what types of other services are supported. A motherboard replacement is major surgery and not all of them will fit your case and/or chassis. Consult vendor before purchase.

Central Processing Unit (CPU). The processor literally is the computer, with all other components designed to make use of it or to support it. The CPU type and speed determines how fast the computer will be and what types of software it will run. Today's Pentium and Pentium MMX CPUs run at internal speeds that are multiples of two basic motherboard speeds, 60 and 66 MHz. Depending on the age of the motherboard, processor socket voltage will determine whether you can use a classic Pentium or Pentium MMX. For Pentium, the processor socket on the motherboard will output 3.3 volts DC. For Pentium MMX, you need two voltage values, 2.8 volts for the processor core and 3.3 volts for input/output operations. Not all non-Intel processors, or even faster Intel processors will work in all systems. Consult vendor and get written guarantee replacement will work with your specific system.

Base system memory -- the place where the software runs -- comes in a bewildering set of specifications. Your trick is to find out what you have before adding more. All of your memory has to be the same physical size (30- or 72-pin single inline memory modules, "SIMMs," or 168-pin dual inline memory modules, "DIMMs"). It needs to run at the same speed (80, 70, 60 nanoseconds with smaller numbers being faster). It all needs to use the same parity-checking scheme (on the memory or on the motherboard -- with parity SIMMs having nine chips on them and all others being non-parity). And, in order to avoid the debate over how quickly either the SIMMs or sockets will deteriorate, need to use the same contact metal in both (gold or lead-tin) to avoid an ion exchange.

Cache (external, Level 2 or L2) memory should be at least 256 KB. Examine the motherboard manual to see what kind of cache memory and what size is required.

Hard drives for PCs come in three basic flavours, the older standard integrated drive electronics (IDE) also known as ATA-1 limited to a capacity of 528 MB, a newer enhanced IDE (EIDE) type with an upper limit of 8.4 GB (gigabytes) and those using a competely different scheme known as small systems computer interface or SCSI (pronounced "scuzzy"). Most systems in use today will have either IDE or EIDE because they're less expensive. IDE systems can have two drives. EIDE systems can have up to four, so long as there is no CD-ROM drive using one of the two EIDE drive controller connections. Not all hard drives will work and play well with others, particularly if there is a big mismatch in speeds. Consult vendor before purchasing and tell what you already have.

CD-ROM drives. Speeds up to 12X are what they are advertised as being. 16X drives and above actually get about the average performance of a drive half the advertised speed. CD-ROM drives can use either SCSI, EIDE or be connected via parallel port.

DVD-ROM/DVD-RAM (digital video disk read only / digital video disc recordable) Currently in the first of four anticipated evolutions of the drive. The 2^nd generation drives should start shipping later this summer. Revisions three and four will arrive over the next two years. Wait.

Removable drives. The Zip (Iomega) and LS-120 (Panasonic) appear to be here to stay, for a while at least.

Sound card. Upgrading from a tinny 8-bit card to a better sounding 16-bit card makes sense. Upgrading from FM synthesis to Wave Table Synthesis (better sound), makes sense only if you're going to use it to create music or to play lots and lots of shoot-em-up space booger games.

Video card. If you don't have a local bus version of a video controller in your system, it's too slow. Pay attention to acceleration factors, and save a buck or two on memory. Four megs of memory is only useful to see 16.7 million colours at 1024 by 768 or higher on a 17" monitor or better.

Monitors. Small monitors with high dot pitch (.31 mm or more) and low refresh rates (60 Hz or less) will be hard to work with. They'll be grainy and will flicker, even at low resolutions (such as 640 by 480). Money should go into size (17" or better), sharpness (dot pitch of .28 mm or less), and refresh speed (75 Hz at all resolutions or better). You'll really appreciate the results.

Keyboard and mouse. Things with a ball die of grunge build-up. Consider a touch-pad or graphics tablet with stylus.

Modem: 33.6 kbps for now. 56 kbps schemes aren't standardized yet. When one of the two competing and non-compatible standards wins, you don't want to lose out.

Need more?

This is the point where I insert a shameless plug. My latest book, due on shelves by mid-October '97, is called How to Avoid Buying a New Computer. Like my first book, How to Buy a Computer, it's published by McClelland and Stewart.

How to Avoid... is all about upgrading and contains not only step-by-step instructions for most basic procedures and pictures to help along the way, it also has fairly exhaustive troubleshooting tips as well as descriptions of what you can do about the problems you may face. You should be able to find it at most bookstores and at Computer Fest shows in the Toronto area - or you can order an autographed copy directly from me by clicking here.

By the way, a second edition of How to Buy a Computer is in progress. I hope to finish it in time for it to be out early in 1998, along with a third book on software tips (How to Get the Most Out of Your PC), also from McClelland and Stewart. Two additional books are also in the works. To be published by We Compute, the first will be a compilation of their articles on Getting on the Internet and the second will be a paper copy of White's Compubabble Dictionary (which you can preview by clicking here).

End of advertisements.

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