Which components to upgrade.

[Marimuthu]

Hi,

I have an system which I purchased about 6 years back. The configuration is as follows.

P4 1.6GHz
256 MB SD RAM
Mercury Motherboard
40 + 120 GB Harddisk
LG CDWR
LG DVDWR
17 Inch Monitor.

Couple of days back, I was not able to boot the system and it gave me a continous Long beeps.

On calling an service personal, he told me that it could be an Montherboard or an RAM issue.

He recommended an upgrade to an new Motherboard, Processor and RAM.

My query is, is it all that needs to be upgraded?
Is there anything else that needs to be upgraded?


Regards.

 

[Juked07]

Probably best to upgrade to a new system with a computer this old..

 

[Marimuthu]

Thanks Juked07.

And would by just upgrading the Motherboard, RAM and Processor would my system be as good as a new one with respect to the performance of the system ?

 

[Chronoshock]

I would recommend upgrading the power supply as well, you don't want it dying and taking out your new upgrades. Most PSUs aren't intended to run for 5+ years.
I'm not sure if the mounting spots for motherboards changed from socket 423/478 -> 775, but make sure the motherboard will fit your case.

Getting a new HDD and GPU would be nice, but it sounds like you just want to get up and running, so you can probably hold off on that.

 

[Marimuthu]

I was actually thinking of adding another 250+ Gb Harddisk to the current 40+120Gb as the price has reduced considerably now.
But then will my new mother board have enough slots to fit in 3-Hard disks, 2-ROM?
The current one has only 4-40Pin ribbon cables.

Could you please also guide me in terms of the components that generally ware out after 5+ years (like the PSUs) that I may have to replace while upgrading.

Also could you please suggest some other add-ons that would increase the performance
say for example 3D effects(even though I dont play high end 3D games)
and in general performance of the system.

 

[p1tin]

Hi Marimuthu,

First: Just because there are beeps & technician says it is dead don't go for a new system. There are reasons for me to say it.
If & only if you want a new system go for it. I have faced the same problem ( I am in India and in a Metro City and have seen the way in which the "the tech-guys" work n push new systems ( not everyone but majority). I know what I am talking about as I (too) am living in a Metro in India, have encountered this kind of problem many number of times.
If you want to make this system work in the first place and be absolutely sure it is dead:
1. After powering off the system, remove all the peripherals like keyboard, Mouse, audio, video. Open the case and just check if there is so much dust(i use BiCycle hand PUMP used to inflate bicycle tyres) , if so remove it by any air blower or with paint brush and cotton cloth.
2. Then remove the ram carefully and check for dust particles in the RAM slots.
3. Take a eraser ( the one available in stationery shops) & gently RUB the DIMM module of the RAM ( the place of RAM which gets inserted in the slot-- this will remove the fine layer of dust from RAM).
4. Re-insert the RAM and confirm it is perfectly inserted.
5. Connect or recheck all the power connectors to HDD, Motherboard, DVD drive in place.
6. connect all peripherals and now boot
---At this point 99% chances are there for your pc to boot fine.
if not check with another monitor, another keyboard, mouse, check with each RAM module connected as any one RAM might be causing the problem.
-----
if u do these possible results are:
1. Your PC still might not work and there really is a problem in MOBO or CPU or RAM
2. Your PC works fine

If 1. then...
As this config itself is a VERY old one, you can go for a new MOBO, CPU, RAM ..you can retain or go for a high Capacity SATA HDD with good LCD monitor
if 2. then..
You can keep this PC or resell it for nice reasonable price and get a new PC as stated above.
there is an excellent thread running here where new PC components (as on aug08) are discussed and recommended:
http://forums.anandtech.com/me...=2194271&enterthread=y

Hope this helps!

 

[Marimuthu]

Hi p1tin,

Thanks for the reply.

Will try the steps suggested by you and see if that works.

Regards,
Marimuthu R

 

[DSF]

I disagree with p1tin's "99%" figure. He pulled that out of his butt. It's obviously worth reseating everything just to make sure, but if you haven't been moving your computer around that's unlikely to be the problem.

In the event that you need a new system it would probably be a good idea to describe what you use your computer for. For very close to the price of a new CPU, motherboard, RAM and power supply you could probably get a cheap prebuilt computer from Dell or HP if all you do is word processing, internet, etc. If a P4 1.6 GHz w/ 256MB of RAM was meeting your needs, even an entry-level prebuilt computer will do you just fine.

 

[clarkey01]

Originally posted by: DSF
I disagree with p1tin's "99%" figure. He pulled that out of his butt. It's obviously worth reseating everything just to make sure, but if you haven't been moving your computer around that's unlikely to be the problem.

In the event that you need a new system it would probably be a good idea to describe what you use your computer for. For very close to the price of a new CPU, motherboard, RAM and power supply you could probably get a cheap prebuilt computer from Dell or HP if all you do is word processing, internet, etc. If a P4 1.6 GHz w/ 256MB of RAM was meeting your needs, even an entry-level prebuilt computer will do you just fine.

2GB , Dual core, these days is standard, entry level pc's are are probly at there most powerful right now, then they ever have been (in relation to the current top end and ability)

 

[BlahBlahYouToo]

Originally posted by: Marimuthu
I was actually thinking of adding another 250+ Gb Harddisk to the current 40+120Gb as the price has reduced considerably now.
But then will my new mother board have enough slots to fit in 3-Hard disks, 2-ROM?
The current one has only 4-40Pin ribbon cables.

Could you please also guide me in terms of the components that generally ware out after 5+ years (like the PSUs) that I may have to replace while upgrading.

Also could you please suggest some other add-ons that would increase the performance
say for example 3D effects(even though I dont play high end 3D games)
and in general performance of the system.

marimuthu, no offense, but based on the questions you are asking, it does not sound like you are at the technical level to troubleshoot and resolve your pc issue.

your best bet right now is to forget salvaging and upgrading the old pc. save yourself the headache and costs of diagnosing the issue.
get yourself an entry level dell machine with a core2duo processor (even celeron will suffice), minimum 2 gb RAM, and whatever size hd that will fit your storage needs.

it will be cheaper than paying for someone to look at your pc, then for parts which are old and not as cost effective, and your pc will be slower than if you were to buy a new pc.