Okay, want to maybe upgrade instead of buy a new one

[lazarus]

Here's what I've got, in order on my Device Manager:

Hard Drive: Samsung SV4003H, works fine, as far as I can tell. 2-3 years old.
Video Card: NVidia GeForce4 MX 420, figuring this will need upgrading for sure.

CD/RW: LITE-ON LTR-52327S, works fine, less than a year old

Monitor is an Envision EN770e 17" CRT. Thinking about an upgrade here if the video card doesn't fix the headache problems to an Evicion EN-7220, a flat panel 17" that got good reviews in Consumer Reports.

How do I find out my motherboard and processor? I know it's an AMD Athlon, that's about it.

I basically want something a bit faster so I can have more than 2 things going on at once. Maybe play some current games.

Oh, and I'd like to get a big, big hard drive to hold all my MP3's.

We're also looking into an inexpensive laptop for the family, especially my daughter, to use for homework, etc. Any advice there?

[lpbk2713]

1. Download and run Belarc Advisor

It will tell you all you want to know about what's inside your computer.


Link: http://www.belarc.com/free_download.html

[lazarus]

3. That is a sweet program

Here's what it told me:

Operating System System Model
Windows XP Professional Service Pack 2 (build 2600)
Enclosure Type: Desktop
Processor 1.15 gigahertz AMD Athlon XP
128 kilobyte primary memory cache
512 kilobyte secondary memory cache
Drives
40.05 Gigabytes Usable Hard Drive Capacity
9.94 Gigabytes Hard Drive Free Space
LITE-ON LTR-52327S
3.5" format removeable media
SAMSUNG SV4003H (40.06 GB) -- drive 0, s/n 0396J1FR913697, rev RB100-02, SMART Status: Healthy

Main Circuit Board b
Board: nVidia-nForce
Bus Clock: 100 megahertz
BIOS: Phoenix Technologies, LTD 6.00 PG 10/02/2003

Memory Modules c,d
512 Megabytes Installed Memory

Slot 'A0' is Empty
Slot 'A1' is Empty
Slot 'A2' has 512 MB

Local Drive Volumes
C: (NTFS on drive 0) 40.05 GB 9.94 GB free


So, would just slapping another 512k of RAM in there be a decent upgrade, with the video card, or should I go ahead and do the MOBO/CPU upgrade, too?

[SlackJawedYokel]

6. I'd upgrade the whole thing.

But that's just me.
And I don't know what your budget is.

I'd definitely get the RAM up to 1GB.
You could slap another HD in there, no problem.
The video card might be an issue because I'm not sure what your mobo/ps would support.
I'm sure you could get a GeForce 5700/5900 card in there, ok.
But anything higher, 6600/6800, might not be possible.

A 1Ghz cpu is kinda slow for anything but being a file server, word processing or surfing.
I use my old box for just that thing... packed it full o hard drives, 4x200s and 2x80s RAIDed for the OS... and just use it to store files/downloads.

Where I'd go:
(from Monarch and Newegg)
AMD Athlon 64 3500+ 512K 90nm Rev. E Venice (939) (Retail Box-w-Fan) $220
BFG BFGRNF4U NForce4 Ultra Audio/LAN/USB/PCI-E/SATA/DDR/ATX 64 939
$115
BFG GeForce FX 5500 OC 256MB DDR/PCI/TV-Out (OEM) $130
Crucial 1GB 184-Pin DDR SDRAM Unbuffered DDR 400 (PC 3200) $100
NEC ND-3540A Black DVD/RW $40
Western Digital 320GB SATA 8MB Cache 7200RPM (WD3200JD) $144
Any brand name 400 watt power supply. $80
Any case. $80
$1000 plus shipping, etc.

That'll keep you going for a while, tho. :D

And for your daughter... get her a smaller, lightweight laptop. She'll appreciate not lugging around some 8 lb monster.


Cletus

[Ready4Change]

7. If you want to go cheap

You probably have room to expand without spending a lot.

The n-Force motherboard should be able to take at least an Athlon 2000+. Add another 512 stick of memory and things should run a bit smoother for you. The way things in computer land work it won't be TWICE as fast, but it should be noticable.

Next, upgrade either the vid card or hard drive. Which depends on your focus. Do you need faster graphics or more storage worse? Your pick.

Beyond that point, the amount of upgrading you are doing begins justifying a whole new system, imo.

Beware getting your daughter a small, light laptop. The problem is, you might like it enough that you'll want one yourself. :)

[lazarus]

8. actually

the laptop is going to be the family laptop.

I hate those pads they use instead of mice, so I'd have to get a mouse to go with it. Hilariously, I'd probably use it the most over on the couch, for walkthrough tips when I'm playing the PS2 or Gamecube. :D

I think the vid card is more important. I've got at least ten GB free on the hard drive right now, and I haven't cleaned a bunch of stuff off that I don't need. So that's no big deal.

[SlackJawedYokel]

2. Easy enough.

How do I find out my motherboard and processor? I know it's an AMD Athlon, that's about it.
Processor is easy enough. Right click on My Computer and hit properties.

Samsung SV4003H
I'd use this as a backup drive. 40GB is small these days.

NVidia GeForce4 MX 420
Depending on your preferences(the ATI cards are a bit faster but Nvidia updates their drivers quicker) any $200 video card GeForce 6800/ATI 800, will last you for a while.

Upgrading your monitor wouldn't hurt, but I'd wait until after I upgraded everything else. Unless "headache problems" refers to something beyond typical monitor issues, try setting your screen frequency higher.

How do I find out my motherboard and processor?
Belarc would be quickest... unless you have the mobo manual hanging around?

I basically want something a bit faster so I can have more than 2 things going on at once. Maybe play some current games.
The sweet spot for processors seems to be around $200 right now... The AMDs are currently the better buy for the money, especially since they don't run as hot as the current line of Intel chips.

Any decent motherboard will run you about $100.
I read good thing about the BFG mobo(they make *excellent* video cards, mostly).

Oh, and I'd like to get a big, big hard drive to hold all my MP3's.
Check out here: http://forums.anandtech.com/
Forums.
Hot Deals.
There are always hard drive rebate deals going on.
Samsung is good.
I'm partial to Western Digitals.
I recently purchased a 320GB WD for $140.

Also, I'd head to Anandtechs General Hardware forum and tell them what you have and what you're looking for and ask them for a reccomendation.
They love doing that kind of stuff.
Beware the fanboy hyperbole, tho. :D

Be aware that hard drives are moving over to SATA connectors(faster, smaller connectors) so be careful about what hard drive you buy and that the mobo you get has ports for it.
PATA is the older type with the wide connector and ribbon cable.

Other than that, look for onboard audio and Lan and at least 6 USB 2 ports, plus firewire.

There are plenty of companies out there who will put barebones systems together for you... I used Monarch Computers.

You'll probably want to upgrade your power supply to meet the requirements of the new video cards, btw.

Good luck.
Cletus

[lazarus]

4. I didn't even know

They made 320 GB hard drives these days.

Is it internal or external? I was thinking of a hard drive just to hold my MP3s, and hooking it to the network so we could access it on any computer we might add.

[SlackJawedYokel]

5. Internal.

Heck, they go up to 400GB.
:D

Cletus