PC Hardware Myths To Avoid In 2008

Take a moment to ponder on this, dear readers. How many times have we been carried away by the hype and marketing mumbo-jumbo the industry has thrown at us? How many times have out self-engrained loyalty to a particular brand led our consciousness to believe that their latest product, motherboard for example, is the next best thing since sliced bread? I believe that answer is a yes, one too many times.

It’s January 2008 as I write this down and after a year’s worth of hype, it has led me to feel even more disillusioned with the computing industry. Before you write any complaints to the editor asking for me to be drawn and quartered, let me say that this was written partly due to my own misadventures based on personal beliefs and fanboyism. Now, such things aren’t all that wrong but what is wrong is blind faith itself. Blind faith in a certain product or brand to the point you can actually gloss over the obvious faults is bad. In my case, the marketing boys have obviously earned their keep in 2007.

Think of it this way. Not many of us can afford to buy a new upgrade every 3-6 months. At least, we’d want the upgrade we just purchased to last for at least a year or so before we need to replace it. So, the next time we go shopping at our favourite PC hardware shop, who’d gladly help us part with our hard-earned cash, do think carefully about these questions.

First of all, does it serve your purpose? I know this is a rather subjective issue but let me be more precise. For example, what's your current computer's specifications? Can it cope with that new fancy graphics card you want to buy? It would be pointless to buy a $350 graphics card like the NVIDIA GeForce 8800 GTS 512MB when your PC cannot make full use of it.

You might wonder, “Whaddaya mean my "CPU" cannot cope with the new graphics card?" There are two aspects to this question. Some PCs are just too slow to enable the graphics card to run at its full potential. You can upgrade it with an expensive graphics card but the graphics card may be held back by a slow processor (CPU) or lack of system memory. Alternatively, you may upgrade to a new, fast CPU which may not realize its full potential merely because you only have 512MB of RAM.

There are also those who do not understand the importance of power supplies. Imagine using an old 450W PSU to power a GeForce 8800 GT or GeForce 8800 Ultra without the necessary 6-pin PCI Express power connector(s). Normally, this would cause the graphics card to run at much slower clock speeds due to an insufficient power supply. Wouldn't that be a waste of your money?

You also have to consider the kind of games want to play with the graphics card. If it’s just going to be Warcraft III (DOTA) and O2 Jam, then you are just wasting your money. That expensive graphics card isn't going to improve your gameplay or its graphics. The money you save from not buying it could instead be used for something else, like a CPU or RAM upgrade. Heck, you can also donate it to some African poverty fund. Heck, it’s up to you, but thinking about what you want to do will help you better decide whether the upgrade is even necessary.

Alright, let's get down to some of the biggest PC hardware myths you should look out for in 2008 and beyond :