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In the past, a PC that reached its second or third birthday was destined for the parts shelf, the flea market, or the kid's room. But PC components aren't what they used to be; they're faster and more capable of pushing back obsolescence. So before you rush off to the computer store, take a good look at your old PC. Maybe all you need is an upgrade.

Adding a hard disk, a sound card, extra RAM, or a home network isn't hard, and it helps you create the PC you want. (Of course, the only way to get exactly the system you want is to buy the parts and build it yourself. See "Build Your Own PC.")

An office user may want more speed while multitasking; a gamer, faster graphics; and an audiophile, better sound and huge vaults of storage. All of these can be yours via simple upgrades for a fraction of the cost of a new PC. Whatever your inclination, we'll show you how.

We'll cover four types of upgrade: CPU and RAM, graphics and sound, hard disk and CD-RW, and home networking. Each section suggests what to buy, discusses problems to look for, and provides instructions for performing the installation.

Trying to decide how far to go? The chart "Which Upgrades Are for You?" lists some of the more effective upgrades for different PC activities.

One of the most effective upgrades you can make is also among the least expensive: Beefing up your system's RAM costs around just 25 cents a megabyte. If you currently have 64MB or less of RAM, upgrading will almost certainly boost your system's performance significantly and may result in fewer application crashes.

Graphics cards are a good deal too. You don't need to spend $400 for a top-of-the-line gaming card--though many gamers wouldn't balk at doing so. But a little over $100 fetches a capable 3D graphics card and (perhaps) one with high-end features like multimonitor support.

On the other hand, the competitive environment also makes it a good time to buy a new PC. And face it: An upgrade isn't always the best choice.

If you're looking for a big performance boost, a new PC--thanks especially to its up-to-date CPU and motherboard--may be the most economical solution. PCs more than a few years old may lack support for desirable technologies such as AGP (for the fastest graphics board interface), and they may have no USB ports.

If an upgrade sounds right for you, read on. If you're ready for a new PC, consider building it yourself: To learn how, start reading "Build Your Own PC."