I want to upgrade my computer but I don't know what to get.?

Question

I have read a few of the answers on here but I am still not sure what to get. I have a 80GB HD now and want to add more space, but I still have over 40GB left on my current HD. My computer runs quite slow considering, and I am planning to upgrade my memory from 512mb to 1GB, does anyone think that it might be enough to just upgrade the memory? I use the computer for Music, Video, lots of pictures and some games. I want to be able to do more with the computer without worrying if I am going to make it even slower. I do have a spywear protection and check that every week so I don't think I have any spywear problems. If anyone knows any other things to check and what the best upgrade to start with is I would love to know. Thank you for your help.

I just bought the computer about 10 months ago and it has a 3.0ghz Intel Pentium processor.

Answer 1

Hi,

To get the most mileage from your existing computer, there are a few things that you can do to try to speed it up a bit. If, after you've tried these things, you're not satisfied, then upgrading would be a wise choice, and I have a few suggesstions. If your computer meets the requirements on the sofware packages that you install, you shouldn't be too concerned about making it slower, just as long as you're not running lots of applications all at once.

Start out by cleaning up your existing Hardward and Software...

First, Uninstall old programs, and delete old files.

Second, get a copy of Registry Mechanic and run it on your machine, you'll be astounded at what it cleans up and fixes. I know that a purchased copy can be expensive, but it's worth the price for what it can do.

Third, defragment your HD. This will most likely ask you to scan your computer first,... then it will tell you that you can't scan certain files until you reboot, so reboot, and let it work it's scan... when it's finished, defragment.

Now run a few programs, and see if you notice any difference in the speed of your machine.

If not, you may want to CAREFULLY consider what your computer has running in the background, and experiment with dissabling some of it. Sometimes software will install little things that always are running in the background. This is an extrememly touchy thing to mess with, as you might disable some important things, so only disable what you're confident can be removed. To begin the process, look in your start menu, the go to "All Programs" then look for a folder called "Startup." Drag the startup items in the folder to your desktop. Now restart your computer. If you need to restore anything, just drag the select items back into your "Startup" folder. Other "startup" item may not be in that folder but may need to be accessed by the "msconfig" utility, but I won't go into that here. It's a risky venture to use the msconfig utility if you're not familiar with it.

After all of this, If you're not satisfied, then an upgrade is for you... The first place you may want to consider is memory. Upgrading to 1 GB is very useful, but for the long-haul, you might want to see how much RAM you can stuff into you machine, and get as much as possible. I use about 1.5 GB of nice speedy RAM, and my compputer loves it.

The next place to upgrade for performace speed involving video and games?... your video card. ((This will also be an important upgrade to consider if you ever plan on getting Windows Vista when it launches. The more "appealing" versions of windows vista will rely heavily on the memory and speed of your graphics card. Currently windows does not access resources on your vid card.)) The vid card will give you better performance with gaming, and digital video playback.

The next place to upgrade? It just might be your HD. If your computer supports a SATA HD, you might want to get a nice new SATA drive, and the higher the RPM of the drive, the better. SATA and a high RPM will allow your computer to store and retrieve information a lot faster than a typical IDE HD. This will improve performance with running programs faster, and start-up and shutdown speeds.

Last, but most expensive, and difficult to find a suitable replacement... the CPU. Depending on the manufacturer of your computer, you may or may not be able to easily perform upgrades of any nature to the CPU. You need to match the current technology that you want, with the existing technology of your computer's motherboard.

Hopefully these things help you out, and I wish you the best of luck with your computer maintenance and possible upgrades!

~B!lly

Answer 2

Upgrades ... ah by the time you get them all installed your obsolete.

What to look for when upgrading, here goes.

Memory of course, the more the merrier particularly if you are into graphic heavy applications like games as you mentioned. Chck your mother board specs, be sure it can support what you want to add.

The Processor itself should be replaced if you find it ridiculously slow or feel the need to replace it. (Often leads to new motherboard as well)

Video should bever be onboard, go with a seperate card to free up resources and RAM; you'll also get better graphics.

A dedicated sound card and not an onboard one will always provide better quality sound and also free up resources.

