Hardware

Video on how to upgrade RAM, Network Card and Graphics Card

Graphics Card Specifications

VTX3D Radeon HD 6450 ZG121200Z977

1GB DDR3 HDMI CRT DVI Directx 11

PCI Exp 2.1

£36.75

Network Card Specifications

TP-Link Model no. TL-WN951N

300mbps 2.4 GHz

£18.98

Ram Specifications

Corsair Twin 2x2048-8500cs

560MB DDR2-1066/PC2-8500

£7.50

Reason for Upgrade

RAM

The reason for the upgrade was due to the system being slow and taking a long time to load pages etc, the upgrade of RAM allowed the PC to load pages faster and boot up quicker, therefore the upgrade allowed a faster performance.

Network Card

The reason for the installation of the Network Card was to enable the user to access the internet from their PC as before the installation the user was unable to access the internet unless using an Ethernet cable which only allows the user to go a certain distance with the PC.

Graphics Card

The reason for the upgrade was to allow better graphics for the user, the previous graphics were not the best, so upgrading the graphics card allows better graphics and a higher quality of games, etc.

Price Advantage

The price advantage of buying and installing your own components is high, the overall price is cheaper than buying a new system, therefore saving yourself money and keeping your old PC.

Upgrade RAM

Workstation No/ID: A08310

Type and Serial No:

Hardware Details: Windows XP Professional Celeron CPU 2.80 GHz 248MB RAM 40GB HDD

Task

Task description: Upgrade RAM

Description of any faults or error messages encountered (if none write N/A) N/A

Solution to task and/or faults encountered

Describe the settings, commands used and actions taken Made sure work area is clean and tidy and that I had the tool kit and the component Turned the computer on to make sure everything was in working order Run a dxdiag Checked the RAM GB Turned the computer off Unplugged cables from the back of the machine and turned off plugs at the wall Unscrewed PC Casing and took the casing off Unscrewed the screws holding the CD Drive into place and pulled the CD Drive towards me Found the RAM ports Checked the RAM fitted into the slots Inserted the RAM into the slots using my thumbs to ensure the RAM was inserted properly and that the clips were up at either side Put the CD Drive back where it was, screwing the screws in to hold it in place Put the PC Casing back on Plugged all cables in and turned on at the wall Turned PC on to ensure everything was in a working order Run a dxdiag Checked the RAM GB to ensure the GB had got larger.

Testing

Describe all final testing procedures carried out and their results. Plugged all cables in and turned on at the wall Turned PC on to ensure everything was in a working order Run a dxdiag Checked the RAM GB to ensure the GB had got larger and that the installation of the RAM was successful.

Comments

Comment on any further information No components were removed/disabled as a result of the upgrade

Safety

Comment on any further information Wore a Anti-static wristband and used the Matt whilst installing the RAM Check for any damage

Installing Network Card

 

Workstation No/ID: A08310

Type and Serial No: Powermate NEC VL4flex

Hardware Details: Windows XP Professional Celeron CPU 2.80 GHz 248MB RAM 40GB HDD

Task

Task description: Installing Network Card

Description of any faults or error messages encountered (if none write N/A) N/A

Solution to task and/or faults encountered

Describe the settings, commands used and actions taken Made sure work area is clean and tidy and that I had the tool kit and the component Turned on the computer to ensure everything was in working order Ran a dxdiag Checked the RAM, etc. Turned the computer off at the wall and unplugged the cables Removed the casing Found the slot for the network card Inserted then Network Card into the slots using my thumbs to ensure the Network Card was inserted properly and that the clips were up at either side Screw in the screws in to hold it in place Put the PC Casing back on Plugged all cables in and turned on at the wall Turned PC on to ensure everything was in a working order Insert the installation CD Allowed the Installation process to complete Run a dxdiag Checked LANs appeared and were able to be connected to.

Testing

Describe all final testing procedures carried out and their results. Ran a dxdiag Checked that the Local Network Areas were appearing which they were Insured computer was working properly Tried to connect to a network using the local network area to ensure access was available and that the installation was successful.

Comments

Comment on any further information No components were removed/disabled as a result of the upgrade

Safety

Comment on any further information Wore Antistatic wrist band and had the matt turned on whilst carrying out installation check for any damage

Installing Graphics Card

 

Workstation No/ID: N1

Type and Serial No: Novatech BB16104C

Hardware Details: Intel Celeron CPU G180 2.7GHz 3.15GB RAM 465GB HDD XP Pro

Task

Task description: Install a Graphics Card

Description of any faults or error messages encountered (if none write N/A) N/A

Solution to task and/or faults encountered

Describe the settings, commands used and actions taken Made sure work area is clean and tidy and that I had the tool kit and the component Turned the computer on to make sure everything was in working order Run a dxdiag Clicked Display and checked there was no Graphics Card already installed Turned the computer off Unplugged cables from the back of the machine and turned off plugs at the wall Took the casing off Found the Network Card ports Inserted the Network Card into the slots using my thumbs to ensure the Network Card was inserted properly and that the clips were up at either side Screw the screws in to hold it in place Put the PC Casing back on Plugged all cables in ensuring the monitor cable was plugged into the Graphics Card and turned on at the wall Turned PC on to ensure everything was in a working order Insert the installation CD Allowed the Installation process to complete Run a dxdiag Clicked Display and Checked the Graphics Card had installed properly and all information was showing

Testing

Describe all final testing procedures carried out and their results. Ran a dxdiag to ensure the graphics card had been installed correctly Checked that the Graphics Cards information was appearing and that all drivers were up to date Insured computer was working properly

Comments

Comment on any further information No components were removed/disabled as a result of the upgrade

Safety

Comment on any further information Anti-static Wrist band and Matt used Check for any damage

The testing undertaken and the software and drivers installed and configured

The Benefits of Registering New Components

Registering new components is not a MUST, but in the long run, registering your components will benefit you as a customer allowing you to receive information, discounts etc.

