• Boost Your Desktop PC Memory

• Add a Sound Card or Video Card

• Choose a New Desktop PC Processor

• Listen to Your Motherboard

• Find Desktop PC Components on eBay Singapore

• Buy with Confidence

• Need More Help?

• Legal Disclaimer

Boost Your Desktop PC Memory

Boost Your Desktop PC Memory

Adding more Random Access Memory (RAM) results in an immediate, and often dramatic, improvement in performance. You'll have faster response times for your programs and even experience fewer system errors. In addition, RAM is inexpensive, easy to install, and requires no configuration.

Determine what type of RAM you need

Pull out your handy computer manual and find out what type of RAM your motherboard (mobo) supports. The most common type of RAM is Synchronous Dynamic RAM (SDRAM). It is the basis for DDR and DDR2 memory. SDRAM is synchronised with the CPU's clock, so there is little downtime when transferring data to the processor.

DDR SDRAM (Double Data Rate SDRAM) is similar to SDRAM, but is twice as fast at the same clock speed. It accesses data two times per clock cycle; SDRAM accesses data only once per cycle. DDR memory is available at effective speeds (meaning the clock runs at half this speed but transfers data like DRAM at the rated speed) of 200 to 550MHz.

Choose your RAM speed

Programs, including operating systems, like Windows and Linux, need a certain amount of RAM to run, with more RAM providing better performance. For example, Windows XP requires at least 128MB RAM to run according to Microsoft. Most people find the number closer to 256MB and see even better performance with 512MB RAM, 1GB RAM, or more. Buy the fastest memory your motherboard allows. The following outlines the minimum memory required for typical usage.

• Home users: 512MB of memory or more.

• Home office: 512MB of memory or more.

• Gaming: 1GB of memory or more.

• Multimedia: 2GB of memory or more.

Motherboard manufacturers list DDR memory types according to their clock speed or bandwidth, along with other notations. From slowest to fastest, the types are: DDR200 (also known as PC1600), DDR266 (PC2100), DDR333 (PC2700), and the upcoming DDR400 (PC3200).

Some DIMMs, or sockets, also require you to install RAM modules in pairs. Know what your motherboard supports before you buy.

Ramp up your desktop PC with Rambus memory

A few P4 chipsets still require Rambus memory (RDRAM). The RDRAM picture is relatively simple; it's available only on boards using Intel's 850 or 850E chipsets. For best performance, install RDRAM in pairs and fill any free memory slots with "continuity modules," or CRIMMs.

RDRAM is useful in high-bandwidth applications like video editing or texture-heavy 3D gaming, but it commands a hefty price premium–RDRAM costs about twice as much as DDR memory. RDRAM is currently available in two speeds: PC800 and PC1066.

Upgrade your memory slots

You can also upgrade your memory by adding a Dual Inline Memory Module (DIMM), a small circuit board with memory chips mounted on both sides. The bottom edge of a DIMM has electrical contacts printed on it, and plugs into a special connector that is usually on the motherboard.

Add a Sound Card or Video Card

Add a Sound Card or Video Card

Video cards and sound cards fit neatly into open PCI slots in your desktop PC. Though many motherboards include onboard sound, and onboard video or a basic video card, upgrading gives you better and faster performance. Start out with the best video card and sound card possible when building your desktop PC from scratch.

Improve your desktop PC's video performance

Put a TV in your desktop PC or get lightning-fast video performance for your 3D games and movies with a new video card. Video cards go by many names, including graphics controllers, graphics accelerators, graphics adapters, graphics cards, graphics processing units (GPU), video boards, video accelerators, and video adapters. Whatever you decide to call them, video cards handle all the 2D and 3D calculations and rendering on your desktop PC.

You will want your video card to have the fastest speeds possible for gaming. Look for an AGP 8x or PCI Express ATI Radeon or NVIDIA GeForce. For multimedia machines, get an ATI or NVIDIA card with VGA and/or DVI outputs. Make sure your computer's motherboard supports the type of card you buy (AGP or PCI Express).

Look for a video card that has a TV tuner if you want to watch television on your computer. Also, if you want to use two monitors with your computer, look for a video card that supports dual monitors.

Step up your desktop PC's sound system

The latest motherboards with integrated sound sport six-channel digital sound chips that support digital 5.1 sound reproduction. They are more than adequate for casual gaming and MP3 playback. If you want to produce music on your desktop PC, get a standalone sound card with plenty of connectivity and a high wavetable. Find popular sound cards by Creative Lab and others.

Sound cards work as a synthesiser, generating sounds, and include a Musical Instrument Digital Interface or MIDI interface to connect to electronic MIDI instruments. They also work as an analogue-to-digital converter used, for example, in recording sound from a microphone, and as a digital-to-analogue converter, reproducing sound for a speaker.

Choose a New Desktop PC Processor

Choose a New Desktop PC Processor

The Central Processing Unit (CPU), or main microchip processor, sits on the motherboard, controlling the computer. It does all the "thinking", working as the brain of your desktop PC.

Intel's Pentium 4 and AMD's Athlon XP are two main choices when it comes to PC CPUs. Motherboard vendors sometimes list their boards by the type of socket that accommodates the CPU–Socket 478 for the P4, and Socket A for the Athlon. In most business applications, you won't notice a big difference between systems using the fastest Athlon and P4 chips.

• Desktop PC processor speed: PC processor strength is measured in megahertz (MHz) or gigahertz (GHz) (1000MHz equals 1GHz). The number appears before or after the processor's name, for example, Pentium 4 2.4GHz. The higher the number, the faster the processor executes instructions. For example, 1GHz processors are faster than 1MHz processors.

