On the other hand, you may be able to increase your memory, replace your video card and add a large hard drive for $275, giving your current machine new life for a modest outlay of cash. If you increase your budget to $400, you may be able to upgrade your computer’s processor too.

Can I upgrade it myself?
Maybe. If you have some experience working with electronic or computer components, you might find these upgrades relatively simple. If you are apprehensive about working inside your computer’s case, it’s probably safer and less stressful to pay a computer technician to perform the procedures.
If you decide to try it yourself, avoid static electricity at all costs. An errant static zap can render your computer inoperable. To be safe, buy an anti-static bracelet for a few dollars. This device keeps your body from discharging static electricity into your computer’s sensitive components.

Upgrade Guide: Random Access Memory (RAM)
Introduction
RAM is the temporary holding area in which your computer programs run. If there is too little RAM, the computer may slow to a crawl when running complex programs. Under Windows XP, aim for one gigabyte (1GB) of RAM. With Windows Vista, two gigabytes (2GB) will offer optimal performance.

How much will it cost?
Memory is inexpensive, often costing less than $100 for 1GB of RAM.

What should I know before I upgrade?
Use a commercial website like www.crucial.com to determine the exact kind of memory you need for your computer model. Also, read your owners manual to find the number and location of open memory slots.

The Bottom Line
RAM is probably the easiest upgrade to perform at home. You just open the case, and snap it into place. The only tricky part is making sure that the RAM you buy is compatible with your computer.

Upgrade Guide: Video Card
Introduction
A good video card (sometimes called a graphics card) can make games look more lifelike and can improve the speed of scrolling within a document. In addition, some visual effects in Microsoft’s Windows Vista operating system require a powerful graphics card.

How much will it cost?
Unless your computer was well-equipped to begin with, you should be able to upgrade to your video card for $200 or less.

What should I know before I upgrade?
Check your owner’s manual to see the type of graphics card slot you have in your computer. New machines have a PCI-Express (PCIe) slot, while older machines have an AGP slot. You should also determine whether your computer’s screen requires an analog (VGA) or digital (DVI-D) connection. If you’re lucky, your graphics cards will have both types of inputs, giving you flexibility to work with either analog or digital signals.

If you have two connections on your video card and sufficient desk space, try attaching two monitors at once. You can keep an email program and a stock ticker always visible on the secondary monitor, while you perform your daily work on the primary monitor.

The Bottom Line
While typical home users will notice some improvements with a new graphics card, computer gamers will gain the most from an upgrade.

Upgrade Guide: Hard Drive
Introduction
A computer’s hard drive can be improved in two ways—speed and capacity—each of which will benefit a typical home user.

How much will it cost?
A large, fast internal hard drive can be purchased for $75 to $150.

What should I know before I upgrade?
Determine whether your computer’s current hard drive uses the older IDE (sometimes called parallel ATA) interface, or the newer serial ATA (SATA) interface. If your computer has both interfaces, it’s probably better to buy an SATA drive, as it will be easier to install. If you plan to replace your current drive with an upgraded one, use hard drive cloning software (e.g., Norton Ghost) to make sure all of your current programs and documents are transferred to the new drive.

The Bottom Line
The extra storage space and speed of a new hard drive can make it a worthwhile investment. In many cases, you can even keep the old drive in your computer as a storage area for your documents, photos, music and videos.

Upgrade Guide: Processor
Introduction
The processor, or central processing unit (CPU), acts as the brain of your computer and determines your machine’s speed more than any other component. Unfortunately, not all computers have upgradeable processors, but for the ones that do, it’s an option worth investigating.

How much will it cost?
Processor upgrades vary in cost from $75 to over $500. The cost of a particular processor often drops precipitously after being on the market for a couple of years, making an upgrade a relative bargain.

What should I know before I upgrade?
Check your owner’s manual to determine whether your computer can be upgraded with a new processor. Unless you’re very good with computers, you’ll probably want to leave this one to a professional.

Bottom Line
A processor upgrade can give your old computer a significant boost in speed, but make sure not to overspend, as this can be a costly upgrade.