Before you buy a new CPU or Memory, know your motherboard.
When you add floppy drives, CD/DVD drives, printers, scanners, etc they will usually run fine 'out of the box'. Just follow directions, connect, add drivers when required and run. Hard drives are a little more complicated; they need to be partitioned and formatted but new hard drives should come
with directions on how to prepare your new drive, or go to the manufacturers web site for directions. All these additions should fit and run fine without any hardware modifications to your computer.
But perhaps you want a faster CPU (central processing unit) and memory. They get a lot of publicity. There's more to it than going to your computer store and buying just any CPU or memory for the computer you presently own. Your motherboard, CPU and memory are matched. A motherboard and it's CPU are brand specific. You can't use an Intel brand CPU in a motherboard built for an AMD and you can't use an AMD brand CPU in a motherboard built for an Intel. Then there's the speed difference, the main reason most people want an upgrade anyway. CPU's run at certain speeds measured in MHz and GHz. Motherboards also are designed to operate at certain speeds. So in addition to the brand of CPU, motherboards have limitations on what CPU speeds they can use. Also, memory comes in different types, speeds and physical sizes for specific motherboards.
The ZIF socket (zero insertion force socket for CPU) on your motherboard is made for specific CPU models within each brand. You might get lucky and find a CPU or memory that can be forced into the wrong socket but your good luck will turn sour when you turn the power on (pins may fit holes - but circuitry is wrong). A CPU or memory in the wrong socket can burn out immediately - the ones I've tried did.
Important: never turn the power on with the heat sink and fan removed from your CPU; instant burnout will result. Also, use a recommended brand of heat sink compound when reinstalling the heat sink. Go to the Intel or AMD website if you need complete instructions.
So, before shopping for upgrades of CPU and memory, you need to know the brand and model of your motherboard. The brand name on your computer case is the name of the company that assembled the parts - parts that came from many different suppliers.
Usually the company that assembled your computer will provide a small paper manual that comes with your unit and/or a website where you can download a users manual in PDF format that tells how to operate your unit and list some of it's specifications - but they don't name the manufacturer of your computer's components and if you call their tech suport they won't know either. Been there, tried that, several times, no luck.
You can usually get all the information that's available for your computer's motherboard by writing down the numbers located at the left hand bottom of your boot-up screen - the first screen that comes up when you turn the power on. Those numbers identify your Bios and Motherboard manufacturer.
Then you go to a Website such as www.motherboard.org/ (check their forums) and start your search. There are many good sites to search on the Internet but finding them is your job, ha.
What I'm saying here is "Don't spend your money for CPU and memory unless you are certain they will run on your motherboard and don't buy a motherboard unless you know it'll fit your case and run with your power supply."