• Desktop PC processor names: Intel and AMD use different speed naming conventions for their processors. Intel uses processor speed while AMD compares its CPUs to their Intel counterparts. When you see a 2.8 GHz Pentium processor, know that it's comparable to an AMD 2800+ processor. Higher numbers offer better PC performance.

• Celeron PC processors & Pentium PC processors: Intel makes two lines of desktop PC processors: Celeron and Pentium. Celeron is an inexpensive, no-frills alternative to Pentium processors. You trade off some speed for a lower price.

• Hyperthreading (HT): Hyperthreading (HT), an Intel technology, lets processors in the 3GHz and faster range work on two separate threads of data at the same time. Your software needs to be optimised for hyperthreading in order to see improved performance. More software will support the technology in the next few years.

• Dual processors: Some desktop PC motherboards support two processors that can take turns working with data. You will only see improved PC performance if the software you run is optimised for dual processing.

Games, digital imaging, and Internet applications are most demanding on a CPU. Productivity software such as word-processing software and home-finance software do not require as much processor power. Buy a desktop PC processor based on how you plan to use it.

• Desktop PC processors for home users: 800MHz or faster Celeron PC processors, Pentium 4 PC processors, or AMD equivalent processors.

• Desktop PC processors for the home office: 800MHz or faster Pentium 4 PC processors or AMD equivalent PC processors.

• Desktop PC gaming processors: 3GHz Pentium 4 PC processors with Hyperthreading or equivalent AMD Athlon 64 PC processors or Athlon XP PC processors.

• Desktop Multimedia PC processors: 3GHz or higher Pentium 4 PC processors or AMD equivalent PC processors.

Clock speed can be an accurate comparison of relative PC speed as long as you are comparing the same model of processor.

Listen to Your Motherboard

Listen to Your Motherboard

All components in your desktop PC system connect to the motherboard, also called a mainboard or mobo. The motherboard determines what type of RAM and CPU you can use in your desktop PC. It also includes onboard sound, onboard graphics, and a chipset that performs vital functions such as routing data from the hard drive to memory to the CPU. It makes sure all your PC peripherals and expansion cards can talk to the CPU and one another. When building a desktop PC or upgrading your motherboard, make sure the motherboards you look at will fit in your computer case.

Manufacturers base desktop PC motherboards around chipsets, adding features like RAID controllers and FireWire ports to differentiate their boards. The chipset also limits the types and speeds of CPUs the board can take and the type of RAM you can install. Know the vital stats of the chipset (CPU, Integrated Device Electronics controller speed, whether sound and graphics are integrated) and use them to compare motherboards when you build your desktop PC. Motherboards designed around the same chipset often share common features inherited from the chipset, and may exhibit similar desktop PC performance.

Find Desktop PC Components on eBay Singapore

Find Desktop PC Components on eBay Singapore

Once you know what type of desktop PC component you want, go to the Computers & Networking portal, click Desktop Accessories and start searching for item listings on eBay Singapore.

• Keyword Search: Search eBay Singapore listing titles for specific words. For example, if you want to find a Kingston memory expansion card with 512 MB, type "Kingston 512MB" (without quotation marks) into the Search box. Click "Search title and description" to expand your results. Visit eBay Singapore's Search Tips page for more tips on searching with keywords.

If you can't find exactly what you want, try shopping eBay Stores, or saving a search on My eBay and eBay Singapore will email you when a match becomes available.

Buy with Confidence

Buy with Confidence

Before making your purchase, make sure you know exactly what you're buying, research your seller, and understand how eBay Singapore and PayPal protect you.

Know your purchase

Carefully read the details in item listings.

• Figure delivery costs into your final price. If you spend a lot of money, make sure the seller will insure the item when it posts.

• If you want more information, ask by clicking the "Ask seller a question" link under the seller's profile.

• Always make sure to complete your transaction on eBay Singapore (with a bid or Buy It Now). Transactions conducted outside of eBay Singapore are not covered by eBay protection programmes.

• Never pay for your eBay Singapore item using instant cash wire transfer services through Western Union or MoneyGram. These payment methods are unsafe when paying someone you do not know.

Know your seller

Research your seller so you feel positive and secure about every transaction.

• What is the seller's Feedback rating? How many transactions have they completed? What percentage of positive responses do they have?

• What do buyers say in their Feedback? Did the seller receive praise?

• Most top eBay Singapore sellers operate like retail stores and have return policies. Do they offer a money-back guarantee? What are the terms and conditions?

Buyer protection

In the unlikely event that a problem arises during your transaction, eBay Singapore and PayPal are there for you.

• Pay safely with PayPal: PayPal enables you to pay without the seller ever seeing your bank account or credit card numbers. In fact, PayPal protects buyers 100% against unauthorised payments from their accounts. Plus, with PayPal Buyer Protection, your purchase can be covered up to US$1,000.

eBay Singapore Security Centre: Visit the Security Centre to learn how to protect your account and use eBay Singapore's quick and efficient resolution tools.

Need More Help?

Need More Help?

Visit our help pages or start a thread on one of our Community Discussion Boards - If you have a quick question that needs answering, try posting it on our community Answer Centre - there's bound to be a seasoned eBay Singapore veteran with just the information you're looking for!

Legal Disclaimer

Legal Disclaimer

Buying Guides are intended merely as a guide or review for members when considering what products or services they may be interested in bidding on or purchasing. eBay does not make, and nothing in these Buying Guides is intended to constitute, any warranties, guarantees, representations or assurances about the accuracy of the information or content contained in these Buying Guides. Furthermore, eBay does not make, and nothing in these Buying Guides is intended to constitute, any warranties, guarantees, representations or assurances about the nature or performance of the products or services appearing in the Buying Guides. eBay is not affiliated with nor does it endorse the use of any particular product or service.