Looking to upgrade my computer, need input/help

[jtcstrat]

yes there is a sticker on the back saying xp home edition with a key

 

[jtcstrat]

how long would a process like this take to do?

 

[dave89iroc]

how long would a process like this take to do?

longest part would be transfering the data to the external drive

 

[jtcstrat]

and to the new internal hd? or would we keep my 80gb internal and add a 500gb internal as well?

 

[jtcstrat]

Are all those things listed compatible with my computer? I mean like buying mustang parts for a mustang, not a gm...

lol i know its a noob question

?

 

[Scooter70]

?

Yes, for the most part computer parts are universal.

 

[hourang]

and to the new internal hd? or would we keep my 80gb internal and add a 500gb internal as well?

if your getting an external drive i would just take out the 80gb and use it as a spare. having the two drives c: and d: would just confuse you.

 

[jtcstrat]

so if i decide to spend the cash on ram, internal, external hd will someone help me do the work? and reinstall os?

 

[braxx]

Hey, don't buy ram until you know for sure what your mother board will support.

It looks like it takes odd ball PC800 Non-ECC RDRAM RIMM Memory

 

[jtcstrat]

so then what do i get?

 

[Tin]

I see in your computer specs you have RIMM (Rambus) memory, and not DIMM. RIMMs were used in old Pentium 4 machines 5 or 6 years ago. Newegg doesnt carry RIMMs, you may need to search eBay or Amazon for them. Last time I seen RIMMs, they were an arm and a leg.

 

[braxx]

Man that ram is expensive.
You'd be better off getting another computer.
Like:
( I've bought from this guy and he's honest) Fast Dell Optiplex | 3.20Ghz | 2gb Ram | DvD+RW | 80gig | ATi Video - $165
http://detroit.craigslist.org/sys/994058526.html

DELL Optiplex GX280 3.2 proc./1 gig ddr2/40sata/dvd burner - $180
http://detroit.craigslist.org/sys/993653365.html

 

[jtcstrat]

can i reinstall the os without backing everything up?

how do i do this?

 

[Tin]

I hope you didnt pull the trigger on the memory at Newegg yet, because it wont work in your computer. PC800 RIMM and DDR400 DIMM are both 184-pin, but they have their notches in different locations.

 

[jtcstrat]

how much is an arm or a leg? i want to keep this one, and maybe i just wont update the ram then?

 

[jtcstrat]

I hope you didnt pull the trigger on the memory at Newegg yet, because it wont work in your computer. PC800 RIMM and DDR400 DIMM are both 184-pin, but they have their notches in different locations.

i have not bought anything yet, still looking for input

Ill get an internal HD, external HD and reinstall the os?

 

[Tin]

RAM will give you the most performance on an older machine. If you want 2GB of PC800 RIMMs, youre looking at $150 to $200 easy. Youre better off spending $350 on a cheap Dell with a big hard drive. To put it in perspective with your standard DDR2 memory, you can get 4GB for $50.

 

[jtcstrat]

But un-filling my hard drive and re-installing my os, cleaning it up will also make it fast enough for me..

I was fast enough for me and find before i put 10k songs on it

 

[Tin]

Reloading your OS is only a temporary fix. Itll run fine for a little while until it gets bogged down again. Windows XP requires a minimum of 256MB, 1GB to run comfortably. The problem with so little memory, is that Windows uses unused drive space as virtual memory when the physical memory runs out. A hard drive is far slower than memory, which is why your machine is bogged down. With more memory, Windows doesnt use the virtual memory as much.

 

[jtcstrat]

so then cant i get a 500mb internal hd for that? or are we not thinking the same thing?

internal hard drive = memory

ram = ??

idk lol