More Q's from the new guy

[7mech]

I was wondering if anybody knew of a site that would tell me what upgrades would be compatible with my comp? You know the kind where you imput the make and model of your comp and it lists all the products that you could possibly use to upgrade you comp.
Thanks.

 

[mechBgon]

What brand/model is it?

 

[Calin]

For new processors, find the supported processor table for your mainboard. For new mainboards, any mainboard says what processors can accept. Any PCI cards will work in any mainboard with PCI slots. PCI Express cards will work in PCI Express slots (xless in xmore, but not the reverse - I mean x1 in x4 or x16, but x16 only in x16).
AGP cards: the main point is the AGP voltage: the x8 slots have only 1.5V, the 2x slots only 3.3V. This keeps me from upgrading my AGP2x card to a newer AGP 8x card, as the new cards only have 1.5V and my mainboard only have 3.3V.
Memory: any DDR SDRAM in DDR SDRAM slots, any DDR2 in DDR2 slots, any SDR (like PC100, PC133) in SDR slots. Keep in mind that older chipsets/mainboards (like some for K6 processors) that only knows PC66 and PC100 memory will recognize PC133 at a quarter of its rated capacity. This was the case with an VIA MVP3 based mainboard with a K6 266MHz

 

[7mech]

Mechbgon: it's a compaq presario. The case says it's a 5000e. It has a pentium 4 1.6ghz processor, new dvdrw drive, 384mb sdram pc133, fire wire ports, usb port, win. xp, and most of the regular stuff. Basically what I'm looking for is a sight like what crucial has where I can just imput the make and model and they list the products available that are compatible with the comp.

Calin: Everything you just said went over my head. If you could explain it a little more in detail I would appreciate it. Also if you want the info for my comp is listed above. We bought it in 2001 from Compaq. I'm open to suggestions. Mainly I would like to change my processor, fan and heat sink, power source and add a new vid card.

Thanks.

 

[mechBgon]

The only thing coming up at Compaq/HP's site with a 5000e model name is a tape drive, could you double-check?

Bigger picture: in this scenario, the right solution is to hand that computer down and build a new one. If you replace enough hardware to make a noticable difference (namely, the motherboard, CPU, memory and video), then your Windows installation won't boot due to the radical change in hardware signature, and your Compaq restore CD will not work to do a fresh Windows installation because it's made for the old hardware. At least that's what I forsee happening.

If you wanted a suggested shopping list, I could work one up based on

1) anticipated uses of the computer

2) what items you'd need besides the tower's own hardware (eg new monitor, special software that was bundled with the Compaq and you like it, or whatever)

3) budget


It might not be cheap.

 

[mechBgon]

Since the alternative was to wash dishes I made a sample kit to look at:

http://secure.newegg.com/app/WishR.asp?ID=1432715



[*]Antec Sonata case with quiet, good-quality 380W PSU
[*]Abit NF8 motherboard
[*]Athlon64 3000+, Socket754
[*]2 x 512MB Corsair ValueSelect PC3200 memory modules
[*]MSI Geforce 6600GT AGP video card
[*]120GB Seagate 7200.7 hard drive, standard Parallel ATA interface, 8MB cache
[*]BenQ dual-layer DVD burner with Nero 6 OEM software, black to match case
[*]Mitsumi floppy drive with built-in 7-way memory-card reader, black
[*]Microsoft Works Suite 2005 OEM, all-around useful stuff: link to what you get for your $46
[*]WindowsXP Professional Edition CD and license, more money than Home Edition but more capable and with a much longer patch-support life

With that rig, you could run DBAN on your old Compaq to thoroughly erase traces of your personal data, then run a Restore, patch it up nice, and sell it or give it to charity. This system would play HalfLife2 and other current games pretty well for what it costs.

If you need a recommended antivirus/firewall setup to go with the new rig, I would suggest a $40 Netgear RP614 router as your perimeter firewall, Kaspersky Antivirus Personal 5 for antivirus, and either the Windows Firewall or free ZoneAlarm basic as the software firewall. I can give some detailed suggestions for the router's configuration since I'm familiar with that model, ditto for the software.

Hope that was some help

 

[Calin]

7mech, you probably might install an up to Pentium4 2GHz processor (Northwood or Willamette) - any one of which will be hard to find. If your video card connector is very near to the other mainboard connectors (keyboard, mouse), then you have an integrated graphics card. In this case, you might not have an AGP slot to install a new graphics card. Also, if you want to upgrade the processor to a better one, you need to change the mainboard, the memory. The case might be too small for other mainboards, so you might need to change the case also.

 

[Calin]

About your computer: if it has an AGP slot, I'd say it's an 2x slot, so you need a AGP 2x card (3.3V). Good luck finding that (you might try the For Sale/For Trade forum). If it is an AGP 8x slot, you could use any AGP graphics card.
Check on Intel's site for an chipset identification utility (or use the cpuid program) and you can find about the mainboard. Can you tell us the chipset? (in the mainboard tab)

 

[blatherbeard]

I agree with mechbgon. Hell if i had the money thats what i wouldve done but i live on credit so im stuck in hp/compaq hell. But i also like the security of a warranty.