A Guide to Managing and Maintaining Your PC

A+ Guide to Managing and Maintaining Your PC Fifth Edition Chapter 23 Purchasing a PC or Building Your Own

Selecting a Personal Computer to Meet Your Needs l Upgrade an existing PC u u u l Cost does not exceed half the value of current system Resulting system does not contain legacy components that might compromise performance The computer system is less than five years old Buy or build a new PC A+ Guide to Managing and Maintaining Your PC, Fifth Edition 2

Upgrade Hardware l Memory l CPU l Hard drive l Video card l Motherboard l Cooling fans A+ Guide to Managing and Maintaining Your PC, Fifth Edition 3

Upgrade Software l l l OS Device drivers Applications A+ Guide to Managing and Maintaining Your PC, Fifth Edition 4

Upgrading a PC l l Verify availability of drivers Match motherboard bus types to expansion cards u l l Consider number of available expansion slots Heed voltage requirements of processor Consider new memory modules and processor for new motherboard A+ Guide to Managing and Maintaining Your PC, Fifth Edition 5

Upgrading a PC (continued) l Verify that OS supports dual processing (if desired) l Verify available space on hard drive l Flash BIOS before installing new peripheral A+ Guide to Managing and Maintaining Your PC, Fifth Edition 6

Buy a New PC l A brand-name PC l A clone: a PC assembled by a local company l Assemble a PC yourself A+ Guide to Managing and Maintaining Your PC, Fifth Edition 7

A Brand-Name PC versus a Clone l A brand-name PC u u u Costs more than a clone Generally provides better after-sales service and additional support May be more proprietary • Potential for difficulty in upgrading and repairing A+ Guide to Managing and Maintaining Your PC, Fifth Edition 8

Selecting Software l Choose operating system first l Choose application software u Functionality u Compatibility u Training u Documentation u Upgrade policies u Popularity A+ Guide to Managing and Maintaining Your PC, Fifth Edition 9

Selecting Hardware l l l Most important criteria: u Compatibility u Functionality Consider motherboard first Other considerations (eg, processing power, modem, power supply, case, documentation, internal versus external devices) A+ Guide to Managing and Maintaining Your PC, Fifth Edition 10

Considerations When Selecting a Total Package l Hardware and software included l Warranty and return or exchange policy l On-site or local service l ACPI- and Energy Star-compliance l Preinstalled software l Documentation A+ Guide to Managing and Maintaining Your PC, Fifth Edition 11

Considerations When Selecting a Total Package (continued) l Manufacturer’s Web site l Motherboard allows for expansion of RAM l Unused expansion slots l Ability to disable features l Price u High- to middle-priced PCs offer more network capability, expandability, support, prior testing A+ Guide to Managing and Maintaining Your PC, Fifth Edition 12

Why Build Your Own PC? l Can be fun l Knowledge gain l l Availability of hardware and software documentation and original software disks Complete control over every part A+ Guide to Managing and Maintaining Your PC, Fifth Edition 13

Why Not Build Your Own PC? l Takes time and requires patience l No overall warranty on assembled product l l l Possibility of selecting components that are incompatible Need access to an experienced technician or technical service center Probably won’t save money A+ Guide to Managing and Maintaining Your PC, Fifth Edition 14

Getting Ready for Assembly: Selecting Parts l Review functionality, compatibility, and budget needs l Select motherboard first, then CPU and RAM l Select case and accompanying power supply A+ Guide to Managing and Maintaining Your PC, Fifth Edition 15

Getting Ready for Assembly: Selecting Parts (continued) l l Select hard drive and other drives Select video card and other peripherals (mouse, keyboard, monitor) A+ Guide to Managing and Maintaining Your PC, Fifth Edition 16