When you buy a computer or a PC peripheral, you should always ask the warranty that they give. Not all computers and their parts are sure to be functioning properly and to avoid the troubles of being robbed, warranties are the best way to be safe and secure.

There will also be areas to be covered such as the manner to which these parts were damaged. Some are damaged goods from the very first day that you bought them while others would operate fine for the first couple of weeks and then bog down. Normally, a warranty of 1 to 3 years is given and it is in these cases that you should make sure that warranty stickers and the actual receipt as proof of purchase should not be thrown away.

Rest assured, the store where you bought such peripherals will be more than happy to replace them. There are defective parts and while actual manufacturers try to control them, you can just imagine how hard it would be to cover over a million parts in production at the same time. There will always be some that would get away and the probability of getting them is really far fetched.

However, that minor probability may unfortunately land in your fingertips. As long as the PC part or computer peripheral does not encounter damage due to your negligence, you have nothing to worry about. Just bring it back to the store and expect a replacement in no time.

When it comes to fixing a certain part such as perhaps a PC video card, there is no doubt that they are getting cheaper as video card vendors are slowly coming out with new ones today. While many would consider buying a new video card, trying to make do with old ones (assuming they are still functioning properly), would be best done until the time you consider buying at least a brand new CPU with parts that are advanced than your new one.

There was a previous post before about changing the auxiliary fan of video cards for the time being while saving the cost of buying a new video card. The price disparity is glaring considering that a well-fitted auxiliary fan would cost about 10% of a brand new video card. With some changes to the fans, you may be surprised at how much you can save for now rather than buying a new one which may have cases as not being compatible with new motherboards once you finally decide to upgrade.

There is no doubt that some video cards and peripherals are flexible. In fact, you can go as far as using them again in the future. There are usual AGP or PCI slots common in most motherboards and before you buy a new one, you know the slots of the motherboard needed to entertain your old specs.

But ask yourself first if you would make use of old video cards when you get a new one. For sure you will be getting a new since a new CPU would tempt you to get it as a whole anyway. So with that in mind, what would you do with the old video card? Sell it perhaps? Maybe but then again, consider the cost analysis. You may have been better off fabricating your old one instead.

For the people who love to “Do it Yourself” as far as assembling your computer is concerned, you have to consider as well that peripherals need to have the proper grounding and when you screw them to the casing, there has to be something placed in between the motherboard and the screwable areas.

When you buy a motherboard, it normally comes with static foam. Now that is not mainly used to protect the motherboard. They can be used to negate the static and ground that usually occurs when you install everything into the casing.

At times, you may not have these foam available but it doesn’t mean you cannot install the motherboard. Get some masking tape and tape the screw holes to avoid surges and electrical malfunctions. That may sound easier if you don’t have the usual foam guard to go.

So how would you know if the motherboard is grounded? Well for one, after you have installed all the PC parts, it will not turn on. No matter what you do, it will just be dead even if you play around with the connections.

Now these may sound technical but they are really simple troubleshooting techniques that anyone can learn from. It may be hard to get by at first but the fact remains that you learn from experience. It is not easy assembling a computer and with these instances, you can learn to become accustomed to it. The next time you buy a computer or consider an upgrade, at least you would know better.

Similar to the standards patches and updates service that Microsoft provides, independent manufacturers of your PC parts such as your video card, BIOS and network cards offer occasional updates to address issues such as driver incompatibilities and crashes that stem from the use of incompatible drivers.

Now these updates do not solely cater towards people encountering problems with the drivers. Updating them can also help stabilize your system resources but some could care less. Unless the time comes you consider formatting your computer for one reason or another, these driver updates can come in handy.

But the thing is, not all people are aware of these updates. You may say that they come out only by accident or if you happen to sign up with the actual hardware vendor. As a whole these updates have minimal impact but if the old drivers were giving you problems, then it is best to check out the updated drivers that are free for use by anyone normally on the vendor website.

So if you want to avoid the problems of finding out later on that your current drivers do have bugs that need fixing, maybe it would be best to download the updated drivers and override the old ones. It doesn’t take much effort although make sure you can roll back the drivers in case issues suffice. Remember that upgrading and updating are constant. Latest versions do not always mean they will be the last.

If you get the chance to view your motherboard, most probably you would see a complicated setup as to how the backbone of a PC would work. Just imagine one malfunctioning chip and the impact it can have on the whole hardware you have. It takes one simple chip or diode to wreck all of it.

The question of identifying which one it may be is a blackhole. Some technicians may be able to trace it but in most cases, such a scenario would lead to changing the whole motherboard to avoid the trouble. So what are the instances wherein you would consider replacing your motherboard rather than wait and have it repaired?

1. Don’t fool around with the jumper cables.
There are certain settings that jumpers in your motherboard have been programmed for. Some may point towards reading the right memory chips while others pertain to the overall health of you PC as far as plug and play features are concerned. There are some of us who see technicians tinker around with them but in reality, it may not be a wise one if you do not know what you are doing. Avoid being a professional technician if you don’t know the effects that such would have on your PC.

2. Avoid spilling liquids on motherboards.
Such is a similar thing in mobile phones. Ever wonder why some phones get busted after they are accidentally dropped with a single drop of water? The same holds for a PC motherboard. Just provide that extra understanding that you motherboard must be free from such inconsistencies and you will have less things to worry about.

When you buy a new PC, it doesn’t always have to be the new on in the market. In fact, for a lower price, you can check out the specifications of some computers, perhaps a year back and still continue better performance than your current PC. That is why for some, it would be best to ask on whether you are buying a new PC for use or for boasting purposes only.

Actually if you think of it, the initial purpose of buying a new PC is to really get better performance. But how do you define performance? We tend to overdo it at times especially when we ask the shark vendors who are plainly concerned about selling their inventory. Of course, they will offer you the latest PC specs in the market and with it comes a sale on their behalf. But as far as performance is concerned, it is nowhere within the context of your discussion since “brand new” is synonymous to powerful specs.

But for the wise PC buyers, new computers don’t necessarily mean getting the new one in the market. Other than being costly, the generation of PCs before them are still powerful and may also be sufficient enough as far as power requirements are concerned. The best part of it is that they cost less, perhaps 25% cheaper than what they were when they originally hit the market.

With the new specs, the same would happen within the year. It is a trend and for people who want great buys, check out that PC being offered after a few months. You will save a lot and get the same specs that can really heed your needs.