Curse

Adamant · Dec 09, 2008, 09:22 PM // 21:22

I've been looking into either replacing or upgrading my computer since its unable to play nearly all new PC releases. I do like the computer because its very stable and rarely crashes, but happens to run rather slow at times. I'm just looking for opinions on whether or not it is upgradeable, and if so, what parts would work best.

System: WinXP Pro, SP3
CPU: Intel Celeron 2.4Ghz
RAM: 1.5GB
Graphics card: ATI Radeon 9550 / X1050 Series

I would be happy to provide other info about my system if I can figure out how to find it. It is currently able to run games like Halo and Guild Wars on mid graphic setting with no problem, and can barely run games like Oblivion on low settings.

(I'll grab some of the info from inside my case as soon as I have time to open it up and look around)

Thank you for your help.

Painbringer · Dec 09, 2008, 10:42 PM // 22:42

Your machine looks almost like my older one. Your machine is running slower than before…right. Well Microsoft has been pumping the updates for XP and what use to run great (ram wise) does not cut it anymore. Adding more RAM will help a little. Also defrag your hard drive. Search the add/remove for stuff you do not need and remove it (be carful what your remove make sure you do not need it before removing)

Do you now what type of ram you have? (example PC3200)

What is your Powers Supply wattage?

What do you have for expansion slots? PCI Express ?

Besides changing the power supply (better graphic cards take more power), graphic card, and adding more ram you are kind of limited.

Buying new will open new doors but the doors will cost you

Adamant · Dec 09, 2008, 11:34 PM // 23:34

I do frequently run defrag, disk cleanup, as well as Uniblu's SpeedUpMyPC and Registry Booster. I also am going to replace my Norton with something less memory consuming soon. But its less the speed that I'm worried about, and more the capability. I'm about to open up my case, so I'll have that info in just a minute or two.

Adamant · Dec 09, 2008, 11:50 PM // 23:50

Sorry, I don't deal much with hardware, I'm going to need help finding some of these things.
RAM: Not really sure where to look for the RAM type
Power Supply: I see 280W (max) on the sticker
Expantion Slots: these are for adding more cards yes? I believe mine are PCI express (from looking at the picture on wikipedia)

moriz · Dec 09, 2008, 11:58 PM // 23:58

your power supply will greatly limit you, since it is quite weak.

at this point, it's better to buy/build yourself a new computer. you current computer just isn't a good enough platform to upgrade from.

Adamant · Dec 10, 2008, 12:00 AM // 00:00

Ok, thats what I figured, but I thought I'd check in with people who knew what they were talking about first. Maybe once I get around to looking for a new computer, I'll check back in here. Thanks for the help.

Elder III · Dec 10, 2008, 08:39 PM // 20:39

the biggest thing holding you back right now is your Video Card (GPU), at least as far as games go. Like Moriz said you can't really upgrade much with a (tiny by todays standards) Power Supply. Also, just about any dual core processor will give you a nice boost across the board. Check out the sticky at the top of this thread for computer parts guides. If you have a little bit of know how it's not all that hard to build your own system, and you will save a BIG chunk of money by doing so.