As great as computers are, and as necessary as they have become in both our personal and professional lives, they are not without issues. Key among these is the pain which comes with upgrading devices with faster components. While we very much appreciate not having to replace entire computers, there remains the problem of understanding exactly what you need. Given that the world of computer hardware is a constantly-evolving environment, even the standards of a mere few years ago can become outdated when it comes to modern upgrades.
With these factors in mind, it’s our aim here today to guide newer or unfamiliar users into exactly what type of upgrades they should seek, based on what they want their computers to do.
Image and Video Rendering
If the primary use of your computer is for image or video processing, then the three most important components are going to be CPU, GPU, and RAM. This means that upgrading to get the most out of rendering software is going to necessitate all three of these reaching a certain standard, as any one of these key components lagging behind the others will cause what is known as a bottleneck. Bottlenecks will decrease the effectiveness of other potentially expensive components, so we want to avoid this.
The best way to circumvent the issue of bottlenecking is to create a system with the same level of components.This can not only help you choose parts of roughly the same processing speed, it can also guide you in the right direction when it comes to power use and socket or BUS type.
Without enough power, your computer will not start or will self-destruct, and without the right socket or BUS, your parts won’t fit, so these are also paramount.
Fast Data Transfers
Data transfer is thankfully one of the simpler aspects of upgrading, mostly thanks to the recent dominance of consumer level solid-state hard drives. Almost every one of these will give an enormous performance increase over standard hard drives, so it’s hard to go wrong. Just be sure to keep in mind your exact desired use, as while constant reads will not harm an SSD, constant writing and backups on SSDs can degrade the device, as detailed by upgrading website CompuRam.
Going for Gaming
High-level and eSports-worthy PC rigs tend to involve a combination of many high-quality parts. This is because, as a player, there is a need for an enormous amount of performance from your selected game or games. As most eSports fanatics dedicate themselves to one game at a time, we should use this as a basis for the level of system specifications to aim for. Fortunately, understanding exactly what is needed is simple when based off of the many specification tracking websites like GameSystemRequirements.
We want to aim for above the recommended specs here, as games are both more responsive and easier to play competitively when running at a high frame-rate. Again, the goal is going to be making sure no component is bottlenecking the others, and that you have the right power generation and connection types.
Thankfully we already have many guiding forces when it comes to the right computer setups for each game, largely owing to the success of eSports. As eSports athletes make their money off of their performance, it stands to reason that their machines are fine-tuned to bring out the most of their games of choice, so by emulating their specs we can end up with what is practically a perfectly suited setup.
eSports have grown to such a degree, in fact, that they are worth many millions of dollars annually, and even popular bookmakers like Betway Esports are getting in on the action. Not only do services like Betway offers odds on tournaments like the LPL Summer Split, Dreamhack, and the biggest eSports tournament in the world, The International, they are sometimes even actively involved in the eSports community by sponsoring teams, as seen with the popular Ninjas in Pyjamas.
Deals and Patience
Just like with any other goods, computer parts can often come with immense opportunities for savings. Because of this, it can be a good idea to take your time and check around before you upgrade, rather than going for what looks good at first glance. Remember to read the reviews and benchmarks of the individual parts you pick, and to check their suitability to your motherboard and needs, and you will be well on your way to boasting to your friends just how easy you found the upgrade process to be.
