Should I buy a new computer or upgrade the one I'm using?

yellowaznboy

yellowaznboy

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My computer is so old, I don't even remember it's specs, but here is a guess:

-AMD K-6 300mhz
-64 MB SDRAM
-4 GB Harddrive
-24X CD-ROM

I guess that's it. I'm interested in upgrading my computer so that it doesn't take forever to boot and run programs. I would also like to play some PC games, but don't really care about amazing graphics. As long as it is playable (no slowdown, frameskipping, etc.), it will do just fine. I think the last game I played on this computer was Diablo II and it slowed down so much; yet, I managed to get a level 50 Paladin into Hell.

What should I do? Buy a completely new system? Or, should I upgrade this piece of crap? I should mention that I've never upgraded/opened up a PC before, but how hard could it be? :lol:
 
Build a new PC. That one isn't worth upgrading. You can build one yourself for less than 1000 with top of the line components.
 
Ditto. Get a new machine. You won't be able to upgrade much (probably just RAM and hard drive, maybe video card), and the effect will be negligible. That money would be better spent getting new stuff.
 
Like I said, I'm not very computer-savvy, so building one myself would be out of the question. Are there places that build computers for people? If so, can you recommend some?
 
I agree with the other posters who say get a new computer. Upgrading yours would be more expensive and give you less performance than buying a new bargain even bottom of the barrel computer. This is mainly because your computer parts are no longer manufactured and harder to obtain. You would be better off buying a cheap yet significantly faster and more up to date comuter. A decent computer without monitor could be built for ~500 bucks. A really cheap computer could be built for about ~300 bucks maybe less if you really skimp.
 
If your not too savvy, try dell, they usually have some nice prices on pc's thats what i did. great customer service too. They helped me out a few years back when my dad reformatted the harddrive.
 
I'm not a computer person either. Had one built by KC Computers. They had the highest rating at resellerratings.com, so they got my business. They aren't cheap, but they offer lifetime support. That goes a long way for computer novices.
 
For a really cheap computer built by someone I would probably reccomend a dell. They have great deals, cheap computers all the time. Hot-deals.org lists many dell deals all the time.

However even the non-computer savvy can learn how to build a pc much easier than you think. If you have time to do a little research you would be surprised at how easy it is. Check out sites like tomsharware.com and anandtech.com, they give lots of reviews and have articles on how to build a computer. Or just search on the net for "build your own computer" and Im sure you will find many articles.
 
It's really not that hard. Every thing that you have to plug in has an obvious slot where you have to plug it. The motherboard's manual will give you some kind of detailed graphic too. I mean, you're not gonna plug the video card in a PCI slot or put the floppy drive where the CD drives are supposed to go. You can just line up the motherboard with the holes in the case as well. It's really simple. I just built my first one a few weeks ago. High end for 950.
 
No, it's not hard at all for someone who's familiar with computer innards. If you're not, then it pays to just buy a box off the shelf from BB or Dell. That way you get the manufacturers' warranties and let someone else take the responsibility for setting a jumper incorrectly or reversing a data cable, or setting the bios correctly, undergreasing the CPU, or not to mention installing all the expansion hardware. Windows may be plug and play now, but I think we all know it can be time consuming to install the OS, all the software, those legacy soundcards, printers scanners, and modems. Plus you may get a slew of new software with a new package deal. Get the to a computer store and use 18 months same as cash.
 
go dell...I build computers too...its not worth it anymore


Dell system deals are so sweet that getting one is too good to pass up most of the time.
oh..and before I get blaster!

I have a Dell Pentium 4 3.2GHZ 800mhz FSB Hyperthreaded system I bought 4 months ago for $520! I got two of them at that price even.
 
[quote name='mojoman']It's really not that hard. Every thing that you have to plug in has an obvious slot where you have to plug it. The motherboard's manual will give you some kind of detailed graphic too. I mean, you're not gonna plug the video card in a PCI slot or put the floppy drive where the CD drives are supposed to go. You can just line up the motherboard with the holes in the case as well. It's really simple. I just built my first one a few weeks ago. High end for 950.[/quote]

Yeah, and then installing the operating system and setting the BIOS. For someone not pc savvy, the BIOS will be near impossible. I built my current PC and don't think it was worth the few hundred I saved on skipping out on a OS, monitor, and video card.
 
