Computer Upgrade, Home, Business, Game, & Theater - a PDH Online Course for Engineers

Computer Upgrade, Home, Business, Game, & Theater

Course Outline

This two hour online course discusses the possibilities of upgrading a home or business computer or creating a gaming or home theater machine. Is it possible in the first place? Is it economical in the second place? I will try to answer these questions. Engineers are normally tinkerers and have been using computers for many years. I have learned through experience being one the first engineers at Parsons to have a 386 on my desk. My experience has evolved because of the use of computers for control systems in various industrial facilities.

This course includes a multiple-choice quiz at the end, which is designed to enhance the understanding of the course materials.

Learning Objective

At the conclusion of this course, the student will:

Determine if he wants to try to upgrade an old computer;
Determine if the computer is upgradeable;
Determine if it is economical to upgrade or would it be better to buy new;
Calculate the cost of an upgrade-using course provided calculation spreadsheet Locate online vendors of components;
Determine if refurbished or new components should be used; and
Learn the differences between Home, Business, Game, and Theater computers.

Intended Audience

This course is intended for computer users who are mechanically inclined and requires some tools and equipment.

Benefit to Attendee

Students of the course will gain knowledge of the interworking of typical tower home/business computers, plus the features that set gaming and home theater computers apart from the standard computer.

Course Introduction

Upgrading an old (or new) computer can be a daunting task. Most engineers are very computer literate and should have no trouble. Old ATX machines can be up graded as far back as the late 1990s with the Pentium II or AMD K7 CPUs (Computer Processing Unit) many people can’t throw out something that costs a good bit of money. The case may be usable, and possible the CD Drive and Floppy drive, but the rest must go, at present day prices, all but the case should be replaced. Although the course focus is on upgrading a computer it will take you through the assembly of a complete new system.

Course Content

The course content is contained in the following PDF file:

Computer Upgrade, Home, Business, Game, & Theater

Please click on the above underlined hypertext to view, download or print the document for your study. Because of the large file size, we recommend that you first save the file to your computer by right clicking the mouse and choosing "Save Target As ...", and then open the file in Adobe Acrobat Reader. If you still experience any difficulty in downloading or opening this file, you may need to close some applications or reboot your computer to free up some memory.

Course Summary

Upgrading old computer hardware is only the first step in assembling a modern machine. This course provides the instructions for the hardware part of the project. Additional information concerning the installation of the components and features like the Video, Audio and network are included in the manual that is provided with a new motherboard are necessary. The course does included a pdf file of an actual manual used in the upgrade used as part of the course The course also provides some important notes about dos and don’ts.

Related Links

For additional technical information related to this subject, please visit the following websites or web pages:

http://www.tomshardware.com/us/#redir
http://www.pcmag.com/
http://www.speakeasy.net/speedtest/
http://www.schrockinnovations.com/computer-power-supply-calculator/
http://support.asus.com/download/download.aspx?modelname=A8N-E&SLanguage=en-us
http://www.biostar-usa.com/app/en-us/
http://www.msi.com/language/
http://www.nvidia.com/Download/index.aspx?lang=en-us
http://www.computerhope.com/issues/ch000834.htm

Quiz

Once you finish studying the above course content, you need to take a quiz to obtain the PDH credits.

DISCLAIMER: The materials contained in the online course are not intended as a representation or warranty on the part of PDHonline.com or any other person/organization named herein. The materials are for general information only. They are not a substitute for competent professional advice. Application of this information to a specific project should be reviewed by a registered professional engineer. Anyone making use of the information set forth herein does so at their own risk and assumes any and all resulting liability arising therefrom.