Newbie seeks advice

[luuie]

I have an old dell dimension xps PII266. Intel 440LX PCI chipset.

I have added more RAM (256M) and HD (30G IBM 7200rpm) but now I think it's time for a CPU upgrade. I do mostly software development work but occasionally like to play games. I would probably play more except the current system isn't really good for anything after Quake2. (I have a Matrox G200)

Should I try to buy a replacement CPU that'll fit in my current mobo? I don't know how much speedup I can get from that. Or should I just break down and replace the mobo too?

Found this from z-buy

AMD Thunderbird 1.0Ghz Socket A 266Mhz FSB with Fan and Heatsink (Retail-Manufacturers Warranty Only) Free Freight 3 Days FedEx
$ 127.00

1 Epox (8KTA3) Duron / Thunderbird (Socket A) 200-266Mhz FSB ATX (Retail) Free Freight 3 Days Fedex
$ 100.00

1 eVGA nVIDIA 64MB GeForce 2 MX400 Chipset 4x AGP Video Card (Retail) Free Freight
$ 93.00


TOTAL PRICE: $ 320.00

I really don't want to pay much more than $300. (That eVGA brand is suspect.) How does this strike you? is z-buy reputable?

I don't know what kind of HSF comes with that. Maybe I should buy a separe HSF. I want a quiet one, b/c those little fans can make really annoying high pitched noise (I'm sensitive to noise, esp. at night when it's quiet).

Also, I have a 200w PS. Do I have to get another one? Ouch.

 

[RossGr]

Do you know if you have an ATX case? If it is not ATX then you will not be able install a moderen motherboard with out major mods. If, when you shut down, the system stops with the message telling you to power down, you probably have AT, if it powers all the way down, you should have an ATX mobo. Next if your parallel, serial, and USB ports are mounted to the mobo you have ATX, if they are mounted to the case and connected with ribbon cable to the mobo you have AT. There is little point in upgrading an old AT system, just leave it as is and start from scratch with a good ATX case and mobo.


Good luck

 

[MasterHoss]

Good for you for deciding to take the plunge...unfortunately, I believe the Dell cases are not built using the ATX form factor...you'll need a new case, new mobo, new processor. You'll also want to get new RAM as your PII box is probably using either 10ns SDRAM ("PC 66&quot or EDO RAM. In any case, you'll essentially take your new HD and place it into your new box and probably need to trash everything else (try selling that stuff).

Good luck...

forum favorites to buy online: Highly respectable vendor and
more expensive but also very respected

Check out CHEAP ass, good quality RAM (Crucial). And keep posting and asking...you'll get a lot of feedback here (although very opinionated).

 

[Pederv]

If you're on a tight budget, have you checked into trying a Celeron/slotket upgrade? A few months ago I upgraded a PII266 to a Celeron 533 on a slotket, for less than $100. Should be much cheaper now.