Where do you live? I am in Wisconsin,and would be more that happy to build you one of teach you how to build one for free. I am unemployed and have nothing better to do. You can build a nice AMD for $500 or INTEL for $600.

You need:
Case and power supply ANTEC is great $30-$100
motherboard ASUS is great check out tomshardware.com for reviews. $60-$140
CPU/Procesor AMD or INTEL get a retail version as it comes with a heatsink and fan $80-$200
Ram pc2700 or pc3200 I would get 2x256 or 2x512 $80-$160
Video Card you can get mother boards that have them built in then upgrade later
Sound Card almost all motherbords have them built in, again you can upgrade later.
Hard Drive Western Digital with 8mb cache or any of their SATA drives $60-$200
CD or DVD burner Lite on is very good and cheap. $30-$100
Flopppy $10
cables come with the motherboard, and screws with the case
There are tons of add ons you can get rounded cables neon lights, fans, the list goes on.
oh yeah windows xp - $100 if you have any other version so you can get the upgrade

As you can see they are lots of choices, IMO Intel is the fastest you can get, but AMD is the best price to performace chip.

Peronally i dont care much for off the shelf computers they tend to use older products that are slower. I bought a dell laptop and the customer service experience i had was horrible

Like other posters have said, it is super easy. I suggest newegg.com for the parts. Search on google for how to build a computer. You would be surrised at how easy it is. Everything fits in its own place. It is a great learning experience
 
I agree with those saying dell and most computer makers use slightly slower parts in certain areas to get their computer cheaper. They usually provide some of the highest speed processors as that is what most people look at when buying a computer.

Here is a dell deal I found on hot-deals.org:
Intel Pentium4 processor at 3.0 GHz with Hyperthreading (HT) and 800MHz bus
Windows XP Home
4x your memory free, 1GB dual-channel 400MHz memory. It doesn't say, but my guess is it'll come with four 256MB modules, filling all available memory slots.
Productivity Pack software
free upgrade to 80GB ATA-100 7200rpm hard drive
no floppy drive
48x CD-ROM single drive
no monitor
GeForce-FX 5200 128MB Graphics Card with TV Out
Integrated 5.1 audio
no speakers
integrated 10/100 Ethernet
1 year basic plan warranty

Total price is around $681. Good processor, decent hard drive, TERRIBLE video card. The geforce fx 5200 is a budget card, not good for gaming. Plus no cd-rw or dvd.

Here is a similarly configured computer from newegg. I went with AMD as it sound like you may be money conscious.

ENERMAX Black Mid-Tower ATX Case With 350W Power Supply, Model "CS-3151L-B3A" -RETAIL $53.00

ASUS nForce2 Ultra 400 Chipset Motherboard for AMD Socket A CPU, Model "A7N8X" -RETAIL(New Version, now support AMD Barton 400MHz) $85.99

SAPPHIRE ATI RADEON 9600 Video Card, 128MB DDR, 128-bit, DVI/TV-Out, 8X AGP, Model "ATLANTIS RADEON 9600" -RETAIL $95.50

AMD Athlon XP 3000+ "Barton", 333 FSB, 512K Cache Processor - Retail $166.00

2 sticks Crucial 184 Pin 512MB DDR(1gb total) PC-2700 - OEM 168.00

Western Digital Special Edition 120GB 7200RPM IDE Hard Drive, Model WD1200JB, OEM Drive Only $95.00

Lite-On Black 48X24X48X16 Combo Drive, Model LTC48161H BK, OEM $46.50

Integrated 5.1 audio
integrated 10/100 Ethernet

Total ~$710 but much better parts overall than the dell. 40 gb more hard drive space. A much, much better video card. Also a cdrw/dvd drive. Overall this would be a much better gaming system.
 
i actually just bought a dell system. my brother makes PC but the way dell prices are dropping, its not worth the effort building one. here is the deal i got:

Intel Pentium4 processor at 3.0 GHz with Hyperthreading (HT) and 800MHz bus
Windows XP Home
1GB dual-channel 400MHz PC 3200 (2- 512modules) upgradable to 2gig!
80GB ATA-100 7200rpm hard drive
GeForce-FX 5200 128MB Graphics Card with TV Out
Integrated 5.1 audio
integrated 10/100 Ethernet
Productivity Pack software (6mos free AOL, Earthlink, Norton Anti-virus)

total price: $700!!!

placed some add-ons:
Lite-on LDW-411s
Tv/FM tuner with remote
17in monitor (crappy, i know, but still works for me)

planning to get:
Creative Audigy sound card
Logitech Z-640 THX speakers


now if you ask me, that deal was really sweet!
 
