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Can You Upgrade or Do You Need a New Machine?

For less computer-intensive tasks, consider upgrading an older machine. In general, if you have 256MB of RAM or less, upgrading to 512MB will make a noticeable difference; a total of 1GB or even 1.5GB will improve performance even further. If you are satisfied with the performance of your computer but need more storage space, most computers make it relatively easy to install an internal 250GB or larger hard drive. (Check your manual for information on how to upgrade your hard drive; if you don’t feel comfortable doing it yourself, most computer stores will install new components for a moderate fee.)

External drives with high-speed USB 2.0 or FireWire connections are even easier to install. In many cases, you can connect them with a cord to your computer and turn them on. If you need USB 2.0 or FireWire ports to connect these drives, many companies sell expansion cards offering either or both of these connection types.

USB vs. FireWire

What’s the difference between USB and FireWire, the competing standards for hooking up hard drives, scanners, printers and other computer accessories? Not much, honestly. The first version of USB was fine for connecting a keyboard, mouse or printer to a computer, but was much too sluggish for hard drives and scanners. FireWire was designed to move large amounts of information quickly, making it ideal for drives, scanners and video cameras. The new USB 2.0 and FireWire 800 technologies increase connection speeds for both standards. FireWire is still about twice as fast as USB, but USB is often less expensive. In general, we recommend USB 2.0 for keyboards, mice, printers, digital cameras and basic scanning. FireWire is best for external hard drives or DVD burners, professional-grade scanners and especially digital video. And of course, some devices will only come with one type of connection, often because of power requirements. (Firewire can support devices that require more electricity.)

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