Michael Torrie wrote:
RAM for older machines is quite expensive now, compared to cheap DDR2
RAM. Certainly giving your machine 1 GB would be better; maybe someone
on this list has old ram SIMMs they can sell you cheap.
RAM for really old machines is expensive (i.e. Old 72 Pin EDO or FP
SIMMs). But I seriously doubt that those are in the machine considering
that it has a P4. The only memory options for P4 chipsets were Rambus
(which if this computer has, you are going to be pretty well out of
luck), DDR and DDR2. DDR memory is a little bit more expensive since it
is pretty well phased out, but a quick search of newegg.com showed some
1GB DDR400 sticks for < $30. Doing another search for a 1GB DDR2-667
showed some results < $20. You definitely need to check to see what
chipset it has. If it has an 845 series chipset, you can only put up to
a 512MB stick of memory in. If you have a 865/875 series, you can put a
1GB stick in. I can't remember what chipset those Dells have though.
Considering the age of the system, that is probably about the best you
could do upgrade wise. One possibility would be to upgrade the processor
but your upgrade overhead depends a lot of the CPU socket in the system.
My guess would be that it was an early Socket 478 system. There really
isn't much worth it for upgrades if you have a socket 423 system. As for
socket 478, your motherboard chipset will define what processors you can
use. If it is an 845 series, you can probably get up to like a 2.8Ghz P4
(assuming BIOS support) using a 533Mhz Front Side Bus processor. Those
are getting harder to find. If you have an 865/875 series chipset, you
should be able to put a P4 with an 800Mhz FSB in although top speed is
going to depend on the motherboard. I think with the 865/875 series, you
are going to be limited to a P4 with a 'northwood' core. Quick searches
of Pricewatch.com and newegg.com show processors for < $100. I
definitely would not spend more than that on an processor upgrade
though. More than that and you might as well buy a new machine. But you
might be able to find a good deal out there.
Other upgrade possibilities are the graphics. But that one is going to
be hard since I can pretty much guarantee that you have an AGP graphics
port and AGP cards are getting harder to come by. Plus, then you have
the whole linux driver issue to deal with. (It all around sucks). Last
thing is hard drive and I doubt that is affecting your online video
playback speed very much.
So there are some thoughts on that.
I'm in the market for a new machine (gotta keep up with X-Plane 9...
dual core, 2 GB RAM, lots of video card required now). I'm torn between
a shuttle case (which is just the right physical size for me) and
something a bit bigger and quieter. Anyone have recommendations for the
quietest small case/mb combo?
I don't really have any experience with newer Shuttle systems but I used
one when I built my Dad's last computer. Works fine and isn't too loud.
(Worked great for him too since there was a carrying case available with
it that he used to carry it to England on the plane with him. Long story
there.) I can't vouch for the latest though but I'm sure there are good
reviews out there. I would also consider just getting a MicroATX
motherboard and a small MicroATX desktop or tower case. That is the
route I would do myself cause I could pick from a larger selection of
components. There are some video cards out there with just passive
cooling if you are going to ultra quiet. ASUS and Gigabyte make a few.
Just looking through the newegg video card section shows a few as well.
If you must get a fan, usually the best bet for quiet though is getting
big fans since they use a lower rpm to move the same amount of air.
There is another 2 cents.
Mike
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