The End of the Upgrade

The upgrade is complete. The upgrade was complete three weeks ago, actually, but I've been wallowing in the mud of my newfound-power - a P4 2.53 parked on an Asus P4PE, 512 meg of Crucial PC2700, with a Radeon 9500 Pro up front and a 350 watt Enermax PSU backstopping the whole thing. It is mucho sw33tz0r.

I had originally planned to write up a sort of how-to article on full-scale system upgrades: how to safely remove a motherboard, how to properly apply heatsink compound, what you absolutely positively must keep your cigarette ashes off of, that sort of thing. But what's the point? There are numerous treatises out there that explain the same thing just about as well as I could, and since nobody reads this anyway I really don't see why I should bother. Writing this crap is pretty much just talking to myself anyway, and since I already know how to do this, I figure my time could be better spent playing Neverwinter Nights.

But since I am a sentimental, caring kind of guy, I'm going to let you in on a little secret: it's not that hard. Really. I mean, if you're genuinely too stupid for this sort of thing, then fine, let the professionals handle it; but if you can avoid poking your eye out when you pick up a screwdriver, then don't be afraid to stick your head inside your case and have a look. The ability to pull off even simple upgrades - installing an expansion card, for instance, or adding RAM - will not only save you a few bucks, but can actually be kind of a rewarding experience. You own the computer you purchase at Best Buy, but the computer you build from the case up is [b]yours.[/b]

I've always believed that if you want to learn about this sort of thing, you should just grab your screwdriver and go to it. Fear of buggering something up will drive you to excellence. But if you're the sort of girlie-man who puts stock in book-learning, you may want to check out a few of these links:

HardOCP - Don't know what the OCP stands for, not that it really matters. An entertaining site (although perhaps not quite as raw and funny as it was a few years ago) and informative too.

Anandtech - This is the primo site for hardcore, detailed hardware information. A bit intimidating sometimes, especially for n00bs, but utterly indispensable for anyone thinking of DIY.

Sharky Extreme - Another good general interest site, especially notable for it's forums. The value of the information passing between Sharky forum members simply cannot be overstated.

PC Rivals - Now apparently known as Fragware, this site is the home of the infamous Computerator project. This is probably my favourite hardware site (or at least it was, haven't really checked it out since the Fragware change) since it's operated by guys who live by the motto, "Only we are stupid enough to try." My kind of people.

Overclockers.com - If you've already got a handle on your hardware but you're looking to push it a little further, this is a good place to start. Not the most attractive site in the world, but lots of useful information about how to make your faster, louder, and deadlier.

That's a very small sampling of the resources available, good places to start but hardly even scratching the surface. Regardless of your level of interest in hardware - whether you want to build your own system, or just find out what'll happen if you drop more memory into what you've already got - the information you need is out there, and there's a tremendous community of hardware types who'd be more than happy to help you get started. So stop being a pantywaist, pick up a screwdriver, and get to it! Remember - what's the worst thing that could happen?