HARDWARE INSTALLATIONBy George Smith-Moore

WHAT WILL BE INCLUDED?

I will show risks, problems and precautions of installing computer hardware.

The risks that are shown are applicable to many pieces of hardware, not just the ones shown.

GRAPHICS CARD

There are several risks when installing a graphics card. The most common of which is component damage. Another problem is the component not being compatible with the motherboard. Component damage is mainly caused by either improper installation,

and electrostatic discharge. To prevent these risks, you must know how to install the hardware, and you must know how to use antistatic equipment.

But there are many reasons for installing a standalone graphics card; the most common of which is the ability to use the PC for intense graphical applications such as PC games. Other cards are specifically designed for CAD elements and such.

USB 3.0 PCIE CARD

There are also several risks when installing hardware such as a PCIe card. In much the same way as the graphics card the risks are the same, but as the graphics card produces much more heat, it will need to have sufficient airflow. Also when installing this type of card, you have to make sure that the

additional power cable is securely attached.

The reasons for installing a USB 3.0 PCIe card is that it is a simple way of adding USB ports to the system in case you don’t have enough. Also if your PC doesn’t have USB 3.0 and you need/want it the card is a cheap alternative for getting more ports. The speed increase of USB 3.0 is also an attraction to the PCIe card.

WI-FI PCI CARD

There are various risk involved when installing hardware; and I have listed them already on the previous slides; but as this uses ‘legacy’ slots (PCI not PCIe), you have to make sure that you have the correct slots on the motherboard beforehand. Reasons for installing this could be that your motherboard does not have

a PCIe slot, and PCI cards are your only option.

A Wi-Fi card allows you to connect to the internet wirelessly. This can be of great help, especially if you are far away from the router and an Ethernet cable won’t reach.

As many motherboards come with Ethernet built-in they do not come with wireless (an expensive add-on), this is a possible reason for a Wi-Fi card.