upgrade possible or just not worth it?

Hello all. As you can tell by my name I'm a n00b at comps (hardware wise). So I need some help.This is what I got. Pentium 2, 264 MHz, 192 RAM, my old hard drive was a 4.3 gig , and I just bought a nice black sleek 80 gig. I have a cd/dvd/video/pretty much every kind of burner thingy, in one burner, by Sony. Windows XP Pro, I started with 98 if anyone cares to know. So I am going to buy a new comp as soon as I get the money.Your probably wondering why I have this peice of junk that I upgraded. Well you see I didn't buy it. My grandpa got it for me and he knows nill about comps or let alone cares, so he got me this. I found out recently my local little comp store actually helped make it better then it started (It was worse then when I first got it?) And the reason it sucks so bad is it was like 3 old school comps they took and infused together. And Pentium 2 is really like kicking me in the balls here.I finally get a new hard drive and XP and some RAM (It was like oh 98, I know 192 ain't good, so I'm getting more) and all of the good mass multiplayer games are III or higher. I'm wondering if I should get a Pentium III to tide me over so I can play those games (I don't even know if my comp could take a III) or should I just wait forever until I get the cash to get a new comp all together. What should I do? Any help would be greatly apperciated.

 

If your somewhat skiled and can put together your own computer, just buy a few peices at a time. I don't like the packages that Dell and Compaq put together. I would rather build my own so I don't have to pay for all the extras that manufacturers add in. If you build your own you can get exactly what you want and save money.

Use the cases and power supplies from your old computer and the monitor if you have one. You can also keep the mouse and keyboard. That will lower the cost of your PC by $150 - $200+. If you were getting a PC from Dell or any other manufacturer they would probably make you pay for a new case, power supply, keyboard, and mouse.

Look in the newspaper for Best Buy's, CompUSA's, and other retail stores sales ads. Find a hard drive with a rebate. After the rebate the drives will be under $100 for 120 gigs. Just be sure to get there sunday right when they open. They aren't too busy in the summer.

You will need a motherboard, RAM and CPU. You will have to get these all at once since they aren't esaily upgradable with what you have. These are the main components and will effect your performance greatly. About 2 GHz and 512 MB of RAM is good if you want something for the long run. This should cost a little more than $350.

The last thing you will need is a sound or video card if your motherboard doesn't have it. All sound cards are about the same so I would just get a cheap one for like $25 or less. There isn't too much competition with sound cards. For your video card, it will be at least $60. There are a large number of choices so you will be able to pick what you want easily.

You can buy all of these peices in any order but get the motherboard, CPU, and RAM all at once. The hard drive will work with you current PC but check to see if the video/sound card you are getting will work with your PC.

 

you might want to check around your community and see if there are any classes on computer hardware that teaches you how to build your own computer. That is how i learned and they are great.

 

Well, actually, I wouldn't say that its cheaper any more. Big companies like Dell can afford to get massive discounts on their parts which the individual cant, and they also buy fairly low quality parts, which you wouldnt even think about using in your own system.

But the plus side is that you can make a computer that completley fits your needs and you know exactly how its put together, and the components used.

If you want a book, Build your own PC for dummies is a good book to get you started.

 

Oh and I doubt you can upgrade a PII to a PIII with any ease... the sockets(or slots, even) are completley different.

 

My two cents...

Another route to think about is getting what is called a "bare bones" setup...which is usually a case w/powersupply, mainboard w/processor, video, CD/DVD drives and sometimes memory. They start around $75 and up, pending how fast of a computer you want. Learning to build from scratch to me is fun and educational.

 

Re: My two cents...

Actually, a P2 could possibly be upgraded to a P3 if it is of the Slot 1 variety. However, I'm not sure Intel made 266Mhz Slot 1 P2s.

In any case, It probably is not worth it. You'd be better off saving up some money and building your own, or getting a Dell. They really are good systems for the price. Sometimes you can find a whole computer (monitor and all) for around $400. And they provide good tech support.