Upgrading a Computer:

• The Processor:   Processors are really what makes a computer run. A processor processes calculations by using computational technology which is where the name "computer" comes from. A processor is located usually under a heatsink and/or fan on the motherboard and is almost always not visible without removing the cooling equipment. Upgrading a processor is quite easy, but not cheap. There are two Processor companies on the market that motherboards support; AMD, and Intel. AMD tends to be very cheap compared to Intel, but there is no quality loss. Intel processors are commonly bought upon gamers because of their new i7 technology which eliminated the need for a front side bus, and runs faster at cooler temperatures. Some of the things that you need to take into consideration when upgrading a processor are listed below:                   -Check what processor manufacturer your motherboard supports                                 -Check to see what socket type the motherboard supports (Ex. AM2, AM3, LGA1366, LGA1156)                                                                                                                          -What is the clock speed? Usually, for a processor to be considered a gaming processor, it should have at least a 3.0 Ghz Clock speed. Anything 3.0 Ghz and above is considered a good processor                                                                                                          -How many cores does the processor have? Cores are parts of a processor that can work at the same time to accomplish more calculations at a time. Usually, gamers have either a dual core or a quad core processor. Single core processors simply won't cut it for gaming.
• The RAM/Memory:    RAM is space for the computer to work in. RAM stands for Random Access Memory. A good way to think of a computer's 3 most essential parts is a parking lot. The processor is how much maneuverability and power a car has to move around the parking lot. RAM is how much space there is in between the rows of parking spaces. The Hard Drive is how many Parking Spaces there are in the lot. The larger the RAM, the more space there is for your computer to perform tasks. Some things to consider when upgrading RAM on a computer is listed below:                                      -Find out what type of memory your motherboard supports (Ex. DDR3, DDR2, DDR) -Look up what memory is recommended for your computer and is guarenteed to be compatible with your computer by visiting www.crucial.com (Buying the wrong, incompatible RAM is VERY, VERY easy to do)                                                             -How much RAM do you need? Do not exceed the E.U.S. (Exceeded Unneeded Space). Think back to the parking lot, a car only needs a certain amount of space to drive around in. The car doesn't need a mile radius to drive in. Same thing with RAM, don't overkill on RAM. 8GB should be the absolute maximum needed RAM. -Keep Swap Space in mind. Swap space is when your computer runs out of RAM workspace, so it then consolidates and uses some of your hard drive space to use as temporary RAM. Be sure to buy enough so you can keep the amount of swap space to a minimum.
  
• The Hard Drive:    The Hard Drive/HDD/SSD is what stored files, documents, and temporary data. When you save a file, it gets feeded through a small cable into your hard drive, and written onto the hard drive just like burning a CD/DVD. That Info is then permanently stored on your hard drive unless it is deleted. Youtube gamers usually need a lot of hard drive space to store all of their video work on. Gamers also like to use Solid State Drives (SSD) instead of Hard Drives for one simple reason; very fast file access and transfer. A Solid State Drive is a hard drive that doesn't spin at all. These drives have very high-tech technology in them, which is why they can cost thousands (yes, thousands) of dollars more than traditional hard drives. Some things to consider when upgrading your Hard Drive are listed below:                                                                                                                                -Check to see what Hard Drive ports your motherboard has (Ex. SATA, ATA)                      -Decide weather you want a Hard Drive, or a Solid State Drive (see above for more info)         -Keep swap space in mind since the hard drive is what is used when you run out of RAM.
• The Graphics Card:      This computer part is probably the most essential computer part when it comes to gaming. The graphics card is used to draw screen pixels thousands of times a minute. The graphics card is also the DNA of frame rates. A better graphics card will give you better looking, more realistic graphics, and also better Frames. Frame rates are how many times the screen refreshes every second (measured in frames per second - FPS). Some things to consider when upgrading a graphics card are listed below:                                                                                                                                -Check to see if you have a PCI-Express slot on your motherboard. Almost all motherboards built in the 21st century have this slot, but it's always better to double check!                                                                                                                             -See how much Graphics memory comes with the graphics card you are looking to buy. The more the graphics memory, the more room there is for the graphics card to produce pictures per second.                                                                                                      -Check to see if your power supply is powerful enough to generate enough power for the graphics card. You might need to purchase a more powerful power supply to give the graphics card an adequate amount of power to function properly.                                                                                                                           -Be sure that there is enough physical room in your computer case for your graphics card to fit.
• The Motherboard     The motherboard is the backbone of a computer. The motherboard has all of the slots and sockets needed to place your essential comptuer hardware into. The motherboard is where data is moved from place to place in a matter of milliseconds and where different jobs of a computer are accomplished. A motherboard has a lot of specifications to take note of when upgrading. You must make sure that the CPU socket fits your CPU, the RAM sockets fit your RAM, the Hard Drive transfer cable can fit into the board, the graphics card socket fits with your graphics card, the different PCI slots can fit your essential PCI peripherals, there are the correct ports to plug in external peripherals, and there are enough USB ports for all of your gaming controllers. Some other things to take into consideration when upgrading a motherboard are listed below:                                                                                                                               -Make sure you have checked that you have everything you need out of your board (see above)                                                                                                                           -Make sure that there is enough RAM slots to fit the number of RAM chips you have                                                                                                                               -Most boards fit in any computer case, but triple check that it will physically fit in your case.                                                                                                                                   -If you are using an Intel CPU, decide weather or not you want a Sandy Bridge, or Nehalem chipset.
