[mtdrums]

I have an old Compaq Preasario from 2004, and I want to upgrade its mobo and cpu, but I don't know what's compatible with my computer. The computer came stock with a 40 gig maxtor hard drive, 256mb of ram (now 2 sticks of 256mb), and an amd sempron 3000+ 1.8ghz processor (I think..)

I just need to know what motherboard and processor would be best for my computer, and if there would be a significant change in speed. I would also be upgrading the ram to 2 sticks of 512mb.

[Krlll]

There is far too little information here.
Im not really sure about what system you have or what type of system you want.
If you change the motherboard,cpu and ram what is left?
A 40GB hard drive that will work with basically any motherboard you buy and a Compaq Presario case that may are may not(you dont say which model) comfortably house any motherboard you buy.
Oh and a power supply that may or may not work with the new build(once again because I dont know its wattage or the wattage this new mystery machine will require.)
I really dont mean to be rude so dont take it that way but you must do some research yourself before people can help.
My only advice for now is this:
You are changing so many things you would be aswell selling the whole computer and either buying or building a new one from scratch.

[mtdrums]

okay thanks. sorry, i'm new at all this.

[Krlll]

You made me feel guilty now.lol
Really though you should consider buying/building a new PC when you want to change so many things.
If you want to upgrade cheaply then upgrading the CPU and adding more memory is the cheapest way.
You must identify your motherboard so we can find out which CPUs are compatible with it(the 3000+ comes in different socket versions I think so I cant tell just by the CPU name).
You can download Everest from the downloads section of the forum and post the motherboard name here.
Or maybe just go to Start/Run and type DXdiag and post the system model details will be enough.
Or even(lol)post a link to the exact PC you have would be easier again.

[mtdrums]

Well I just didn't think only upgrading the CPU would even be worth it, considering that my mobo is so old. I mean, if I can't even upgrade to a dual core processor, would it be worth the upgrade at all?

Okay well Everest is a slow download for me, but I used CPU-Z and...

Processor: AMD Sempron 3000+ Socket A
Motherboard: ASUS Kelut

I tried to find a link for my PC, but none of them specify the motherboard model, just the brand. But here's a link anyway.

http://www.shopping.com/xPF-Hewlett-...W-Combo-Window

[mtdrums]

Well Everest isn't working for me, but CPU-Z says..

Processor: AMD Sempron 3000+ Socket A (462)
Motherboard: ASUS Kelut

And here's a link to my exact PC..

http://www.shopping.com/xPF-Hewlett-...W-Combo-Window

It doesn't really say much about the mobo, though.

[evilfantasy]

Posts with links in them won't show up right away for new members until approved by a Mod.

We have no way of knowing they are there until we check the que. We will get them when we see them. Thanks.

No worries just letting you know why you were not seeing them.

[mtdrums]

Haha, thanks. I was wondering why it didn't show up.

[Krlll]

The 3200+ is a possible CPU upgrade but im not even sure it would work(because your mobo has bus speed of 333 and that CPU 400Mhz bus frequency)and besides it is not much of a speed gain.
Looking around I think that PC also only has a 250W PSU aswell which by todays standards is very low wattage.
All of the components you want to remove will be almost worthless for resale whereas selling the PC complete will get you some money to help finance a new PC.
All you are keeping is the HD the Case and a few bits and pieces.So you save components that new would probably cost less than $100 and in the meantime demolish a PC that I hope would fetch far more.

[mtdrums]

Well I know the parts wouldn't sell, but the whole computer wouldn't sell for much either. I bought it for close to 300 USD about 3 years ago.. It came with a 40 gig HD, only 256mb of ram, and a 2.0ghz processor. These days, you can get an 80g HD, 512mb of ram, and a like a 2.6ghz processor for the same price. So, selling this computer wouldn't really do any good. I think it would almost be more worth the money to just save the case and maybe the disk drive, and just rebuild the computer.

Also, will a CRT monitor work with any motherboard? Just wondering, because I tried to use an LCD monitor with this computer, and it didn't work.