Damn I remember back in the day when a 17" monitor went for top dollar and wasn't crappy. Me and my friends would each have a 15" next to our computer when we set up LANs but one time my friend brought in a 17" his dad got him and we were all impressed. Now with Dells packing them in I guess its no big deal. This is the 2nd post so far where I'm saying that I feel old... =P
 
17" monitors are going cheap now, unless you get a flat panel. I've bought 2 17" monitors in the past 6 months for less than $100.
 
[quote name='yellowaznboy']My computer is so old, I don't even remember it's specs, but here is a guess:

-AMD K-6 300mhz
-64 MB SDRAM
-4 GB Harddrive
-24X CD-ROM

I guess that's it. I'm interested in upgrading my computer so that it doesn't take forever to boot and run programs. I would also like to play some PC games, but don't really care about amazing graphics. As long as it is playable (no slowdown, frameskipping, etc.), it will do just fine. I think the last game I played on this computer was Diablo II and it slowed down so much; yet, I managed to get a level 50 Paladin into Hell.

What should I do? Buy a completely new system? Or, should I upgrade this piece of crap? I should mention that I've never upgraded/opened up a PC before, but how hard could it be? :lol:[/quote] Is it a notebook computer if it is. Theres not much you can upgrade
 
Check out TigerDirect.com they always have deals on new/refurbished comps. They've been around a while too and are one of the most reliable PC dealers on the net.
 
FX5200 is asstastic. I think Ibuypower can build a PC for you. You can PM me to ask more questions and I'll try my best to help you pic parts. Havent lurked on forums for a while though..I get my info frome mags now.
 
[quote name='msdmoney']I agree with those saying dell and most computer makers use slightly slower parts in certain areas to get their computer cheaper. They usually provide some of the highest speed processors as that is what most people look at when buying a computer.

Here is a dell deal I found on hot-deals.org:
Intel Pentium4 processor at 3.0 GHz with Hyperthreading (HT) and 800MHz bus
Windows XP Home
4x your memory free, 1GB dual-channel 400MHz memory. It doesn't say, but my guess is it'll come with four 256MB modules, filling all available memory slots.
Productivity Pack software
free upgrade to 80GB ATA-100 7200rpm hard drive
no floppy drive
48x CD-ROM single drive
no monitor
GeForce-FX 5200 128MB Graphics Card with TV Out
Integrated 5.1 audio
no speakers
integrated 10/100 Ethernet
1 year basic plan warranty

Total price is around $681. Good processor, decent hard drive, TERRIBLE video card. The geforce fx 5200 is a budget card, not good for gaming. Plus no cd-rw or dvd.

Here is a similarly configured computer from newegg. I went with AMD as it sound like you may be money conscious.

ENERMAX Black Mid-Tower ATX Case With 350W Power Supply, Model "CS-3151L-B3A" -RETAIL $53.00

ASUS nForce2 Ultra 400 Chipset Motherboard for AMD Socket A CPU, Model "A7N8X" -RETAIL(New Version, now support AMD Barton 400MHz) $85.99

SAPPHIRE ATI RADEON 9600 Video Card, 128MB DDR, 128-bit, DVI/TV-Out, 8X AGP, Model "ATLANTIS RADEON 9600" -RETAIL $95.50

AMD Athlon XP 3000+ "Barton", 333 FSB, 512K Cache Processor - Retail $166.00

2 sticks Crucial 184 Pin 512MB DDR(1gb total) PC-2700 - OEM 168.00

Western Digital Special Edition 120GB 7200RPM IDE Hard Drive, Model WD1200JB, OEM Drive Only $95.00

Lite-On Black 48X24X48X16 Combo Drive, Model LTC48161H BK, OEM $46.50

Integrated 5.1 audio
integrated 10/100 Ethernet

Total ~$710 but much better parts overall than the dell. 40 gb more hard drive space. A much, much better video card. Also a cdrw/dvd drive. Overall this would be a much better gaming system.[/quote]

MONEY!!!

I have a lot of these components myself. Plus, you dont have to worry about upgrade problems in the future when you build your own pc. He forgot to mention that shipping is close to nill on all those parts, the case is the only thing, and thats only $10.
 
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