Ways to register new components are by phone – phone up the manufacturer and answer a series of questions over the phone with no forms to fill in, by the internet (quickest and easiest method) – fill in an online registration and receive a receipt via email, online via an installation wizard - use the online wizard to install and register your component quickly and easily and by letter – send via the post a special card found inside the box of the component, back to the manufacturer.

The benefits of registering new components are that you will receive updates on products, etc. as well as receive discount rates on additional services and get product support and promotions (Free Entry) and information about the component you are buying.

Story Board: Installing the Network Card and RAM

Installing Network Card:

· Ensure your work area is clean and tidy.
· Remember to unplug the cables from the back of the machine and turn the plugs off.
· Make sure you have the correct tool kit.
· Make sure you have the correct components for your computer.

· Firstly, put your Anti-static wrist band on, and make sure it's connected to the Anti-static Matt.
· Make sure the Anti-Static Matt is turned on at the wall
· Turn on the computer to make sure everything is in working order.
· Click start then click on Run...
· Run will come up as a box like so, in the "Open:" box, type "dxdiag"
· The dxdiag will load a page like this, which gives you information about the computer.
· The box gives you information such as how much RAM, etc.
· Next, turn off the computer and unplug all cables and make sure everything is off at the walls.
· Unscrew the screws which are holding the casing in place.
· Lift up the casing to view the motherboard and components.
· Unscrew the screws holding the CD Drive to the casing.
· Place your hands either side of the CD drive and pull it towards you.
· Once you have done that, upon looking inside at the motherboard, your view should look like this
· The white ports at the back of the motherboard are where the Network Card will be inserted.
· The Network Card looks like this:
· At the ports, there are slots at the back which you need to match up with the slots in order to insert the Network Card and remove any if needed.
· Line up the graphics card with the back slot, press into the port using both index fingers and thumbs at either side until you hear a click.
· When inserted, the network card will stand up straight and not need support
· Screw the screw into the hole at the top to give the network card more support to stay in.
· Once done, turn the tower round so you can see the slot in which your network card is coming through, there should be 3 gold coloured parts at the back, this is where the Ariel’s screw on to.
· Screw the Ariel’s on one by one.
· Once screwed on, the Ariel’s should look somewhat similar to so:
Installing RAM:
· Unscrew the screws at either side of the CD Drive
· Remove the casing at the front
· Hold the CD Drive at either side and pull towards you.
· Your tower should look similar to so:
· The RAM looks like so:
· The RAM is inserted into the blue slots.
· Using both index fingers, push the RAM into the slot until you hear a click
· Make sure the clips are up at either side
· Like so:
· Push the CD Drive back onto the tower
· Screw the screws back in either side
· Put the casing back on
· Plug everything back into the back of the machine
· Turn the computer back on
· Go back to the DXDIAG and check that the RAM MB has went up
· Insert the Network Card CD into the CD Drive
· This Setup Wizard will appear on the screen to set up the network card.
· Click on the bottom right network card to proceed to the next step of setting up the card
· Once you have clicked on the network card, this box will appear and the installation will begin
· Allow the installation to complete
· Once installation is complete, click finish
· After clicking finish, the internet networks will appear on a screen like so:

Story Board: Installing Graphics Card
Installing Graphics Card:
· Turn on the computer to make sure everything is in working order.
· Click start and then run, then run a dxdiag
· Once you have ran a dxdiag, click DISPLAY at the top and this will appear showing there should be no graphics card installed
· Turn the computer off at the wall and take all cables out, remembering to put your Anti-static Wrist band back on
· Unscrew the screws from the back of the machine and slide the casing off
· Once the casing is off, this is what you will see
· Look inside the machine and find the black ports shown below:
· Make sure the back slate is off the machine in order to install the network card
· Insert the Graphics Card into the first black slot
· Push the card in at both sides using your thumbs to insure it is fully intact
· Screw the screw in to the hole provided to secure the network card in place
· Put the casing back onto the machine
· Screw the screws back in to secure the casing
· Plug everything back into the back of the machine, insuring the monitor cable is plugged into the network card.
· Everything else gets plugged in normally
· Power the computer back up
· The screen will appear as normal.
· Insert the Graphics Card CD into the CD Drive
· This screen will come up, click yes
· After clicking yes, this screen will appear
· At the right there will be a bullet point which says "Windows XP 32/64bit" click on this
· After clicking this, a file download window will appear, click RUN
· The install will begin
· This window will appear showing progress of the installation
· At this window, click on Express
· The installing will continue
· When the Installation is finished, this window will appear, click finish at the bottom right
· Click start and then Run and run a dxdiag
· When the dxdiag window appears, click on display
· The information should appear as so:
· Meaning the installation was a success