Once upon a time... a PC lasted on average of three years without upgrade before becoming obsolete. But technology is now moving so fast that is no longer the case. The only way to ensure you’re still enjoying the new versions of Windows, games and programs in two years time is to constantly upgrade the individual components inside your computer. You should be buying a computer with a view to upgrading its performance at a later date and therefore extending its useful life, however this may not be as easy as it sounds. The specifications and price may be perfect at the time of purchase, but if the model you choose offers little physical space to upgrade or has been manufactured using near obsolete technology, it may be an entirely false economy. As with any product, there’s always the danger that you’ll invest just before a major hardware revision and struggle to find compatible components within a matter of months. You may find plans to boost you PC dashed by a silent yet deadly revision in the number of connecting pins the processor has, or the size of the slot a new graphics card would use.

In some cases you may find yourself spending more on upgrading the PC with old components than you would using the current technology. DDR2 memory, the current standard, is half the price of the older DDR memory, for example. This is simply due to the increased cost of shorter production runs. Many consumers who bought computers 18 months ago are now finding that their motherboards only support DDR memory. If this is the case then it will be cheaper to upgrade your entire motherboard, processor and memory than invest in old technology, only to throw it away in a year’s time. Evan if you have a motherboard boasting the very latest type of memory, the number of slots could limit you. Before you buy a new motherboard or PC make sure that you have free memory slots as this is a relatively low cost way of improving your computer’s performance. If your PC comes with integrated graphics, check to see if there is a full height PCI Express slot so you can upgrade the graphics card. PCI Express is the current method of connecting a graphics card, before buying a new model; you need to make sure that your motherboard features the necessary port. In recent years, graphics cards have gone from using PCI slots to AGP, and then to PCI Express slots and you’ll only be able to have the fastest graphics card if you have the correct slots. You also need to make sure the motherboard your new PC comes with has enough expansion (PCI) slots. A new network card or sound card will need a spare PCI slot, and room in the PC case to fit.

Intel currently uses the LGA775 socket, which is the hole in the motherboard the processor drops into. That’s all set to change around the end of next year, as Intel has announced it will be moving to its own socket in order to facilitate higher data rates in its processors. Don’t worry too much, though; buy a motherboard with an LGA775 socket now and you will still be able to upgrade to a faster (although not the fastest) processor after that time. Similarly, the next generation of processors will take advantage of DDR3 memory, which is currently available yet offers little benefit at the present. In the next 18 months, though, when Intel updates its processors and compatible motherboards arrive, it’ll come into its own. Invest wisely now, and you should only need to worry about upgrading your processor and motherboard, while your PC memory stands the test of time.