02/12/96 UPGRADER BEWARE

UPGRADER BEWARE
Installing a souped-up CPU may be more trouble and expense than it's worth
I've been happy with the performance of my two-year-old 486 PC for word processing. But lately, I've noticed that it slows to a crawl when trying to run some of the more demanding multimedia software. I had longingly been looking at ads for individual microprocessor chips you can buy to speed up your PC. In recent months, I saw prices for these chips fall rapidly and thought maybe it was time to upgrade my PC. With some of the chips going for as little as $130, it certainly seemed a lot cheaper than spending $2,500 for a new Pentium machine. Swapping out a processor couldn't be all that hard, right? Wrong.
First, you need to know which upgrade chip is right for your particular setup. Pentium-class CPUs are available and attractive because they are particularly well-suited to multimedia applications. But not every PC's main circuit board--or motherboard--can handle those chips. My Gateway 2000, for example, would have needed a new motherboard because the Pentium would be larger and more powerful than my 486. That would have been expensive (table).
Another factor to consider is the PC's BIOS (Basic Input/Output System) software. This describes each component in a computer and how it interacts with every other. If it is out of date, the BIOS will not recognize the faster processor upgrade. You may be able to get free BIOS upgrades from your PC maker or for about $80 from vendors such as Micro Firmware Inc. (800 767-5465). For information about your PC's motherboard and BIOS, it's best to check the manuals that came with your PC or call your PC maker. Your PC maker should also be able to tell you the maximum speed upgrade your system can safely handle.
For my PC, I chose a new chip called the Turbo Chip 486/133, whose ``clock speed,'' or heartbeat, runs at 133 megahertz. That's much faster than the 33 Mhz on my Gateway. The TC486 series is designed by Advanced Micro Devices Inc. and sold by Kingston Technology Corp., a vendor well known for PC memory upgrades. I paid $140 for a kit that included a shoehorn-like chip-removal tool, a 40-page manual, and software to check out an upgraded computer. Swapping CPUs was a simple 15-minute process. Unfortunately, the chip didn't seem to work, which means my Gateway is unusable. Kingston is looking at the machine to figure out what happened, but I think I might have damaged the micro-thin circuits on the motherboard when I pulled the old processor out. Computer chips and boards are sensitive items. Handle with care.
ROADBLOCKS. I managed to install a new chip with no problems in an IBM ValuePoint PC provided by Kingston. Initially, I was impressed. Windows launched in 10 seconds, compared with 15 seconds with my old 486/33 Mhz chip. But according to a popular benchmarking program that measures speeds of performing various software functions, the TC486/133 was 4.21 times as fast as a 386DX/20. Impressive? Not really. A 486/33 Mhz turns in a score of 2.58. In other words, even though the TC486/133 is running four times faster than a regular 486/33, the performance gain is less than double. Obviously, simply upgrading your CPU cannot speed up other factors, such as how fast your hard drive works.
I learned the hard way that for most of us, upgrades are generally not worth the trouble and expense. I would recommend them mainly for the tinkerers who are confident of their abilities in fiddling with the innards of the PC.
By Paul M. Eng