Goodwill Computer Works Store

Best known for musty furniture, secondhand clothes and helping the disabled, Goodwill Industries International is now carving out a place for itself in the world of high tech. Just around the corner from two other Goodwill stores--one sells repaired goods, and the other sells used merchandise "as is"--the 3-month-old Goodwill Computer Works in Santa Ana sells refurbished computers and peripherals and even offers a little tech support on the side.

Best known for musty furniture, secondhand clothes and helping the disabled, Goodwill Industries International is now carving out a place for itself in the world of high tech. Just around the corner from two other Goodwill stores--one sells repaired goods, and the other sells used merchandise "as is"--the 3-month-old Goodwill Computer Works in Santa Ana sells refurbished computers and peripherals and even offers a little tech support on the side.

Computers become obsolete at an alarming rate--which means new machines often top many people's holiday wish lists. But with high-end computers nearing the $2,000 mark, they can be out of reach for many. An easy compromise: upgrade your existing box. The trick here is to know what to upgrade and when to upgrade it. The single most cost-effective upgrade you can give your computer is to increase the amount of Random Access Memory, or RAM. RAM is where your work is done.