Not sure what to do...Please Help

[Blacktharne]

I don?t know much about computers?I bought a Gateway one and a half years ago, and I?ll never buy one again (from them, Dell, etc.)?I play Everquest II and I could really use to upgrade my system?Here are my specs:

Gateway 700S
Pentium 4 2.65Ghz
512 MB RAM (RAMBUS)
GeForce 4 Ti 4200

Primary thing that I need is a total of 1GB RAM?Kingston and Crucial don?t sell RAMBUS (not for my system anyhow) and Gateway wants to charge me ~$330 for another 512MB and ~$535 for another GB?I?ve checked around and found a 512MB PC800 RDRAM RIMM upgrade for $180 at pricegrabbers.com ?

What does RIMM stand for? What about PC800? And will they affect whether or not the memory will work in my system?

I almost hate to spend that much for 512MB RAMBUS because I see you can get 1GB of DDR for less than that, and if I upgrade this system now, I won?t have much room for further upgrades in the future?

I?m considering building a new system, although know nothing about this and really don?t have that much money to spend at the moment?I feel like putting any more money into this system is almost a waste?

Someone on another board suggested buying a new motherboard which supports DDR and buying 1GB of DDR?They also said it might not fit in my current case, and I feel like this would definitely be over my head?

Any suggestions on what I should do?

 

[mechBgon]

First, be aware that RAMBUS modules must be installed in pairs unless you have the extra-specially-funky 32-bit RIMMs. If you want to add another 512MB, then you'll need two 256's (and this assumes your motherboard has a pair of slots available, they'll be occupied by little green C-RIMM placeholder cards).

I suggest you build your own new computer and consider going to 2GB of RAM if you have the money and are a dedicated Everquest guy. EQ 2 can apparently use it :Q I admit to several kinds of biases and I would recommend an Athlon64-based system.

Here's jpeyton's thread in General Hardware where he's done the homework for you, and he's got a link to my photo guide where I show you how to put it together without blowing anything up, getting attacked by worms/viruses during the vulnerable just-built stage... or even getting hungry!

Hope that helps, and welcome to the Forums

 

[Blacktharne]

Thanks for the info. Informative post that you linked to there... I think, though, that I'm going to hold off on building a new system as I really don't have the cash right now, so I'm leaning toward replacing my Mobo with one that is DDR compatible.

I've had a few other people recommend this on other boards, but I haven't really gotten any solid resources that would be able to help a first-timer like myself...I'm going to look into it, but I think that's my best option...

If you know of any guides/books or what not that might help me in making my system DDR compatible, that'd be great...or if you think that may end up being more expensive than I think, and I shouldn't tackle it then I'm listening as well, because from what I gather I might have to replace my current case, possibly my power supply, and maybe more...

I'd really like to be able to upgrade my system so that EQ2 will run well, but I don't really want to spend more than ~$300...

 

[mechBgon]

Hmm... you could get

Dual-pack of 512MB Corsair PC3200 Value Select modules, $157

Asus P4P800 SE motherboard, $89

And then set yourself free from Gateway and their power supply, chassis wiring and so on, with a nice Antec SLK3700AMB case with 350W Antec power supply and 120mm exhaust fan. This is the case in my photo guide, if you want to see it inside & out. $69 shipped right now.

So the total is around $315. Benefits:

• free of RDRAM forever
• the board can take an additional pair of memory modules later
• the board can take a faster processor with Hyperthreading later
• the case will be better ventilated, is completely standard and has lots of room for upgrades
• you can sell the whole Gateway case, motherboard and memory in the For Sale & Trade forum maybe
• you get USB 2.0 on the new motherboard too

Kick that around

edit: one factor to consider here, did your Gateway come with one of those infernal "Restoration" CDs, or did it come with an actual Windows CD so you can reinstall Windows on other hardware besides the original Gateway hardware? What OS do you have, by the way, is it Win2000 or WinXP (Home/Pro)?

 

[Blacktharne]

Thanks, so much for taking the time to do this...If I can get that done for around $315, then I think that's the direction I'm going to head, and I really appreciate you listing specific components as I really don't know much about this stuff...

I'm running WinXP Home Edition, and I have one blue disk titled "Operating System - Windows XP Home Edition"...It says: to begin reinstallation: etc. , but it's not titled as a "Restoration CD", so I'm not sure if I would be able to use it to install WinXP on new hardware or not...Is there a sure way to tell?

Also, in the process of doing this, will I have to erase my hard drive?

 

[mechBgon]

That's good news that you have that CD. It sounds like you are free of the dreaded Restoration CD probem While it's technically possible to get your WinXP installation to survive the move to the new motherboard, I wouldn't if I could avoid it. Windows sometimes come out with weird behaviors and glitches in the aftermath.