Advise needed to upgrade HP784.. Need speed!

[nazimm]

Hi All,
First post here and I am not technical!!

I have an HP784, Athlon XP 2600/2.133GHZ/ 266 on a Via KM 266 with 512 of RAM. The PC is getting a bit slow now and I was wondering what would be a good upgrade to jazz it up a bit... Can anybody suggest an affordable motherboard and associated processor? Something with integrated sound and AGP 8, Firewire, USB2 and LAN.

Do you think I need to upgrade with the configuration I have? I really need a new motherboard as the one I have is limited to AGP4 which means I cannot make use of the latest video cards out there (not mentioning the PCi Express)..

If you can also suggest sites where I can lear how to do this kind of upgrade that would be great!!

Many thanks

 

[imported_Kiwi]

Originally posted by: nazimm
Hi,
... and I am not technical!!

I have an HP784, Athlon XP 2600/2.133GHZ/ 266 on a Via KM 266 with 512 of RAM. The PC is getting a bit slow now and I was wondering what would be a good upgrade to jazz it up a bit... Can anybody suggest an affordable motherboard and associated processor? Something with integrated sound and AGP 8, Firewire, USB2 and LAN.

Because it's a brand name PC, you face limitations, although not so seriously as with a Dell. Your box itself probably would have to be swapped at the same time. Its front panel wiring, except for the speaker, is likely to be non- standard, and more trouble to convert, in labor expense (even if you only value your own labor at only $10-12 an hour), than just getting a new box to go with the new MB.

Do you think I need to upgrade with the configuration I have? I really need a new motherboard as the one I have is limited to AGP4 which means I cannot make use of the latest video cards out there (not mentioning the PCi Express)..

Actually, the way that I understand it, none of the fastest AGP cards actually made full use of the AGP slot capability yet, anyway, so 4X is adequate for just about anything in AGP. Your PC has some limitations, certainly. If you run XP, you probably could use more RAM. The Hdd is likely only a 2 MB buffer, 5400 rpm item, and there are a lot of faster ones now.

There is no single one "best" way to do anything with PC's, no matter that the youngest generation using them now might hope to discover one. Everything about them is a compromise. For that reason, the same thing I tell anyone who is considering buying a new PC, decide what you will be doing with it before deciding what to buy. For surfing the net and doing eMail, doing some word processing, and playing electronic poker, your current PC is half again more powerful than that basic setup needs to be.

So: "what do you want to accomplish with your upgrade?" What is it used for?

 

[nazimm]

Really appreciate the advise!!!

In a nutshell I would like to play games in a decent manner. I just changed the video card to Radeon 9250 with 128MB, the old one was Radeon 9000 with 64MB, and this makes a difference as I can now play the Incredibles for examples. However, I am now playing Halo 2, low res, and it gets "choppy" at times when there is too much action. It also slows down quiet a lot during busy levels.

Other than that, the PC is OK except when starting apps when it is not the fastest of things. I do not think it is the HD as this 7200 rpm (120gig Ultra DM)

Would an a better AGP video card be of help (256MB?) and/ or more RAM (I have 512MB)?

Thanks!!

 

[imported_Kiwi]

I don't think that the difference between the two video cards you've had was enough to open up the box to swap them around. Generally speaking, for the low to medium range of video graphics cards that actually will run games, more or less in the $100-200 price range, 128 MB of VRAM is all you get any use out of. It's the high priced fast cards that you'd see value from going to 256 MB's or more VRAM. The two best AGP cards in the sub- $200 range I know anything about are the Radeon 9600/9800 and the nVidia 6600 (and in both cases, I think that 128 MB of VRAM is as much as will actually be used). I'm not up to speed on the last generation of ATI's gpu's, and don't know where they fit in, sorry.

Anyway, an XP 2600 is plenty fast for the gpu's I've named, and you will get the most noticeable improvement by moving out of the sub-basement range of video cards. Again, if you have been running WinXP, it's a RAM fiend, and a bump to a GB of RAM is cheap to do right now, but that isn't going to show up to near the extent that a better video card will.


