Posted: 9/19/2002 10:43:00 AM EDT
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I have a piece of shit computer at work, much like I'm sure most of you do. I am willing to shell out a couple of $$ to get it upgraded, but I need some pointers. This is what I have: 12 GB Hard Drive 450 Mhz PII w/ MMX 64 MB RAM Its a Gateway, but I have no idea how old. I have a full tower, with a DVD drive (don't know the speed) and a floppy drive. Then two large and one small bay unused on the front of the tower. How high of a processor can I upgrade to? Do they still sell any that are compatible with my board but are better than the 450? What are the prices like? How hard is it to install? What can I do about the RAM? How high can I go? What are RAM prices like right now? If I need to crack open the case to look for open slots, I can, I just need to know what I'm looking for. Hopefully the main office has a new monitor coming for me soon, but after than I'm likely going to be on my own. Any and all help greatly appreciated. |
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Your questions would be much better directed to Gateway, since I'd put money that they know the configuration and what it can support a lot better than us armchair IT guys can guess. I know here at Compaq/HP, our warranty guys field these questions and can tell you what the fastest processor you can install in it is, as well as the maximum amount of RAM the motherboard can support. Gateway should be able to answer these same questions, and should have no qualms doing so. the_reject |
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Quoted: I have a piece of shit computer at work, much like I'm sure most of you do. I am willing to shell out a couple of $$ to get it upgraded, Why would _you_ shell out the dough for the work computer? Office employees are supposed to _steal_ from the office, not bring their own stuff. How high of a processor can I upgrade to? Depends on the motherboard, but I'd guess a PIII 500 should be possible. Depends on the motherboard. Do they still sell any that are compatible with my board but are better than the 450? What are the prices like? How hard is it to install? Check www.powerleap.com for upgrades for older PCs; then compare with the price for new ones. What can I do about the RAM? How high can I go? 256 MB should be possible, depends on the motherboard. What are RAM prices like right now? www.bestbuy.com If I need to crack open the case to look for open slots, I can, I just need to know what I'm looking for. Yes, you'll need to open the computer to upgrade hardware hidden inside of it. Any and all help greatly appreciated. Grab the new monitor, sell it on eBay, rip off the buyer on shipping costs, buy a new machine (with monitor) from Wal*Mart Online for the money (starting at $199). |
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Upgrading the RAM is gonna give you the most bang for the buck. 128MB sticks of RAM can be bought for $20 a peice. I would buy 2 128MB sticks giving you a total 256MB of RAM and see how that works before you do anything else. I wouldn't suggest upgrading the processor to someone who is not a computer geek. Edited to add: [url]pricewatch.com[/url] |
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Quoted: Upgrading the RAM is gonna give you the most bang for the buck. 128MB sticks of RAM can be bought for $20 a peice. I would buy 2 128MB sticks giving you a total 256MB of RAM and see how that works before you do anything else. I wouldn't suggest upgrading the processor to someone who is not a computer geek. Edited to add: [url]pricewatch.com[/url] I agree with Philly...But what Operating System are you running on that PC? Adding more RAM is about the only thing I would spending the money on that....its just too low powered of a CPU to spend much more on. I don't know what your budget/purchasing process is like, but if you can convince someone in IT to buy a new one you can get a great deal if you look at the Dell site and look under the refurbished/never shipped section. Same warrenty, etc. for much less than normal. My brother just bought on almost like my new Dell for about 1/2 the cost. |
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So, I clled Gateway, new wrinkle. The comp was originally purchased in 1996, with such wonders as <1 GB hard drive, and 8MB of RAM. Someone, Gateway I think, then rebuilt it in 1999, and maxed it out. I can't go any higher with this freaking board. Why doesn't the company pay for it? Good question. I am buying a $250 monitor, but I can't just get a whole new computer that's worth a shit from Dell for $600. This is what happens when stupid old fucks think we should still be using a slide rule. I will never ever take another job without insisting on having my own brand new computer within 1 month of hire, if not sooner. |
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DUDE! Go to [url]www.pcinfinity.net[/url] and buy a COMPLETE SYSTEM with a 5YEAR WARRANTY for 361.00!!! I have been dealing with these guys for a long time, and the systems are fast and reliable. Heres the specs on the $361.00 unit..... Motherboard: PC Chips M810 (Vid, Snd, Lan, 56k) Motherboard Processor: AMD Athlon XP 1500 (266MHz FSB) CPU CPU Fan: Approved Heatsink/Fan Combo Memory: 128MB PC133 SDRAM Memory Hard Drive: 40GB ATA100/5400RPM Hard Drive Case: 300Watt Mid ATX Case Floppy Drive: 3.5" 1.44MB Floppy Drive Video Card: Onboard 64MB AGP Video Sound Card: Onboard 32-Bit Sound Modem: 56K V.90 CNR Modem Networking Card: Onboard 10/100 NIC CD-ROM Drive: 52x EIDE CD-ROM Drive DVD-ROM Drive: None CD-RW Drive: None Other: None Speakers: None Keyboard: PS/2 108-Key Windows Keyboard Mouse: PS/2 Scroll Mouse Monitor: None (Not Included) Operating System: MS Windows XP Home Warranty: 5 Years Parts & Labor Nuckles [smash] |
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There aren't a whole lot of tasks nowadays that can't be well handled by a 450MHz P-II. It's more than enough to do a good job running any of the Unixes and even the Microsoft OS's. The killer is the amount of memory; 64MB is barely adequate for Windows 95, inadequate for just about anything else. You should see a pretty substantial performance boost just in adding more memory to get you to 256MB. You could also consider upgrading the graphics card as well (assuming the PC has an AGP slot, with a 450MHz P-II it almost certainly does); a nVidia GeForce2 MX cards are available for well under $50 nowadays. Other than that it isn't worth spending money to upgrade, buying new would then be the better bet overall. |