Inexpensive Computer Upgrades to Make You More Productive

As IT Consultants we are always looking for ways our clients can get the most bang for their IT buck. Most of the time this involves squeezing the most out of their current systems to increase the lifespan of the PC's and/or make them more useful. Cost is always top of mind and over the years we've learned some great ways to get this done on the cheap. Let's look at a couple of inexpensive upgrades you can make to your systems to increase your productivity.

Numero Uno: Memory/RAM Upgrade

The only thing you need to know about RAM is that it largely controls how fast you computer boots and how fast your programs run. This means that the more RAM your system has, the faster it runs and the more you can get done, in less time. Most aging computers can get a second breath of life with a simple, inexpensive RAM upgrade. If your PC has anything less than 2GB of memory then this upgrade is for you. Depending on your PC or laptop 2GB of RAM should cost around $50. If your computer can support more, get as much as possible (up to 4GB in most cases) because a little RAM goes a long way.

You can use the Memory Advisor Tool on Crucial.com to determine what kind of RAM your system needs. While upgrading your RAM is fairly simple you will have to open your computer or laptop and you may prefer to have your IT support technician handle the job. If you're up to the task, most desktop and laptop user guides will provide instructions for installing or replacing RAM.

Number Two: Multiple Monitors

I won't waste any time here convincing you that you should have at least two monitors on your desk. Trust me, you should. If you need further convincing see this New York Times article from 2006, yes multiple monitors is old news. The good news is that today many PC's ship with dual monitor capability (or at the very least can be easily upgraded) and nearly every laptop supports this feature.

Have your tech check if your computers' video card supports multiple monitors. If it doesn't you can pick one up for less than $100. Grab a second monitor (look in to a 20" widescreen LCD for around $150) and you have yourself an upgrade that will make you more productive and you can continue to use even if you get a new PC.

Bonus: External Hard Drive

This upgrade may not necessarily make you more productive but an external hard drive is a must for anyone with decent sized music, home video or photo collection. Having an external hard drive provides two main advantages: Firstly it gives you significantly more storage space for files (easily 1TB for less than $99). Secondly, because the drives are portable you can take your files with you very easily. You can free some space on your PC by moving your media files to an external hard drive or even use it as a backup drive.

There's no time like the present to make these inexpensive upgrades to your system, so have at it and go be the productive maven you are.