[Krlll]

Why didnt the TFT work wrong connection or something else?
The something else could be that your onboard video was not able to display the native resolution of the monitor.
The CRT will work fine with a new PC.You might need a DVI to VGA adapter though if the video output is DVI only.
Like I say the PSU is a very low wattage so that is another thing you will have to factor in.
You still havent said what you want the PC for or how much you want to spend.
On ebay right now I found this spec for $300

[FONT=Arial][SIZE=2]Mother Board: ECS PT890T - A Ver. 1.0 Main Board[/SIZE][/FONT] [FONT=Arial][SIZE=2]CPU: 3.06GHz Intel Celeron D 346 533MHz 256K LGA775 EM64T 90nm CPU with Heat Sink and Fan[/SIZE][/FONT] [FONT=Arial][SIZE=2]Video Card: Nvidia GeForce 6800 GS with 256MB of DDR2 Memory[/SIZE][/FONT] [FONT=Arial][SIZE=2]Memory: 1 Gigabyte (2 x 512) of Kingston PC 5300 DDR2 Memory[/SIZE][/FONT] [FONT=Arial][SIZE=2]Sound Card: Sound Blaster "Live" 24bit Sound Card[/SIZE][/FONT] [FONT=Arial][SIZE=2]Storage Internal:[/SIZE][/FONT] [FONT=Arial][SIZE=2]Western Digital Caviar SE 7200 RPM 80 Gagabyte Hard Drive for the Main Drive[/SIZE][/FONT] [FONT=Arial][SIZE=2]Seagate Barracuda 7200.7 RPM ST3120022A 120 Gigabyte Hard Drive for the Secondary Drive[/SIZE][/FONT] [FONT=Arial][SIZE=2]External Storage: [/SIZE][/FONT] [FONT=Arial][SIZE=2]MY BOOK * Essential Edition WD2500JB 250 Gigabyte External USB 2.0 Hard Drive[/SIZE][/FONT] [FONT=Arial][SIZE=2]Imaging Drives:[/SIZE][/FONT] [FONT=Arial][SIZE=2]Memorex 52MAXX 325AJ1 CDRW[/SIZE][/FONT] [FONT=Arial][SIZE=2]Sony DVDRW DRU-810A (with recent firmware upgrade) DVDRW Drive[/SIZE][/FONT] [FONT=Arial][SIZE=2]Power Supply: Antec Smart Power 2.0 500 Watt Power Supply[/SIZE][/FONT] [FONT=Arial][SIZE=2]CPU Case: Antec SLK2650-BQE Solution Series Mid-Tower Case (Black)[/SIZE][/FONT] [FONT=Arial][SIZE=2]Display: Balance CM2015 15" TFT LCD Monitor[/SIZE][/FONT] [FONT=Arial][SIZE=2]Sound System: Logitech X-530 5.1 Surround Sound Speaker System[/SIZE][/FONT]

Not saying thats a great PC or anything but its just cheap and I found it in 2 minutes.
You could sell your own for maybe $100 and get this,far easier than upgrading a Compaq Presario.
These mass produced computers(Dell/Compaq,etc) sometimes have cases/connections that are not compatible with other hardware.

[mtdrums]

Wow, that is cheap. Well I don't really need a great PC. I just need it for pictures, videos, music, and occasional gaming. I'm willing to spend about $400-$500. Do you think building my own computer would be a better deal than buying a mass produced one at that price?

[Krlll]

You would have to shop around and see.
I looked for stuff on eBay in the U.S.(eBay is not always the cheapest or best place to buy I was just checking)and for about $500 I could put together.
Bear in mind that this was done in a few minutes and if I was building it myslef I would spend a long time looking for bargains.
Try Newegg.com and places like that.
Core 2 Duo E6300
Motherboard
1GB Ram
500W PSU
8600GTS

So shop around for those components and see what you can do then check other mass produced PCs and see how they fare against it.
A system like that compared to what you have now would be like comparing a Formula 1 race car to a scooter.LOL

[mtdrums]

Wow, that's a pretty good setup for $500.

So shop around for those components and see what you can do then check other mass produced PCs and see how they fare against it. A system like that compared to what you have now would be like comparing a Formula 1 race car to a scooter.LOL

Haha, that's very true. I've never really looked at computers on ebay.. But I guess I should. Newegg is usually the first place I go when I need anything computer related.