Best $100 upgrade

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sbprouty

Hi all! Here's my system:
Dell Demension2400
2.4 Celleron
512 pc 2700 ram
80 gig 720o Harddrive
no agp port :(

I did some research and for graphics upgrade it seems that only a
Geforce 5700le overclocked is the best available for PCI bus. My
questions are

1 Can you overclock 5700le for PCI setups? If not which parts of my
system are the bottlenecks?

2 I only have two ram slots. Should I upgrade to pc3200 at 256mb each
or go strait to 512mb each? And if I go 512 is pc2700 enough? Will
pc3200 be compatable with my Dell?

3 I read somewhere Dell preinstalls wastefull stuff that saps onboard
memory...how would I dissable some of these unneccessary programs?

I'm not a huge PC gamer but sometime soon I'd like to play Half Life
2 and LOTR Battle for Middle Earth if my system can handle them with
simple upgrades. Thanks for your help- Shawn
 
IMHO, any "upgrade" to your existing system would be a waste of money,
except maybe for the RAM, which always helps your overall system
performance.

A video card upgrade would be your best bet, but I think it's just
throwing money down the drain. Any PCI card won't really be that good,
and neither will it be of any use on any future PC setup you might
purchase.

Is it really worth it to you to spend $100 on a machine that is already
relatively outdated (from a gamer's perspective)?

I would suggest you save your $100 and start saving for a new machine -
your current PC is more than good enough to keep up with your your
day-to-day PC needs.
 
Thanks for your input... Here's what I found out... PC3200 is NOT
compatable with my system so now I'm reluctant to buy 512 pc2700 sinse
I could'nt pop em in a future rig. Just like you said I'm better off
saving for the next one than patching up a sinking ship. Sigh...one
lousy AGP port and I'd get a 5900xt or 9800pro + ram then keep what I
have for another year.

Now if you or anyone can tell me how to dissable unneeded running
programs all my questions would be answered.
 
Thanks for your input... Here's what I found out... PC3200 is NOT
Click to expand...

What makes you say this? Components can always be run slower than
specification (within reason); its faster that causes a problem. I've done
it with memory many times over the years. I'd be willing to bet that if
your
machine can use pc2700 of a particular configuration, it will just as well
use PC3200 in the same configuration. Of course, it may only run the 3200
at 2700 speed, but that's to be expected.

....
Now if you or anyone can tell me how to dissable unneeded running
programs all my questions would be answered.
Click to expand...

Usually, you can just run msconfig.exe and look at the startup section.
Uncheck the things you don't want to run next time you boot. Personally,
I prefer to locate where the useless programs are loaded (i.e. the registry)
and remove them.


--
Dan (Woj...) [dmaster](no space)[at](no space)[lucent](no space)[dot](no
space)[com]
===============================
"Another head hangs lowly, / Child is slowly taken.
And the violence caused such silence, / Who are we mistaken?
But you see, it's not me, it's not my family.
In your head, in your head they are fighting,
With their tanks and their bombs, / And their bombs and their guns.
In your head, in your head, they are crying..."
 
There may be a light at the end of the tunnel! I could get a 512
pc3200 to bump me up to 768 and the 5700le pci graphics card (estimated
upgrade cost $150.00). Then a year from now I can build somethin
special.

The other route is to get this:
http://reviews.cnet.com/Compaq_Presario_SR1230NX_-_Athlon_XP_22_GHz/4505-3118_7-31210715.html

I can get it locally for $450 + tax for the cpu only. Then I'd sell
my Dell (hopefully for $200-250), get an agp graphics card for the
Compaq, and maybe some more ram. What should I do...cheap solution to
build a better mousetrap tomorrow or invest about $500 for a solid rig
today?
 
For the price it sounds like a decent setup. I don't know how good of a
brand Presarios are so I can't say how good they are either way, but
judging by the specs alone it's not a bad deal. If you add a 9800Pro
and another 512mb stick of ram to that machine, Doom3 should be
playable @1024, high quality settings (and by extension, other games
like Far Cry, HL2 should run well). Make sure BEFORE you get it that 1.
the MB is AGP 4x/8x and 2. the video card will actually fit into the
case.

Also, keep in mind that the CPU is an older XP3200+ based on the Barton
core, and not either the newer Athlon64.
 
OK I got the new computer (I couldn't resist the bang for the buck).
Customer reviews all over the internet have referanced using the AGP
port for 9800pro's and such for a solid gaming. I've been too busy to
take it out of the box so I'll check it out after X-Mas. The AGP port
is 8x and one slot is available for 512 or a gig more ram. Speaking of
which...

What's this nonsense about crucial? Is it truely better ram than,
say, PNY Optima 2700?? I get that crappy no-name anything can be
problemmatic- I wanted to know if crucial can really get the most out
of my set up or is PNY just as stable. Also for $200 should I get
9800pro, 5900xt or wait for the 6600gt to go down in the next few
weeks? I heard 6800 is a power sapper so I'd rather run something
cooler and quieter. Happy Holidays all!
 
Check to see if you replace your motherboard while moving everything over..
With what you have you might be able to get a agp 8x board for under $50.
After you absorb the cost , you can look at vid cards.
 
Most Dell systems do not conform to the ATX standard. So the OP may
find it difficult sourcing a MB that will fit his case. And if you have
to buy a MB and a Case, it doesn't exactly leave you with a lot of
money to buy a decent AGP video card.
 
As I said I got the Pressario 1230nx for $450, $200 off the
suggested retail. I ordered an XFX 6600gt ($213 shipped) graphics card
and a 512 pc 2700 by PNY ($55.00 after MIR) . I'll recoup some of my
expenses with the sale of my Dell. I look forward to playing Half Life,
Far Cry, and Battle for Middle earth hopefully with maxed out eye
candy.

Right now with no upgrades it plays Warcraft 3 maxed out at 1284x1040
just fine which is more than I could say about the Dell I had. I know
Warcraft is not a graphically challenging game but after I throw the
6600gt in there I'll post how it does.
 
Neither can one use an AGP card if one doesn't have the money to buy
one.

However, we're starting to stray off-topic of this thread.
 
Yeah we did. Let's rename it $100.00 doesn't upgrade a non-agp
Motherboard for gaming at all....
 
Got the card in on Monday. Threw it and the 512 stick into the
machine and played LOTR Battle for Middle Earth. Simply amazing! I
maxed out everything and the setup run's beautifully. My lone concern
is that the 6600gt reccomends a 350 power supply and the CPU in a box
comes with a weak 250 so I'm not sure if that will be problematic. XFX
suggests even more for overclocking but I'm not one to get into that.
I'm gonna try Far Cry and HL2 soon. Thanks everyone for your input!
 
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