You say your 486 PC is just not bringing up the Pac Man game quite like it used to? Leave your troubles behind. All the juice this side of a Florida citrus farm is available to increase the capacity of your computer. With components you can purchase online, you can build a system that would leave NASA envious!

Check out popular manufacturers such as Dell and Compaq to see what the top-end hard drive prices look like. Canadian manufacturer IPC also sells components, and they have a good reputation. Don't forget Compusmart with their extensive product line, which includes hard drives. Also, take a gander at Microwarehouse and Hardware Street -- both have equally impressive lists of drives available. And finally, check out Soho Diffusion and Microson, because you never know what deals you can get from looking around online.

Installing the drive

First off, let's not beat about the bush. Installing a new hard drive is not for the faint of heart. Yes, many a consumer without a degree from MIT has installed one. They wouldn't be sold online if that weren't the case. But this kind of installation presumes a knowledgeable consumer.

The 'Net comes to the rescue again, with information on hard drive installation readily available. Just use your favourite search engine. Also, online retailers should be willing to offer advice on installation. And installation instructions do come with many hard drive packages. However, as Peter Hurd, vice-president and general manager of Hardware Street in Calgary states, "Purchasing and installing a new hard drive for your computer is something you should only attempt if you are VERY familiar with the workings of your computer. There are so many factors to consider. You must know the types of drive supported by your computer hardware and operating system. Assuming that you're technically capable of performing this type of upgrade, buying online will probably get you the best deal."

Keep this warning in mind, but it must be said that nothing is more satisfying on a Monday morning than bragging around the water cooler that you added 20 gigabytes to your system!

Going for 10, 20 or more gigabytes

You have the will and you have the know-how -- so what's a good hard drive bargain bang for your buck? A couple of issues should guide you in your decision. What's the capacity or size of the memory? What applications do you use regularly? What's the labour involved in upgrading? As outlined by Hurd, "Currently, the best buys are in the 15 to 20 gig range." Which should you choose? Since memory is relatively inexpensive, you want to go for as much as you can afford. Hurd continues, "Replacing or adding a second drive can be a very labour-intensive operation, so you don't want to do it more than once. Always buy the largest drive you can for the budget you have. Buying a 10 gig drive instead of a 20 gig, just because you save $50 or $100, may be a very big mistake."

In other words, be sure that the new drive will meet not only your current needs but your growing needs as well. You don't want to go rooting about in the box too often, and configuring your software to match your new hardware can be a time-consuming task.

The speed of your drive, measured in MHz, and your operating capacity, measured in RAM, are also important factors when evaluating the drives available. Also consider how you use your computer. Hurd says, "Those using their computers for multimedia applications such as music and video will want very large capacities and very fast transfer rates."

Hard and fast?

Adding a large hard drive may not improve the performance of your computer, if the rest of your system is not adequate for the task. Video memory and RAM are critical to speed. "Sometimes it may make more sense to get a smaller hard disk and use the money you save there to upgrade RAM or video memory," states Hurd. Having a large hard drive may give you more memory so you can download all your favourite videos and songs, but it won't necessarily give you a faster system.

The hard facts

When buying a hard drive off the 'Net, you want to make sure that the dealer will be there if you have any problems. Hurd suggests that when selecting a vendor, "Use the online shopping comparison sites like BuyBuddy and CompareBay, and then talk to the vendor. Most reliable vendors will have a toll-free telephone number prominently displayed on their site. Most vendors will also have a restocking charge for products that have been opened, so make sure that you purchase the right drive the first time, or it could get very expensive."

As with anything else you buy online, make sure there's a return policy, find out who pays for the return shipping, and try to find dealers within Canada.

Glossary

Bytes are one character or space, each consisting of up to eight zeros or ones.

Gig is the short form for gigabyte, used by just about everyone in the industry.

Gigabyte is one billion bytes of memory storage.

A Hard Drive is the internal memory of a computer.

RAM stands for random access memory - the operating system for your software applications.

Quirks

Some say geek humour is an acquired taste, but if you're installing your own hard drive, it should be perfect for you. Check out http://www.rah96.com/, short for - you guessed it - random access humour.