Notice a pattern here, the more you take off the board the more resources available to your processor.

Larger hard drives are great, again make sure your OS can support a large drive. You are using half of what you have now, so why you need more is beyond me.

Another way to speed up your machine is to take out anything in the start up group that isn't needed. Keep your hard drive defragged, and remove temporary files like the crap that builds up in your internet cache.

I've added a link to a users forum of computer tips. You might find more info there .

Answer 3

Buying a new computer is drastic for what you use it for. Windows XP is a good system and if you have enough memory to support it then it does't hurt looking into. There are a few variations of XP, like Home, Professional and I think Student. For bare mininums Home would work or if you want the movie programs and all the added goodies maybe Professional. I have XP Home and it works great, easy to navigate and didn't use up all my exsisting memory. Adding more memory via a memory card can help, 1GB should be plenty of space and if you do decide to upgrade you will still have plenty of space left on your HD.

Answer 4

Well upgrading is always hard, u have a lot to consider compatability wise, does it support core duo, SATA, DDR2 and the list goes on, but the two things that determine the speed for your computer for the most part is the processer and memory, 1gig of memory is a good idea if you were to upgrade but again u have compatability to think of, i recomend using the same model u have in your computer currently but at a larger size to prevent problems to occur. u might also want to think of upgrading your processer to a night speed or to an HT or a core duo.

**in your case your computer seems pretty old u might want to buy a new one altogether

Answer 5

Suggest you wait just a little. Windows Vista will be available to all soon. 512mb memory is sufficient for most users -- just keep it as free as possible:

- Many users are not aware of how much RAM is used by wallpaper and a screensaver full of graphics. Reset both to none or blank. You’ll be surprised at how much this helps.

- How many programs do you load at startup? Ensure you are running just what you need.
To do this: cl Start, cl Settings, cl Taskbar and Start Menu.
- cl Start Menu, cl Customize, cl Remove.
- cl the icon for the program you wish to remove
- then cl Remove.
- This will prevent the program from loading at startup, but will not remove the program from the hard disk.
- Do you work in large files? If so, save frequently to restore full memory access. (Your work remains in memory until you “save” it to disk.)

Run Error Check,Scandisk, and Defrag frequently. The more often you run them, the less time they take.

From IE, click Tools, Internet Options
delete cookies
delete files (offline files)
clear history (set days to save to 0 if you want)
click o.k., and Restart

click Start, Run ipconfig renew (type ipconfig space renew)

Answer 6

Take a look at this memory tool:

http://www.crucial.com/

It will tell you what type of RAM you need if you need to know that information.

It depends what type of games you want to play. If you want cutting edge graphics, it might be a good idea to also invest in a new video card. Otherwise, I would just leave it alone.

Also, you might try some tricks to get your computer to run faster. I suggest trying out CrapCleaner:

http://www.ccleaner.com/

It will get rid of files that become useless on your computer.

I also tentatively suggest that you try MaxMem:

http://www.analogx.com/CONTENTS/download/system/maxmem.htm

This will adjust things that will help your computer's Virtual Ram, though, in my experience, whenever the program is activating, it makes things halt for a minute.

Hope this helps!

Answer 7

computers dont upgrade well in my opinion not even PCs. id say buy a new one. 80 gigs is plenty for mos tpeople but for speed sake i recomend at least 100 gigs. no more is neccesary. 1 gig is a good idea for ram but id go for 23 if you can. a new processor is what really makes a computer fast. make sure you get a new one if you can. if your processor is intel try to get a pentium D, if its an amd athlon X2

Answer 8

Upgrading the memory to 1GB or typically makes a noticeable improvement as long as you don't have any software issues. If you plan on upgrading to Vista at some point I would recommend upgrading to 2GB.

Answer 9

Your current plans are pretty good.But u may also want to get some optimiztion programs
to keep ur pc in tip-top shape.also remember that just one spyware program program cannot remove all spyware.I can give you some good advice if u want

Answer 10

i reccomend the latest in apple technology they are known for theyre lightning fast internet experence and theyre long lasting durrability these computers have great memory for your pictures and games it also can hold lots of video. this computer is a must for all of your computer needs. www.apple.com