How do I know what to upgrade my computer with?

Question

I have a Medion Desktop. Pentium4 3.0ghz. 800mhz FSB. I have 512mb ram.

1) I want to upgrade the Ram. How do I know what kind to get? I havent mucked with that stuff in years. I want to go to atleast 1GB.

2) My cooling fan is running NON-STOP! I think I need a larger heatsink and better fan. Sudgestions? Thermal lube? Is there a way to check the health of my CPU? To see if its too hot?

ok. I installed the System Info software and this is what I found.

I have 4 slots with 2 free.
There are 2- 256MB chips there now.
PC3200 200MHZ
SDRAM DDR

What do you sudgest as an ad-on.
a)2 more 256, for total of 1GB.
b)1 512 for total of 1GB.
c) 1 or more 1GB chips.
d) something else (what?)

I dont do any heavy graphics work. but the system just seems slower than it should be.

ok. I installed the System Info software and this is what I found.

I have 4 slots with 2 free.
There are 2- 256MB chips there now.
PC3200 200MHZ
SDRAM DDR

What do you sudgest as an ad-on.
a)2 more 256, for total of 1GB.
b)1 512 for total of 1GB.
c) 1 or more 1GB chips.
d) something else (what?)

I dont do any heavy graphics work. but the system just seems slower than it should be.

Also the Temp of the CPU is 118` F. is that too high? Normal?

Thanks Ya'll

Answer 1

Your temperature sounds a little high, but not out of acceptable range. Under full load, my CPU will top out at about 104 degrees. Under low load, it'll drop back down to 88 degrees. The difference in our temperatures is understandable because I'm running an AMD chip (which runs at a lower voltage, hence creating less heat than an Intel) and using a monster of a Heatsink-fan (Zalman 7700CU). You may want to try purchasing a high end HSF and applying it with some Arctic Silver to lower your temperatures. Typically, your fan should be running at all times, regardless of the load. The top-of-the-line HSF out there right now is the ThermalRight XP-120 (which just doesn't fit on my motherboard because of how it's designed).

As far as your RAM goes, it's always fastest/most efficient to run matched pairs. If you're going to add on two sticks, make sure they're the same ones you've already got installed. I personally prefer using a single pair of matched 512mb sticks (1024mb total) for speed, but the architecture depends on your motherboard.

Good luck with the modifications!

Answer 2

RAM is the easy part, you will want to check and see just how much RAM your system can run first. Some older computers will only handle 1GB of RAM, and some less than that. Just make sure that the cards are compatible. (EC and Non EC cards don't work together)

As far as the cooling fan, blow everything out really good, making sure that you get the cooling fins clean. You can also install additional fans. Many of the newer pc's have additional fan mounts in the case.

Answer 3

Cooling fans running non-stop are normal. Mine runs non-stop. Some fans are made that way. As for the RAM, you should have gotten a book that came with the PC that talks about the motherboard. That will tell you about the type of RAM you can get and the maximum amount of RAM you can hold.

Answer 4

You can try having a dual fan power supply unit and ensure it is TRUE POWER. As for the Fans, maybe you can get a heat sink. and add another fan if the chasis have position for 1 more fan. so that the fan will be able to suck out the hot air and the heat sink can generate more cool air. dual fan power supply unit will also provide more heat relieving because the computer system is too hot. have more ventillation. maybe having a fan aiming at the CPU will be additional way to push the ventillation.

Answer 5

It looks like you can use 400Mhz DDR ram. Use them in like pairs for dual channel. The cooling fan should consantly run. Some systems do have variable fan speed settings though. But even with that, the fan would still run the whole time the computer is on.

Answer 6

The CPU temperature can sometimes be checked by entering the BIOS settings at startup, or using a 3rd party utility.

Answer 7

try http://www.gtopala.com/
full reliable system info including what kind of memory installed and max capacity

Answer 8

http;//www.crucial.com will show/tell you the excat amount and type memory your computer will hold...That is only upgrade you need

Answer 9

www.crucial.com will tell you what type of ram your puter has..