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XP

Chapter 17

Upgrading and Expanding your PC

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XPUpgrading and expanding your PC

• In this Chapter, you will learn:– How to upgrade the processor in your PC

– What affect adding RAM can have on the PCs performance

– How to add more hard disk capacity

– What other devices can be added or upgraded

– What can be upgraded on a notebook PC

– How to get technical support

– About expansion devices, ports, cards and slots

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XPUpgrading the processor in your PC

• When expanding a PC, you add components to increase functionality, but when upgrading, you replace a component with a new or better version.

• The motherboard provides only one specific slot for the microprocessor.

• Sometimes upgrading the processor is not cost effective and should be checked out carefully. You often do not gain enough performance to make it a good decision.

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XPUpgrading the processor in your PC

Two processor upgrades, a slot (left) and a Socket Connector

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XPAdding RAM to improve performance

• Adding RAM can improve performance by providing faster data access and storage space for programs while they are running.

• There is less data transfer from disk if there is RAM space to hold it while it is being worked on.

• You can add RAM up to the limit of your microprocessor.

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XPAdding RAM to improve performance

• Specifications to be considered when buying RAM are:– Speed – access time measured in nanoseconds (ns)

– Capacity – The amount of data each module can hold measured in megabytes (MB)

– Package – RAM chips come packaged onto memory modules which are either SIMMs, DIMMs or RIMMS

– Type – today's memory modules are usually a type of DRAM (dynamic RAM) chips.

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XPAdding RAM to improve performance

Installing RAM

SIMM

DIMM

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XPAdding more hard drive capacity

• Today’s software operates more efficiently with at least 300 MB of free space.

• If you want to supplement what your computer currently has, you can add a second hard drive.

• The new drive would connect to the enhanced integrated drive electronics (EIDE) slot on the motherboard.

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XPAdding more hard drive capacity

• You can also connect to a small computer system interface (SCSI) connection if there are no available EIDE channels.

• You will also need a drive bay (shelf or compartment) to attach the new drive to.

• If no other options are available, you have the option of connecting an external hard drive unit using a parallel or SCSI connection.

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XPAdding more hard drive capacity

EIDE connections

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XPAdding or upgrading other devices

• Your PC contains a variety of ports that allow for the connection of various external devices by cable connections.

• New devices can be added to these ports by simply plugging them in.

• The motherboard includes several expansion slots.• Expansion cards such as modems or graphics

cards can be plugged into these slots.

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XPAdding or upgrading other devices

• The PC motherboard contains several types of slots:– AGP (accelerated graphics port) – accommodates

special graphics cards for 3-D and accelerated graphics

– PCI (peripheral component interconnect) – high speed data transfer for special sound, video or graphics cards.

– ISA (industry standard architecture) – older technology, used for modems or other slower devices

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XPAdding or upgrading other devices

Expansion slots in the PC

AGP slot

PCI slot

ISA slot

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XPUpgrading a notebook PC

• Notebooks provide few upgrade options and virtually no access to the motherboard.

• Notebooks typically have multifunctional ports, slots or docking capabilities to add devices.

• The ports allow for such things as a mouse, full-sized keyboard, scanner, external monitor, etc.

• An infrared port also allows sending data to a printer without a cable connection.

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XPUpgrading a notebook PC

• Notebooks usually have PCMIA slots that allow adding second hard drives, modems, CD-ROM drives, cameras, more memory, etc.

• Docking stations contain ports and expansion slots just like a PC.

• Docking the notebook gives you this increased capability.

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XPUpgrading a notebook PC

The array of ports on a notebook computer

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XPHardware – Expansion devices, ports, cards and slots

• Peripheral devices are the input, output and storage devices connected to your computer.

• Internal devices, like CDR drives or modems are inside the PCs case and use its power supply.

• External devices like printers or scanners have their own case and power supply.

• Some devices have both internal and external options.

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XPHardware – Expansion devices, ports, cards and slots

Today's PC connectors

4 DIMM slotsSlot connector for processor

AGP slot

4 PCI slots4 ISA slots

2 EIDE connectors

2 Serial ports

Keyboard port

Mouse port

1 Parallel port USB connector

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XPHardware – Expansion devices, ports, cards and slots

• Your PC has many types of ports, some device specific, many used for a variety of different devices.

• If you don’t have the needed external port, you can often add ports on an expansion card.

• You should always make sure you have the correct internal slot or external port available before you buy a new device.

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XPHardware – Expansion devices, ports, cards and slots

• Once a device is installed, Window’s plug and play software should automatically recognize it and help you install it.

• Some devices are hot pluggable, capable of being plugged in or unplugged while the system is running.

• Internal devices are never hot pluggable.

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XPHardware – Expansion devices, ports, cards and slots

Expansion device chart

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XPGetting technical support

Getting help on the Internet

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XPWhat do you think?

Upgrade, reuse, recycle, or landfill?

1. If you did not have a computer, would you accept any free computer as long as it ran some basic software?

2. Do you think that your current school or business would accept a donation of 100 five-year old computers?

3. Do you believe that computer companies should take more responsibility for recycling the products they make?

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XPChapter Summary

• You should now be able to:– Upgrade the processor in your PC

– Add RAM to improve your PCs performance

– Add another hard disk

– Add or upgrade other devices as needed

– Understand what is upgradeable on your notebook

– Get technical support

– About the basic types of expansion devices, ports, cards, and slots