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#1
11th Jan 2009, 12:04
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Hi,
Boyfriend was given an old system from uncle and is wanting to upgrade, I suggested upgrading - somewhat- fully by buying a new motherboard but he said no. Motherboard is a Packard Bell GA-8SIML so DDR RAM needed & I have no idea about a processor for that board (I only know what I've gotten from my dad - he built our computers). He's currently running XP on 192MB RAM with an Intel Celeron 2.8Ghz processor - actually on a scale of 1-10 how bad is the processor? Would a processor upgrade being neccesary or would RAM do? He doesn't use the computer for much other than to surf internet. We have an older processor in our main computer (an AMD Sempron 3200+) & it works well. Thanks. |
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#2
11th Jan 2009, 13:28
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Hi, the processor should be fine for surfing the web. A friend of mine has a 1.7GHz Celeron and his computer can surf the internet just fine. 1Gb of RAM will be more than enough for XP to browse the web and open multiple browser windows which is the max your motherboard can handle.
Buying DDR RAM can be quite pricey these days so do some research before making a purchase! Make sure it's 266MHz too! Your motherboard only supports that. *Hopes he has the right motherboard* |
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#3
11th Jan 2009, 14:23
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You can download and run CPUID and that will tell you what CPU you are running. I'll provide a link at the end.
However, most large manufacturers largely non upgradable computers. IE: the processor you have in the computer maxes out the MoBo. I also found with my Dell that they use a proprietary MoBo and case such that even if I had bought a new Mobo, it would not fit in the case. http://www.cpuid.com |
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#4
12th Jan 2009, 03:22
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To be honest forget about the processor upgrade. This will be the more expensive upgrade with the least significant difference to the user. See, the clock speed is not how fast the CPU runs all of the time. It's the maximum number of clock cycles it is capable off every second, so the CPU you have is just fine.
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However, your memory does need upgrading. 256MB with graphics leaching off of it is not enough. Download CPU-Z form that link above and see what RAM you have already and stick a 1GB stick in. Oh and btw, when you are using CPU-Z you are looking out for the speed of ram and the type of ram, number like PC2300 or DDR333, or post a screen shot and we will tell you what you need. Cheers My System: Custom Built v1.2
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#5
12th Jan 2009, 04:06
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Yeah I had him do a check for RAM yesterday on Crucial & results:
http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y14..._Data_ae49.jpg http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y14..._Data_636b.jpg |
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#6
12th Jan 2009, 04:16
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Great!
Get that 1GB stick and that will be enough 
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#7
12th Jan 2009, 10:57
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Seems to be good, looks like you can go to 2Gb. Don't worry if it says like 1.9Gb because your onboard graphics chip takes some away =) I would heavily advice you get 2Gb if you can afford it, means the computer will last much longer in terms of its specs.
Crucial recommends that £22 stick which is the max DDR speed, you should get that. The difference saved on slower RAM is negligable. Lastly, your motherboard supports only 2Gb of RAM. Do not be tempted to buy more as this could result in some problems. 2 single 1Gb sticks should be fine =) |
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#8
12th Jan 2009, 13:15
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if you really consider it, the whole computer will be dead soon. if its not so much to get more ram then go for it but did he at all consider just getting a new computer? maybe a laptop? i mean ddr1 is really slow and is expensive. does he do anything on the computer besides internet? if he doesnt then extra ram will be fine.
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