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Memory or RAM is important to any computer build and can be the key to a good upgrade. DDR3 is the newest version, though DDR2 can still be found on the market and is still used by less expensive or older motherboards. DDR2 can usually be found in budget builds and older model computers. Motherboards are compatible with certain types of RAM and will list if they are compatible with DDR2 or DDR3. The number typically following DDR2 or DDR3 is the bandwidth and motherboards also list their compatibility with certain bandwidths. The higher the bandwidth, the higher the performance, though there are only a few applications that require the higher bandwidth and basic programs may not see much of a performance increase from slight changes at higher levels. Generally DDR3/1333 is good upper level memory that can work for most every build.
The amount of memory is also important and is dependent upon the processor and the performance needs of the owner. Generally speaking, any new desktop should probably have at least 4GB of RAM. This is particularly true of dual channel DDR3 setups and those using Windows 7. Given that inexpensive 4GB of memory is relatively easy to find, this upgrade or new build is not too hard to come by. Some Intel systems use tri-channel memory and should use 6GB. 8GB can be particularly useful for higher-end machines designed for games or graphics.
It is always important to make sure that you are purchasing the right type of memory for your system. Check the motherboard’s compatibility with certain types and make sure you get the right pin count, which is usually 240 for desktop memory. Also, make sure that the motherboard supports the dual or triple channel system. Lastly, make sure you are purchasing enough for your performance needs.
When building or upgrading a computer, it is important to pay attention to the cooling needs of the system. High-end gaming builds will heat up very quickly when gaming, especially if they are being used to their full potential. Overclocking components to get higher performance also generates a lot of heat that needs to be controlled for them to continue to perform at their optimal levels. Additionally, if you are just looking to upgrade, then your older cooling system simply may not be able to handle the newer components. There are a variety of different ways to go about cooling your system. Fans, or air-cooling, is generally the standard and water cooling the high-end and expensive way to go. There are some specific coolers that use a hybrid of water and air cooling to help cool the components. Lastly, when pairing the right cooling system, it is always important to make sure that it is compatible with your other components, such as the CPU and motherboard.
Fans are always included in computer cases, and there are usually mounts for additional fans depending on the size of the case. The fans can come in a variety of sizes, so it is important to know exactly what you need and the trade-offs. Larger fans cool better, but will often create more noise. Fans can also be found for specific components, like fan and heatsink combos for CPUs or graphics cards. These are good options of the fan/heatsink that comes with the CPU, especially if you upgrade the CPU without a fan/heatsink or if you start to run the CPU harder than the standard settings.
Water cooling is very efficient and generally quieter than the spinning fans. However, it is both somewhat cost prohibitive and space prohibitive. Some larger, more expensive cases come with the slots already designed to accommodate water cooling, however smaller or less expensive cases may require some modification to make the water cooling work. However, if you can afford it and your case can accommodate it, then it will efficiently cool off a high-end gaming machine.
If you are looking for a good cooling option to replace an older fan or the stock fan that came with your CPU, then the Cooler Master Hyper 212 Plus is a very good option. It is based off the highly successful Hyper 212. This CPU cooler can be especially useful if you are looking to overclock a new or old CPU where the stock cooler simply cannot keep the temperatures low enough for the increased performance boost.
The 212 Plus comes with direct-contact heat pipes, which helps to give it good performance and is an air cooling system. There are brackets for an additional fan that allow and a second fan to be installed and then used in a push-pull configuration. Lastly, it works with a wide variety of socket types – LGA 775 / 1156 / 1366 and AM2 / AM2+ / AM3. These socket types include the newest from Intel and AMD so this cooler will work with many of the newest and upcoming CPUs.
This is a good upgrade option that is relatively inexpensive. It usually sells for about $30, though some places have increased the price due to popularity. It is often described as quiet, which is important for high-end computers that have lots of fans generating lots of noise. The less the better and this product seems to deliver. Additionally, lots of users have seen anywhere from 8-18 degree drops in temperature over the stock coolers that come with the CPU. One main complaint comes from the installation process, and many people describe it as difficult and that the packaged instructions do not help. Users have mentioned that there are ways of finding better instructions online though video websites such as Youtube. If you are looking for a better way to cool your CPU on a budget, this is it.
RAID stands for Redundant Array of Inexpensive (or Independent) Disks. Motherboard specifications will list what RAID setups (the numbers that follow RAID) are compatible with it and RAID controllers can also be purchased. Setting up a RAID system can provide a couple of different benefits depending upon which configuration you use. If you are looking to increase performance, there is RAID 0 and if you want to back up your files there is RAID 1. There are other options, but tend to be more expensive and difficult to set up.
RAID 0, or striping, combines two drives and writes the data to both drives simultaneously, which increases the bandwidth and speeds up the process. This can be useful for gaming or giving your system a little bit more speed. The drawback is that if one drive fails, the whole setup fails and all the data is lost because the data has been split up into blocks and placed on separate drives.
RAID 1, or mirroring, uses two drives to mirror one on the other. The data is put on one drive and identically placed on the other drive. If one drive fails, then the other still has all of the files on it. This setup is particularly useful if you have a lot of important data or you have lots of media files that you are concerned about losing.
If you are looking to upgrade an AMD processor on a budget or build your own computer, then the AMD Athlon II 630 Propus is a very solid option that offers a good price / performance ratio. It is one of the few quad core processors under one hundred dollars. It operates at 2.8 GHz and uses an AM3 socket type.
Based on a variety of reviews from different websites selling the processor, it scores very highly on the Windows 7 performance rating simply when running at stock speed. If overclocked this score can be increased. Additionally, it is a quiet and efficient processor that runs relatively cool at stock speeds.
As an Athlon it lacks an L3 cache which may be a factor depending upon your build, but the performance difference between the quad core with an L3 cache and without has been shown to be around 7%. With the difference between the two levels of performance relatively close, the Athlon II x4 630 Propus is a very good choice for the money. If you need that extra performance then it might be important to pay the extra money.
The 2.8GHz speed is not as fast as more expensive dual or tri core processors, but with four cores it runs multi-threaded applications far better. This allows for strong video editing and encoding, which are often multi-threaded applications. If you are looking to upgrade an older single or dual core processor that has been handling your video editing then this is a great core upgrade at a very reasonable price.
In conclusion, this is a great quad core processor for just one hundred dollars that can work as a good upgrade or a starting point in a new build.
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