:beer:

 

[CuriousMike]

IMO, your machine is fast enough to do what you want... but your choice of your new video card is what's holding you back on Halo.

Unfortunately with PC gaming, you end up spending $150 to get an "acceptable" video card. With your rig, that $150 video card might last you another 1-2 years of gaming, before your whole system becomes the bottleneck.

 

[nazimm]

great tips...

To sum it up: I need more RAM (that's 50 Euros from what I see) to bring it up to 1Gig and a better Video card with 256MB as suggested.. that will be around the 100 Euros from I can gather in town. Am I correct in assuming that AGP 8 will also fit in an AGP4 slot? The (tiny) pc shop in the corner said so and looks true as I got th radeon 9250 AGP8 on the AGP4 slot no worries and the PC has not fried yet

Will do the RAM first and see how this pans out and then will start looking for a Video card that fits the bill

I will report back....
THANKS

 

[Varun]

Originally posted by: nazimm
great tips...

To sum it up: I need more RAM (that's 50 Euros from what I see) to bring it up to 1Gig and a better Video card with 256MB as suggested.. that will be around the 100 Euros from I can gather in town. Am I correct in assuming that AGP 8 will also fit in an AGP4 slot? The (tiny) pc shop in the corner said so and looks true as I got th radeon 9250 AGP8 on the AGP4 slot no worries and the PC has not fried yet

Will do the RAM first and see how this pans out and then will start looking for a Video card that fits the bill

I will report back....
THANKS

Yes more RAM will help a lot - you won't hit the swap file during levels.

You don't need to look at a 256MB video card though, memory on a video card does NOT equal speed overall.

If you can find a Radeon 9800 Pro for a good price, go with that. The next step up is the 6600GT.

Browse throught this article and find the best performing card that you can afford.

 

[nazimm]

Originally posted by: Varun

Yes more RAM will help a lot - you won't hit the swap file during levels.

You don't need to look at a 256MB video card though, memory on a video card does NOT equal speed overall.

If you can find a Radeon 9800 Pro for a good price, go with that. The next step up is the 6600GT.

Browse throught this article and find the best performing card that you can afford.


[/quote]

Thanks for the link Varun.... most certainly start with the extra ram and read/ print/ learn by heart the article you mention.

 

[imported_Kiwi]

Originally posted by: nazimm

To sum it up: I need more RAM (that's 50 Euros from what I see) to bring it up to 1Gig and a better Video card with 256MB as suggested.

Get that extra VRAM beyond 128 out of the calculations. As I already emphasized, unless/until you spend in the mid $300's US, or more, on a card, VRAM past 128 MB is just so much waste silicon! And the video card gives the more immediate and easily "felt" speed improvement for gaming.

.. that will be around the 100 Euros from I can gather in town. Am I correct in assuming that AGP 8 will also fit in an AGP4 slot?

Yes.

The (tiny) pc shop in the corner said so and looks true as I got the radeon 9250 AGP8 on the AGP4 slot no worries and the PC has not fried yet

Will do the RAM first and see how this pans out and then will start looking for a Video card that fits the bill

Here's one (in the US, anyway) with a one-day sale price of $155 for a 6600GT card.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16814130220


:beer:

 

[nazimm]

prices in the US are sure lower that in europe!!!
I wil first install the additional RAM and as I am going to Chicago next week or so for work, I will see if I can be tempted in getting a card there and then.. just hide it from the custom officers on the way back..

One thing I now know for sure, AGP 4 or 8 is the same and will fit my MoBo!!!! I now have much more choice than I thought.

Thanks you guys

 

[nazimm]

Just reporting on things:
re-installed xp (sys repair) as the PC went boooh after a windows update (!!!)
installed the radeon 9250 agp 8, 128 Mb, simple as hell
added 512 Meg of RAM

system is running peachy now... I think this is more due to xp re-installation. Will check later how Halo 2 plays now. I can't wait!!

Thanks for all your help!!