Computer upgrade questions

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flyfl1pguy99

New member
So im trying to upgrade my computer to the max right now, but dont know where to start first. I already added two 512 memory on it. So i wonder what can I do to upgrade it somemore. Here are my specs hopefully someone with computer knowledge can chime in and give me a hand.

Processor
Intel Pentium 4, 1600 MHz
100MHz external bus

BIOS
Intel Corp. PT84510A.15A.0004.P02.0112051220 12/05/2001

Memory Upgrade
1024MB physical
90% free resources
2 memory slots, 0 free (512+512)

Video
Upgrade
Graphics Adapter: NVIDIA GeForce2 MX 200 (Gateway)
Screen Area/Colors: 1024x768 pixels, 16 million colors
Monitor: LG L194WT(Analog)

Drives
Upgrade
C:\ (NTFS) 19539MB total, 7177MB free
F:\ Removable

Network and Modem
Upgrade
(modem) GTW GTW V.92 Voice Modem
(net) Intel Intel PRO/100 VE Network Connection
(net) Microsoft Direct Parallel

Operating System
Upgrade
Windows XP SP2 (Windows XP 5.1.2600 Service Pack 2)
Original setup date: 5/27/2006
DirectX Version: 5.03.2600.2180 (xpsp_sp2_rtm.040803-2158)
SWAP FILE DISABLED
File cache managed by Windows
 
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If you could get the motherboard information that would lead us to the chipset that it uses. (or actual brand and model if it is not a white box) Using an Intel bios, do you have an Intel MB?

From there you can tell if you can upgrade the processor and to what speed.

If you 3D game any you definitely could use a faster graphics card, but if all you is surf and 2D work then what you have is OK. Are you saying the brand of card is OEM from Gateway?

Do you need more disk space? I see you have 7GB free, but you may be doing digital video editing which may not cut it. You can always add or swap to a larger hard disk.

And why is your swap file turned off?
 
I would start with upgrading the processor if you can. Second thing is I would upgrade the RAM to 2gb if you run a lot of programs or games at once.
 
The first question before you upgrade the box is why? What are you trying to do with the machine? Then you can have a better idea what needs to be done.

The only things that jump out to me are the disk (20GB is not much by current standards) and DirectX is backlevel.

Also, how old is the machine? It may be better to replace than upgrade -- you can always do a low-level format the disk, reinstall the operating system, then donate the machine to charity/church for a tax deduction.
 
Yeah i guess my comp is pretty outdated. How much would it cost me to just build my own tower? I just need it to watch movies on it and store lots of pics
 
It depends on what components you go with. Tigerdirect.com is a great website to build your own comp. For your need I would recommend at least a 80 GB HD, 1.0 GB memory, andif you want to watch movies a ATI X1600 PRO is great and will also output to your TV. As for your processor, I have a AMD Sempron 64 Bit 3200+ Op. speed is only 2.0 GHz but i copy DVD's and recode DVD's and its really fast. FSB speed helps too.
 
ironadrenaline said:
another great cheap place to buy components is www.newwegg.com

new egg is amazing and mostly free shipping and no tax. ive always loved them especially when buiilding a machine.
Click to expand...

IMHO the BEST place to buy comp parts. I built my computer from the ground up using parts from here. the only thing i have to add is that the website is:

newegg.com not newwegg.com
 
Two of the guys in my office just put together new gaming rigs; (Intel Core 2 Duo E6400 processors, 2 gig of Corsair RAM, 300G hard drive, Raedon X1900 video card w/256mb RAM, Antec 900 case...etc) all of the parts were bought from www.newegg.com for just under $1000.00 US. We spent about a week & a half researching the build your own vs. buy assembled and the verdict was that it will save you about $100-200.00 by building your own. Now on the other hand you also get a warranty, tech support, and a pre-built system that has been burned in for the extra cash. It really all depends on what you want; if you want to name every component that goes into your system then building your own is the way to go, but if picking most of the components and having a turn-key system show up at the door is fine then by all means get a pre-built.

You also have to ask yourself what you will be using the pc for. If your primary uses are for web browsing, home office chores, email, etc. then check out the $500-700 price point machines, they give a great bang for the buck and will handle pretty much everything you do. If you're a gamer then upgraded processors, video cards, and RAM are money well spent.

If you get a chance check out Tom's Hardware Guide they have a great Tech & Review section and just finished a 3 part article on building your own system.

Another good place to look is www.ibuypower.com they offer pre-built machines with more options than you can shake a stick at. Their current weekly gamer special starts at $627.00 and it has some pretty decent stats. (AMD Athlon-64 X2 3800+ CPU
GigaByte GA-M55SLI-S4 nForce4-SLI Chipset
1024 MB DDR2-800 PC6400 Memory
160GB 7200 rpm SATA-2 HDD
16x Double Layer DVD
 
ironadrenaline said:
woops. yeah that was my mistake.

its www.newegg.com
Click to expand...


Yeah, I second Newegg.com.
They are a very reputable site for computer parts and have beyond expectations customer service.

Maybe it might help out to give us some detailed specs by telling us what the computer report says by downloading SiSoftSandra Lite (freeware)

http://www.sisoftware.co.uk/

Download SiSoft Sandra Lite (which is free)
 
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