PC help: Can I make Google Earth look better?

Q I have a Packard Bell computer with a 200GB hard disk and 512MB of memory. It has integrated graphics on the motherboard, rather than a separate graphics card. Can I improve the definition on close-ups in Google Earth by upgrading the graphics card or increasing the amount of memory?
David Watts

A It’s unlikely that improving your computer will increase definition in Google Earth. There are two issues involved here – one involving Google and one your computer.

Google Earth works by downloading images from Google’s computers. Each time you zoom in to a location, the program downloads new imagery, and the same occurs if you zoom in again or move to a different location on the map.

The imagery is supplied by satellite-imaging companies, and it’s not always at the same definition in different places. For instance, in the UK, the big cities, especially London, are very well covered to high standards, but move out into the countryside and you won’t see very much. This will improve as Google loads more detailed maps for these locations, but it’s a slow process. Gearthblog monitors when Google loads new maps.

Upgrading your computer will have no effect on this. It may make Google Earth faster to load, but it won’t make it more detailed. It doesn’t sound like your computer should have any trouble running Google Earth, but if it is running very slowly compared with other programs, upgrading the memory may be a good next step. It will also speed the computer up in general. Upgrading to a new graphics card, on the other hand, probably won’t make much difference, unless you also want to play new games.