I currently have a HP desktop from 2001 it has 800MHZ intel celeron, with 256 of RAM (PC 100) I really want to upgrade I can use most of my existing components (DVD burner, LAN card, etc..) I am expecting my first child in the next month or so and will be wanting to burn and edit DVD's which will kill my already slow system. I don't need latest and greatest but i do want something that is faster. Any suggestions on barebone systems, (and where to get said system) or anyway to increase the speed of my current system without having to upgrade the to a new system.
ok one more thing i should ask if i buy a barebones system how hard is it to move my existing components to that system. I am not a computer expert but I am really good with taking electronics apart and putting them back together. I am trying to do this for as little $$ as possible. (isn't that always the case..lol)
increase the RAM. If you already have the capability to burn DVDs, you are already set to go. It may be a little slower, but it can still be done. Or you can ask someone to build a PC for you with only the features you want, it is a lot cheaper than you may expect.
well i am looking at a couple of options where i can get a barebones with only the components that I need and it isn't too expensive thanks for the input!
ok i actually did the upgrade but I had a friend of mine that could get me a tower at almost no cost i added 512MB of RAM for a total of 768megs, and added a DVD burner. I am looking at changing the processor the motherboard will only handle a processor with 533Mhz fsb at the max. I currently have a celeron 2.4 Ghz with 400Mhz bus speed, and a 128k cache. I want to upgrade to a P4 2.4Ghz 533Mhz bus and 1MB cache. Would this change make my computer noticably (sp?) faster?
Get a comp with atleast 1 gig of ram if you are using high intensity (to memory) programs. Like dvd editing, movie editing etc. . ALso amd's are really good for anything around media. Anyone disagreeing shouldnt. (its a fact not that amd is the fastest cpu. The Fx-55 outweighed intel's highest end cpu in almost all areas.). So dont leave amd out jusr because its a smaller company. Gateway has some ok comps, But id reccommend like a monarch. Something built for speed, media, dvd's etc. Look around online you will find something.
Do you still have the HP? Did you get a new machine from your friend? My experience with HP is that they use non-standard motherboards so you're probably stuck as far as that goes. Since your motherboard will take a 533 bus, you can get a much faster processor, I doubt just changing the bus speed will do much. I personally avoid Celeron processors, but really what they are missing is the math coprocessor & I don't think that will help much with DVD burn speed--drive speed and available memory ought to have more effect. I also avoid AMDs as there are compatibility issues you don't see with Intels.