Upgrading a compaq - is this worth it?

[Hosha]

I want to use this computer for older games and I have a deal on a Compaq Deskpro EN 350 w/128 (max 256) ram, 200w power supply and a 3 year old 17" Compaq V700 monitor for $125.

It looks like I can use a Powerleap slot 1 adaptor and add a 1.4 gig tualatin celeron for $160 including shipping.

The motherboard is based on the 440bx chipset and is a compaq proprietary motherboard with an FLX Ati Rage Pro AGP 2x. The motherboard has a riser with 2 PCI slots.

Questions that have arisen:

Considering the computer portion with the upgrade will cost approximately $245.00, is this worth it?
Can a different 2x AGP Card be used? What would be a good 2x AGP card?
Is there a PCI Graphics card that would be faster than this alternative?
What do I need to consider in using a different power supply .

Please note: It's thanks to this board I was able to find the information I have so far.

Thanks again for your help.

And how in the heck do I find the right BIOS for this? I've been on the compaq site for a couple of days trying to find the right one.

 

[GonzoDaGr8]

is this worth it?

No.

It looks like I can use a Powerleap slot 1 adaptor and add a 1.4 gig tualatin celeron for $160 including shipping

Proprietary BIOS more than likely would choke on that.

What would be a good 2x AGP card?

4x is backward-compatible with 2x slots.

Is there a PCI Graphics card that would be faster than this alternative?

No. I don't care what anyone says..AGP is faster than PCI anyday.

What do I need to consider in using a different power supply .

the proprietary connector on the mainboard..Even if the ATX plug is the same, would you be able to verify that the pinout is the same(ala DELL)?

For what you are going to dump into this thing, you could get a real ATX case w/PSU, AMD-based mobo and proc combo, Lower end Nvidia or ATI graphics card, re-use your old CD,Hard drive, floppy and whatever else you could scrounge out of there and be way ahead of the game.

 

[RickH]

Don't do it!!!!!!!!!!!!!! The drive is slow, the drive interface is slow, the memory is slow. Even if you could increase the processor speed the gains in applications would be small. If you have a home network I would save it for a web surfing station, it is fine for that. Give it to a church and claim a $500 deduction on you income tax. RRRRRRRRRR

 

[Peter]

$245 buys you a reasonable case w/ power supply AND a mainboard/CPU combo that runs your existing RAM and graphics card if you please. Easily. There might be even enough money left for more RAM and/or a more current graphics card.

Cannibalize the Compaq for its drives and monitor, and ditch the rest.

 

[Hosha]

Thanks for the advice guys!

The more I looked at the economics of it, the less sense it made.

Good exercise though, figuring out how high it could go.