Computer upgrades

[Gnome]

hey, my 16th on saturday, aswell as buying all the usual stuff, i wanted to see waht i could spice up my computer with, these are my current stats, taken from dxdiag;

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System Information
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Time of this report: 5/6/2009, 20:21:14
Machine name: C
Operating System: Windows XP Professional (5.1, Build 2600) Service Pack 3 (2600.xpsp_sp3_gdr.090206-1234)
Language: English (Regional Setting: English)
System Manufacturer: To Be Filled By O.E.M.
System Model: To Be Filled By O.E.M.
BIOS: Default System BIOS
Processor: AMD Athlon(tm) 64 X2 Dual Core Processor 4000+, MMX, 3DNow (2 CPUs), ~2.1GHz
Memory: 896MB RAM
Page File: 1158MB used, 1009MB available
Windows Dir: C:\WINDOWS
DirectX Version: DirectX 9.0c (4.09.0000.0904)
DX Setup Parameters: Not found
DxDiag Version: 5.03.2600.5512 32bit Unicode

don wanan spam you all with the rest, if you need anything else, just ask for it.

I've no idea what ill have left over, just telling me what i could add and linking to it would be nice.

my computer is mostly used for WoW, Msn and downloading.

[Jin]

How much are you looking to spend? I recently found that buying ex display machines works out cheaper than building or upgrading a new machine?

Recently I bought a HP Desktop (which is friggin awesome)

AMD Phenom Quad-Core 2.3ghz Processor
3gb RAM
500gb HDD
NVIDIA Geforce 8500 GT HD graphics card
Haupau TV Tuner Card
With remote control and remote control receiver.

Plus 22 inch widescreen high definition lcd monitor with rotating mount all for £360 from costco as it was ex-display.


If your hell bent in upgrading I would do the RAM, Processor and Graphics.

Of course by doing RAM and Processor you will likely need to change your mobo. If you just want to upgrade ram check your mobo specs as each mobo model can only address xGB of ram no matter how many slots you have.

[Gnome]

where could i check my mobo specs?

dosent running crucial tell you waht ram your comp takes?

will have around 150-200 spare

[Jin]

Usually found printed on the MoBo is the model number or the boot screen but I find its easier for me to look at the mobo as boot screen flashed by too quick.

Then use google to pull up the manufacturers specs.

Each mobo has a maximum number of GB it can address due to its design. Most people assume that if their mobo has 4 slots for RAM then they could stick 4 x 1GB ram sticks and then wonder why their pc only shows 2gb as installed.

This is because the mobo has been designed to a max of 2gb ram so the user can install 4 x 512mb ram.

Make sure you check your mobo spec if you don't change it as you will want to know your Ram type, frequency and maximum amount of ram that you can install.

There is a company that a friend of mind reccomends for parts seems they are cheaper than ebuyer, dabs, scan and overclockers. I will find out the URL when I can.

[Gnome]

http://www.crucial.com/uk/systemscanner/viewscanbyid.aspx?id=1835F4D931D926C3

theres my scan, says i can have 4g memory max without exceeding the producers thingy. :P

[Jin]

No dude it says you can have 8GB Max :D. If I were you I would bring the ram up to 3GB, that would run your system well as well as sufficiently future proof your machine.

Should cost something like £20 - 30 for 2gb extra ram.

Windows 32 bit machines can only use 3gb of ram max, you would need a 64 bit mobo, processor and OS to use anything more.

[Gnome]

ah right, so if thats not costing all that much, how much will i be for a new video card?

[Jin]

ah right, so if thats not costing all that much, how much will i be for a new video card?

How long is a piece of string?

It depends on many variables, first back to the mobo, you get different interface types so you will need to find that out first, then it depends on the card itself and its on board processing and memory as well as what swanky features it has.

Cards are availible right across the price range depends on the media you use on your PC eg, high def movies, gaming etc