Recording - June 2013 - 16

space considerations, I’ll be referring to
the Intel branded processors and motherboard specifics. The concepts discussed in
this section still carry between both brands.
The Motherboard
Affects – What components can be
installed and what features will be available.
When to Upgrade – When it doesn’t
support the components and features you
need.

By Devon Brent
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an optical drive
an audio interface
a video adapter
the case
the power supply
the fans
Depending on the age of the system
and problems you’re experiencing, you
might need to just upgrade one to all ten
of these components to make the improvements you want or need.
Some of these components can be recycled from your old to new system, such as
optical drives or possibly the case. Some
parts cannot or should not be recycled,
like power supplies with not enough juice
to run a new system, or old hard drives.
Let’s dig into the details to see how
each component affects the overall picture, and when you should upgrade.
In our March 2013 issue, we covered
how to tweak your Windows 7 machine
for optimal plug-in performance. But what
does one do when all those tweaks still
reveal that your machine isn’t up to snuff?
Likely it’s time to retire that aging (or
maybe not so aging) system and upgrade.
Whether you’re flush with cash or your
wallet is quietly whimpering in the corner,
the most important upgrade question to
answer is: “Why?” Are you having trouble with the CPU maxing out with too
many plug-ins? Are you running out of
memory to stream large amounts of sample-based plug-ins? Or are components
in your computer starting to die, or
becoming flaky? Once you answer the
magic question, read on to see if some of
these “when to upgrade” tips could help
you out.
What’s at fault?
Any Windows computer hardware
setup is likely to come with the following
10 basic components:
~ the motherboard
~ one or more CPUs (Central Processing Unit)
~ system memory (also called RAM or
Random Access Memory)
~ one or more storage devices (traditional
“spinning” hard drives or Solid State Disks)
16

RECORDING June 2013

The Three Musketeers—Motherboard,
CPU and RAM
While the motherboard, CPU, and
memory are three distinct parts, this is the
trio that should be considered as a single
cohesive unit and will likely need to be
upgraded all at once for any major
increase in power.
For example, most motherboards should
allow the CPU to be physically replaced.
However, you’ll need to check if the
UEFI/BIOS or Unified Extensible Firmware
Interface/Basic Input Output System has
an update to officially support the new
CPU, even if it will fit in the socket. Same
goes for replacing system memory with
larger-capacity memory modules; you’ll
need to check if the motherboard and the
OS will support the increased RAM or not.
Even after these upgrades on an old motherboard, the benefits will likely be negligible
to nonexistent. For money well spent, it’s usually best to consider upgrading all three of
these pieces all at once to a newer generation of technology. There are always exceptions to the rule, but this rule has held true for
me for nearly two decades of upgrades.
Please note: Intel and AMD are still the
two main dominant players in the CPU
market. For the sake of this article and

The motherboard is the heart as well as
the dictator of any computer system. The
one you choose limits what CPUs you can
use, how much RAM can be installed, what
and how many add-on cards can be
installed, and what features will be or will
not be available. Considering a quality
motherboard will likely cost you
$150–$300, it’s best to make sure you’re
getting everything you need the first time.
In order to make an appropriate choice,
it’s best to make a list of requirements for the
new motherboard. List what CPU you want,
how much memory the new system must
support, make a list of all the add-on cards
you’ll need to install, list how many ports for
USB 2.0, 3.0, and FireWire are required
(and making sure it sports a Texas
Instruments chipset in the case of FireWire
for best compatibility), list how many SATA
II and III ports you’ll need for drives or RAID,
and note if you wish to use any particular
new features of the newer motherboards.
The next step is to match a chipset family
(a chipset is what controls the flow of data
between the CPU and all the external components on a motherboard) to the CPU you
want and, most importantly, features you
wish to have. Usually, Intel will have several
chipsets support the same physical processor
for different market segments (mainstream,
enthusiast, etc.) but over time will also introduce newer features the older chipsets do not
have. However, be careful about dismissing
older boards as being inferior. In some cases,
older chipsets can be a better choice as the
UEFI/BIOS code can be more mature and
stable than one for a brand new chipset.
Once the chipset is selected, next is to
comb over the various brands of motherboards to match the number of USB/
FireWire/SATA ports you need, the number
of peripheral slots and types that you
require, the amount of RAM you need, and,
most importantly, the overall stability of the
board itself. Sometimes you might have to
compromise what you want, or fall back to
an older chipset to fulfill your requirements.
For example, an older chipset might have
motherboards with more available PCI slots
than one with a newer chipset.

Recording - June 2013

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Recording - June 2013