GN Computer Services - Computer Upgrades

It's a fact that most people who buy a new computer buy one which does not have a significantly faster processor than their old one. What makes their new computer seem much better than the old one is that it is likely to have much more memory, a much larger and faster hard disk, and a much faster video card. Apart from the processor itself these are the three components which make the biggest difference to performance, and in recent years they have become incredibly inexpensive. The problem for most people is knowing exactly what to buy and how to install it - that's where we come in. Our component prices are very competitive, and for certain upgrades, such as memory, there is no labour charge. Please phone us on 01324 881881 or send an email to info@gncs.biz - just tell us what you've got and what you want to do with it. We'll be happy to advise you.

Memory Upgrades
Most manufacturers sell their computers with the absolute minimum of memory they can get away with - just enough to run the operating system and a few less demanding programs such as word processors and internet browsers. Upgrading your computer's memory capacity is the single best improvement that you can make. You will notice the difference immediately on games and programs which create music and video, edit photgraphs and images, etc.

Hard Disk Upgrades
It doesn't matter how powerful your computer is; when your hard disk gets more than two thirds full it will slow down dramatically, especially if you're also short on memory. Almost all computers are capable of using much larger sized disks than the ones they are supplied with and it's also possible to fit second disks internally either to store more files or to allow for automatic backups.

Video Cards
Certain manufacturers make computers with powerful processors but very poor video cards. This gives the effect of being a very fast computer when running some programmes, but very slow on others - most noticeably games, and video and music editing programs. The reason for this is that although the computer processor is very fast, for many programs the processor has to 'wait' for the video card to catch-up and draw the screen. Other problems might be that DVDs either don't play properly or don't play at all.

DVD Writers and Other Components
Many people are perfectly happy with the speed and performance of their computers, but end up buying new ones because there is some function or feature that they don't have. Almost all desktop and laptop computers come with 'expansion slots' which are rarely ever used. However, these slots can be used to expand your computer's capabilities, for example; adding a fast USB2 connection for a digital camera, or a 'Firewire' connection for a video camera, or a card to connect to a wireless internet connection, or a TV tuner card to watch television, etc. Other features can be added simply by replacing some parts with others, for example; replacing your CD-Writer with a DVD-Writer, etc.