There are many ways to increase the performance of your current computer without having to pay for an upgrade. Here's a good article to refer to for Windows Vista users. Many of the tips in that article will also work for both Windows XP and Windows 7 users;
, Did you see a game like Crysis, and you were drooling over the quality of the visuals? If so, try games known for their storyline, not their graphics. Some good examples would be:


Half Life 2, a game set in post-apocalyptic Europe, it's known for an amazing storyline.
Team Fortress 2, this game is an extremely popular multiplayer game, well known for its excellent class design.
Thief: The Dark Project and Thief 2, both are very old 3D games, don't expect good visuals, but they too have an amazing storyline, set in a Victorian-Steampunk world in which you are a thief.
Age of Empires 1 and 2, amazing strategy games in which you lead civilizations to expansion and conquest of either computer players or people online!
Plants vs Zombies, an extremely addictive tower-defense style game in which you build plants to protect your backyard from zombies, this game will even run on Netbooks!

Overclocking is another way, albeit risky, to improve your computer's performance. It involves forcing components (usually the CPU, but video cards can be overclocked as well) to perform calculations at higher speeds than their factory defaults. This can put your computer at risk though, especially if you mess around with voltages.
 An example of a component that won't drastically improve speed is the motherboard. Unless your existing motherboard is the lowest of low-end hardware, it should have good performance.
 A good example is computer programming, not only will it provide huge job opportunities if you become good at it, it will also provide a constructive use of your time.
 Sometimes when you find a deal on a computer component, you rush to buy it and in your excitement, you don't realize that maybe it doesn't have a DVI port, and you were planning on buying a new monitor this year. Now, when you go to buy the monitor, and it needs a DVI connection, you will have to buy a new video card.
Tweak your operating system.
Think about the reasons you want to upgrade.
If you do end up upgrading, don't bother upgrading components that won't show a significant improvement in performance.
Find a hobby that doesn't require a high-performance computer.
When you make a decision to buy a computer component (i.e Video card), make sure that it is what you want and will be good enough to last at least a year.
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