D2 justify the considerations for selection in the upgrade of an existing computer system.

(For D2) The charity believes that some notes about how and why particular upgrades to the computer systems are selected will be useful to the people in Tanzania. You are thought particularly able to do this and have been asked to make detailed notes justifying the considerations that are made when selecting upgrades for one existing computer system (the spec of which you should define). These notes are to be included in your blog.

Existing computer specification :

3.2ghz HT Intel processor Pentium 4
512mb DDR RAM
80gb SATA 2 HDD
CD RW Optical disk drive
128mb Intergrated Intel Graphics
Intergrated sound card

Upgrade options and notes

The first component I would consider for an upgrade would be the RAM. If the motherboard was DDR 2 compatiable I would look at putting 2gb of DDR2 RAM if not then 2gb of standard DDR RAM would be suitable but possibly more pricey due to demand. The reason I would upgrade the RAM is to give the system more stability and the ability to run more applications simutaneously, smoothly.

The second component I would upgrade would be the processor. The motherboard would have to be changed to accomodate this however this would of had to been altered due to the RAM upgrade anyway. The processor I would chose would be an Intel Pentium Dual Core 2.8ghz, 1066 FSB, LGA775. This processor has a good front side bus clock speed along with a dual core clocked at 2.8ghz per core, this basically means that the processor is capables of processing large amounts of data at very high speeds. This processor combined with 2gb of DDR2 RAM would result in a fast data processing machine capable of handling most modern computer games and almost any other software for example photoshop and office applications.

I would look at upgrading the graphics card to just a simple asus ATI 512mb DDR2 PCI-Express graphics card, which would allow the user to use sophisticated graphics applications as well as taking an uncessary strain off the intergrated motehrboard graphics.

The rest of the components I would not alter as they would be uncessary upgrades. The CD RW drive which is already installed is adaquate for reading and recording data to and from CD's. 80gb SATA 2 is big enough hard drive with with a fast trasnfer rate so I would not look into upgrading as it would be an unecessary cost along with a sound card.

M3 explain the effect of the software maintenance activities carried out on the performance of a computer system.

· virus protection — By maintaining a stable virus protection schedule, you are ensuring that the performance of your system is not being affected by any unecessary infected applications which could case later damage to installed programmes or important files.

· clean-up tools — Defragmenting the hard drive is an important tool used to keep your system "clean" by deleting any unused files which are no longer needed such as tempory internet files. The defragmentation tool also indexes the files which are needed so they can be accessed alot quicker, for example if you installed a game and then uninstalled it you would be left with free memory in which the programme used to be stored, this space is now affecting the systems performance, as it is making the index larger than it needs to be, therefore by defragmenting the system it pulls all of the data together in a logical and more accesible form.

· install and run a firewall - By installing and using a firewall at all times, decreases the risk of downloading infected files (dramtically) such as trojans, which are very common. By using your firewall you are maintaining the performance on your pc greatly because you are preventing unecessary interuptions and damage from viruses, spyware and adware.

· back-up to CD using compression software - maintaining a regular backup schedule will prevent loss of important user data. This will help the performance of your system because if need be you can restore your pc with all of your existing data to a safe point. This could be used in severe virus cases, in which you are unable to remove a virus.

System updates, including Windows update.

System maintenence is essential, with this in mind, windows XP has its own update feature which keeps the system running up to date with the latest drivers and patches. However some components require user attention, such as the graphics card. This component does not have to be updated as long as it has compatiable drivers installed, how ever manufactures (e.g. nVidia) do release new drivers which allow the component to function to there maximum capability. This feature is often used by gamers so that they can play the came at the best frames per second (FPS) they possibly can. Below is a screenshot of windows updater, intsalling new service pack features.

Describe the range of available utility software.

There are many available utility programmes which can enhance computer performance greatly and maintain a healthy computer system free of virus', spyware and many other unwanted intrusions.

Norton 360 Version 2.0 All-in-One Security - This is one example of available utility software. This contains various tools such as a 3rd party defragmentation tool, alongside the standard exepected tools; anti virus, anti spyware, email scanning, firewall protection, backup and restore facility, and rootkit detection. All of these tools will inevitibly enchance computer performance and allow the system to perform to the highest of its capability.

There are many utilites avaiable in software form which will enchance computer performance, these can be anything from factory software which comes alongside computer components such as graphic card drivers.

One utility which from experience, improves computer performance is the AVG virus scanner, which is the core element of the AVG Anti-virus freeware. This utility has been used in a previous blog, which explains what this software actually does.

Images from the Installtion of the EPSON C60 printer.

Installing an EPSON STYLUS C60 Printer

Firstly I ensured I had all the correct cables, this included the printer power cable and the printer cable which connected via the serial port of the PC. I then connected the power supply to the plug socket and the printer cable to the pc. As this printer model isnt't new I needed to download the drivers for the printer, so I had to browse for these and found them on the official EPSON website, here is the link for the exact c60 windows drivers that I used, http://www.epson.com/cgi-bin/Store/support/supDetail.jsp?BV_UseBVCookie=yes&oid=14416&infoType=Downloads. I then installed the drivers for the printer whilst the printer was switched on. After this I installed the printer and ensured that it was the default printer for my computer via control panel > printers and faxes. It was set as my default as It was the first and only printer to be installed on this machine.

Hardware Installation (PC Stripdown)

Left : The diagram on the left shows the components of the PC which I disassembled and then re-assembled. The components are labelled on the right of the image.

I disassebmled this PC and removed every single component that was preset within this machine, even the power supply and the motherboard. I then cleansed all of the components using a small electrical hoover to remove any dust that may be causing insulation which could cause overheating or bad connections, escpcially the RAM. After cleaning all of the components I then started to re assemble the PC starting with the motherboard and the power supply. I then installed the RAM, CD & Floppy drives, along with the GPU, and the hard disk drive. I now had to clean the processor, so I remvoed the heat sync from the chip, and cleansed the residue of the thermal paste that was already on off with denatured alcohol. I then opened a new tube of thermal paste and re attatched the heat sync to the processor. After isnuring that I applied the exact amount of thermal paste I installed the whole CPU unit onto the motherboard into the LGA 775 socket. After ensuring there was no more dust in the case or on any of the components I ensured all of the screws where in place and secure and then closed the case and screwed it shut. I connected the PC up with a VGA cable for the monitor with a standard mouse and keyboard, and booted up the PC. It was now time to install the operating system, please refer to the installation of XP Professional also on my blog.