8 Must Have Upgrades for 2011

The new year is here, and now is a great time to start performing some computer upgrades to get you through the year.

1. A custom built computer
The number one upgrade for personal and business computing in 2011 is a new desktop, laptop, or workstation. My favorite option for getting a shiny new computer is to have one custom built to fit my needs. Doing this will minimize your costs, maximize your performance, protect your investment, and put a huge smile on your face. With all the new software coming out a new computer will provide the biggest bang for your buck.

2. RAM
RAM upgrades are one of the easiest and least expensive ways to increase your computers longevity and performance. With more RAM available to your software, your computer won’t struggle as much to find the data it needs to run. Additionally, newer RAM is faster, providing part two of a two fold performance increase.

3. CPU
A CPU Upgrade will increase your computer’s ability to process the instructions being given to it by the software you are running by processing more instructions per second. This translates to a more responsive system, and faster software operation.

4. Hard Drive

A hard drive upgrade can help you in two different ways. The first metric seen in hard drives, is the amount of storage they can provide. A typical hard drive storage range is anywhere from 80 Gigabytes all the way up to 2 Terabytes (2,000 Gigabytes). There are hard drives larger than this, and smaller than this, but they are far less common. A hard drive with more storage space means you can store more data, pictures, movies, music, accounting data, and other files.

The second metric seen in hard drives is spindle speed. Typical spindle speeds in hard drives range from as low as 4,200 rpm all the way up to 15,000 rpm. The faster the spindle moves, the faster it can locate data, and the more responsive your system will be, especially under heavy use.

In 2011 we may see a large move toward flash drives, that don’t even have moving parts, which of course means they will be FAST!

5. Video Card
A video card upgrade provides your computer with the ability to render high graphics with ease. Offloading graphic processing to your video card conserves main CPU resources and provides with a richer video and graphics experience.

6. Monitor

A monitor upgrade will provide you with a richer experience. With a crisp display, a smaller desktop footprint, and increased energy efficiency, a new monitor will not only provide you with an awesome display, but it will save you room while saving you money!  

7. Blu Ray Drive
Full High-Def Movies, need I say more?

8. Windows 7
Upgrading to Windows 7 provides a more thorough and enjoyable computing experience. It is feature rich, extremely customizable and absolutely smokes Windows XP on new hardware. If you are building or buying a new computer, Windows 7 is an absolute must. So there you have, 8 easy ways to improve your computing experience in 2011. As always, Custom Computing Solutions is here to help if you need help or have questions.