Chapter Seven Updating and Upgrading Hardware

© Wiley, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Strata Objectives Covered 1.6 (1.2 FC0-U11 U.K.) Identify the risks associated with upgrading the following technologies and equipment: –PC speed/storage capability –Compatibility issues –Upgrade issues –Bus differences –Hardware failure 2.1 (2.1 FC0-U21 U.K.) Identify basic compatibility issues between: –Processor performance –RAM memory –USB (1.1, 2.0) –FireWire –PS/2 2

© Wiley, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Evaluating a Computer for Upgrades What components are fine as-is? Which components are obsolete, failing, or weaker than the others? What components may benefit from a new driver? What components can’t be replaced at all? 3

© Wiley, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Benefits of Updating Device Drivers Fix operational or compatibility problems with the device Improve device performance Add minor new features or configuration options 4

© Wiley, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Checking a Device Driver Version Open Device Manager in Windows View the device’s Properties Click the Driver tab Read version number Check manufacturer’s web site for newer version 5

© Wiley, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Analyzing Current System Performance Windows Experience Index Third-party utilities –Windows: iBench –Mac: Xbench 6

© Wiley, Inc. All Rights Reserved. When to Upgrade Slow screen repaint: display adapter Slowed performance when running multiple applications: RAM Disk full warning: hard drive 7

© Wiley, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Processor Upgrades Not usually possible or economical Motherboards accept only a narrow range of models and speeds 8

© Wiley, Inc. All Rights Reserved. RAM Upgrades Check motherboard docs to get the right kind of RAM Check for available slots 9

© Wiley, Inc. All Rights Reserved. RAM Upgrades If all slots are full, some RAM must be replaced with higher-capacity RAM On some systems, RAM slots are paired, and must have identical RAM in them 10

© Wiley, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Hard Disk Upgrades Replace, or Add Another? –Notebook: usually must replace –Desktop: can replace or add Check for internal power connectors available –SATA power (for SATA) –Molex connector (for PATA) 11

© Wiley, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Hard Disk Upgrades Check types of drive connectors available –Internal: PATA SATA SCSI –External: USB FireWire SCSI 12

© Wiley, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Buying Decisions for Hard Drives Mechanical vs. solid state Capacity Internal or external Interface Size (3.5” for desktop, 2.5” for notebook) RPM/rotational speed 13

© Wiley, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Display Adapter Upgrades Desktop PCs only; most notebooks cannot accept display adapter upgrade Replace or add additional (for multiple monitors) 14

© Wiley, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Display Adapter Upgrades Check available expansion slot types –PCIe 16x –PCIe 4x –AGP –PCI 15

© Wiley, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Buying Decisions for Display Adapters Amount of memory – more is better Memory speed – faster is better Cooling – active or passive Output ports – VGA, DVI Maximum resolution – larger is better Core clock speed – faster is better 16

© Wiley, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Upgrading or Adding External Devices Port type –USB (1.1, 2.0, 3.0) –FireWire –Legacy parallel (old printers) –Legacy serial (old or specialized devices) –ExpressCard –PS/2 –3.5mm jack 17

© Wiley, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Assessing Hardware Upgrade Risks Physical compatibility System compatibility OS compatibility Compatibility with existing applications Compatibility with anticipated future applications and OSes 18

© Wiley, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Common Hardware Issues USB hubs: If unpowered, can support only a few devices with adequate power Power supply: Can become overloaded many devices installed, especially drives System resource conflicts may occur (IRQs, DMA channels, memory addreses, I/O addreses) 19

© Wiley, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Personal Safety Considerations Wear short sleeves, or roll up your sleeves to avoid tearing clothing if it gets caught Remove jewelry to avoid getting snagged Don’t open a power supply or a CRT because of shock from capacitors 20

© Wiley, Inc. All Rights Reserved. ESD Prevention Guidelines Ground yourself Wear an antistatic wrist strap Use an antistatic mat 21

© Wiley, Inc. All Rights Reserved. ESD Prevention Guidelines Wear natural fibers Keep item inside antistatic bag until ready to install 22

© Wiley, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Other Hardware-Handling Guidelines Disconnect power before opening the case Handle circuit boards only by the edges Be as gentle as possible the cables and connectors Don’t bend or crimp a cable unnecessarily 23

© Wiley, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Installing Memory Remove cover to expose slot(s) Remove old memory if needed Firmly press new memory into slot 24

© Wiley, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Installing an Internal Disk Drive Set jumpers on drive if needed (PATA or SCSI only) 25 Chart describing jumper settings Jumper

© Wiley, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Installing an Internal Disk Drive Connect drive connector from motherboard Connect power connector from power supply 26

© Wiley, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Installing an Internal Disk Drive Partition and format drive –Disk Management in Windows –Third-party disk utility program 27

© Wiley, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Installing a Circuit Board Remove old board if needed Remove metal backplate behind slot if needed 28

© Wiley, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Installing a Circuit Board Identify the slot to use Remove old board if needed Remove metal backplate behind slot if needed Firmly press circuit board straight down into slot Secure board with screw or other retaining method 29