• The Power Supply    Just like every other computer part, without this part, your computur wouldn't function. The power supply is what takes in power from a standard wall outlet, and distributes the power in different amounts to different places in the computer. Power supply quality is measured in watts of electricity to different parts on the computer. For a power supply to be considered a gaming power supply, it must have a wattage of 500-1000 watts. Anything below 500 watts probably doesn't give enough power to a gaming graphics card to function, thus the graphics card is not gaming. Anything above 1000 watts is just overkill. At that point, your wasting your own power. When you go past 800 watts, your already probably wasting power, nevertheless 1000 watts. Be logical and rational when choosing a power supply. Some things to take into consideration when upgrading a power supply are listed below:                                                                                                                                   -Be sure that the power supply delivers enough power to the graphics card. On average, a graphics card uses 82% of computer power.                                                                   -Be sure that the power supply physically fits in your computer case. Power supplies come in all different sizes, so make sure it will fit.                                                           -Be sure that you have enough cooling passing through/by the power supply. Power supplies get very hot when in use.
• The computer cooling technology   These essential parts of your computer are required to maintain cool-enough temperatures for your processor, power supply, and graphics card. Your processor generates temperatures of +100 degrees Fahrenheit. If your cooling system cannot keep this temp below 170 degrees Fahrenheit. then you NEED to upgrade. If you do not keep this temperature low, the consequences can be a LOT worse than any other part of your computer. I think of it as a 3-stage degree system. A 1st-degree overheat can cause internal processor damage. A 2nd degree overheat can internally damage the processor, and start to melt parts of the processor causing it to become completely dis-functional, the processor might actually steam/smoke a little bit in this stage. Lastly, a 3rd degree overheat can actually jeopardize your safety. At this point, the processor has exceeded temperatures of 210 degrees Fahrenheit. The processor will start to steam, smoke and eventually catch on fire. If the temp rises too fast, the processor can even explode! Precautions should be taken while using very fast processors, or overclocked processors. Always keep a fire extinguisher nearby in case of a 3rd degree overheat. Enough of the negative, scary risks, let's go onto the happy, positive part! There are 3 types of cooling technology. There is a heatsink+fan type of cooling system which is the most basic, easiest type of cooling system. Next comes water cooling. Water cooling is where liquid water is pumped through a small-diameter hose into the computer, and passes through the processor terminal. The processor terminal is where water is passed several times over the processor to absorb a lot of heat into the water before returning to the cooling station/pump. The hot water is then returned to the cooling station/pump where the water runs through a series of coils to absorb cool temperatures into the water. Some water cooling systems even have an electric cooler to electronically cool the water artificially. The water is then re-pumped back to the processor. Lastly is Water cooling+peltier cooler. This type of cooling is the most extreme type of cooling where the gamer will get the coolest temperatures possible on their processor. This type is where a peltier unit is placed on type of the processor and the water cooling terminal is placed on top of the peltier unit. A peltier unit uses two copper wires connected to electricity placed on 2 sides of an iron wire. One copper wire gets hot, while the other copper wire gets cold. This is called the peltier effect. The cold side is placed on the processor to literally cool the processor with cold temperatures. The cold side of the peltier unit usually reaches temps of about 33 degrees Fahrenheit (Cold). A water cooler system is REQUIRED to cool the hot side of the peltier unit. Attempting to use a heatsink to cool the hot side of a peltier unit is risking 2nd-3rd degree overheating. Computer cooling is where large-diameter fans are placed on the sides of a computer case to generally cool the whole computer. Usually, these fans are either 120mm or 200mm. Some things to take into consideration when upgrading cooling systems are listed below:                                                                                                                       -GET AN ADEQUATE COOLING SYSTEM TO KEEP YOUR PROCESSOR FROM OVERHEATING                                                                                                           -Make sure that your case is large enough to fit the cooling system.                                                                                                                          -Make the decision between the three different types of cooling. Be wise, especially when overclocking.                                                                                                             -ALWAYS ALWAYS, ALWAYS use caution when running processors at high speeds and be sure that your cooling system is running properly before each startup!
• The Computer Case:    This computer part is the only visible part of the computer when you are running the computer with the case on. Computer cases is where you put all of your computer hardware into so everything is secure and in the correct place. Computer cases are bought keeping two elements in mind; The styles and looks of the case, and the size and accessibility of the case. These two things must be kept in mind when buying a case. The graphics card, cooling system, and power supply are what is going to take up a lot of case space. Be sure to get a roomy case not only to fit your parts, but also to allow more airflow throughout the case.There are two main types of case sizes, there's the mid-tower, and the full-tower. The name implies exactly what they mean. Things to take into consideration when upgrading a computer case are listed below:                                                                                                                               -Make sure you like the case you are going to purchase, since it should last a while.                                                                                                                                 -Make sure your parts will fit in the case                                                                            -Make sure it comes with at least 3 case fans to allow maximum airflow throughout the computer.                                                                                                                            -Look for the front external ports for desired peripherals (USB, Headset jacks, SD card etc.)                                                                                                                           -Sounds stupid, but make sure you have a place for the case. You'll be sorry if you buy an excessively-large case that you have nowhere to put.