YOU don't want to change your PC system - it's less than three years old. But you do want to put on some computing muscle, so you can do some 27 things at once without everything slowing down to a crawl.

Three areas can be boosted - CPU, graphics video card and RAM - with varying effects on the overall performance.

» CPU

MULTI-CORE processors are now the rage. If you are still using an old single-core processor, this can be a major boost in performance, especially for multimedia applications, 3D modelling and super complex maths calculations.

There are two players in this market space - Intel and AMD.

The manufacturer you go with depends on your current motherboard.

Intel offers dual-core and quad-core processor, but in order to use these you need to have a compatible LGA775 (Socket-T) processor socket.

Without it, you will need to upgrade both the processor and motherboard. Also, insist on the Core 2 Duo, not the older Core Duo or Pentium D systems.

AMD's product offerings are dual-core, triplecore and quad-core systems and use a Socket- AM2.

A CPU upgrade will set you back from $110 to a whopping $1,699. The price is tagged to the clock speed of the CPU, the total number of cores (engines) and the on-board RAM cache.

More core processors mean better multi-tasking.

» VIDEO GRAPHICS CARD

VIDEO cards transform the digital bits into a display pixel (picture element) on your monitor.

Simple video graphics systems are built into the motherboard.

Most of these systems with built-in graphics usually have upgrade capabilities for a stand-alone card. If you have an older system, it may use an AGP (Accelerated Graphics Port) or the newer standard PCI-E (PCI Express) slot. The latter is the better of the two and the current standard. Note: The slots are not interchangeable.

The graphics card has a CPU and memory of its own that do all the mathematical computing for 3D graphics. This eases the computing burden on the main CPU and translates to better performance. Prices start at $150 for a low-end nVidia 8600 or ATI HD3650, to $500 for a high-end nVidia 9800 or ATI HD3870.

» RAM

SYSTEM memory affects the overall performance.

So, souping up this component will bring about faster start-ups, faster loading times for applications and less hard drive accessing.

Today, DDR2 (Double Data Rate Two) is the standard. And you should have 1GB for Windows XP systems and 2GB for

Windows Vista. Going beyond 3GB will not yield better results because the area above 3GB is reserved for other system devices like video cards and sound cards.

With RAM price at an all-time low, you should be able to find a 1GB DDR2 memory module for as low as $30.

System performance can also be improved by using a ReadyBoost-enabled flash memory USB stick with Windows Vista. The memory stick is a non-moving part file store and will be faster to access than the hard drive. It acts as a cache for recent or frequently accessed files. A Ready- Boost-enabled 4GB flash memory USB stick can be had for as little as $30.

Ed's note: If your performance boosting exercise requires changing more than one component, it may be wiser to wait a while longer and do a system overhaul. Components become obsolete quickly and once a new standard is in place, the older less prolific technology parts become less costly. Alternatively, get a new PC.

» FREE PERFORMANCE BOOST

A LITTLE housekeeping can also go a long way.

Delete all the temporary files that are not properly flushed out of the system because of a misbehaving application or software bugs. Open the Command Prompt and type "CD %temp%". Press ENTER. Use the DOS command, DEL, to remove the files.

Delete all the temporary Internet files created by Internet Explorer. In the browser, access the Tools menu where you will find an option to delete Temporary files.

Use the built-in defragmenting program to optimise the files so they are contiguous, and clear the free space. Press Windows Key-R and type in DFRG.MSC and press OK. Follow the on-screen instructions.

Remove any of the extra applications sitting in the Windows System Tray. Use the Add/Remove programs in the Windows Control Panel to do it.

This story was originally published in The Straits Times Digital Life on 15 April 2008.