Upgrading my Daughters's Computer

[drdan]

My daughter is getting frustrated with the speed of her computer. I don't think it's a bad system, for being a couple of years old but it doesn't have a tremendous amount of memory. I can't remember what it is for sure but I think it's something like a 2100+, with 512 of DDR. Anyway, she still has good hard drives, optical drives, PS etc. I just want to replace the rest. I put it in a wish list at Newegg but can't figure out how to share it. It seems like it used to be easy.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated. This is about the amount she was going to spend on a system and I think by using her current good stuff like an Antec PS and Maxtor HDD she will end up with a faster and more reliable system than what she would get from Dell etc. for that money. She already has XP I can install.

I have not kept up with stuff. I have been extremely pleased with my P4 set up for 3-4 years, especially after I went to 2GB of memory. It is the machine I created and run my online business with, which now supports me entirely. I wonder, though, if an Athlon is still a little more for the money than the pentiums?

I copied what I came up with below. I'm not attached to it, it's just what I put together as a starting point. Trying to get a big bang for the buck and make it last another couple of years. Her husband does some games but not on the computer very much. Mostly, it's for college research and homework. Need speed though and she often has multiple windows open when researching (maybe pentium hyperthreading important?). I was figuring she could upgrade the video card later if she wanted.

COOLER MASTER Centurion 5 CAC-T05-UW Black Aluminum Bezel, SECC ATX Mid Tower Computer Case - Retail
Model #: CAC-T05-UW
Item #: N82E16811119068
$49.99 -$5.00 Instant $44.99

ABIT KN9 Socket AM2 NVIDIA nForce4 Ultra ATX AMD Motherboard - Retail
Model #: KN9
Item #: N82E16813127010

$74.99

SAPPHIRE 100119L Radeon X550 256MB DDR PCI Express x16 Video Card - Retail
Model #: 100119L
Item #: N82E16814102565

$54.99

AMD Athlon 64 3800+ Venice 2.4GHz Socket 939 Processor Model ADA3800BPBOX - Retail
Model #: ADA3800BPBOX
Item #: N82E16819103531

$96.99

CORSAIR XMS2 1GB (2 x 512MB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model TWIN2X1024A-6400 - Retail
Model #: TWIN2X1024A-6400
Item #: N82E16820145566

$147.00 -$15.00 Instant $132.00

Subtotal: $403.96

[PatioFurniture]

For that processer you probalby won't need DDR2-800, 667 should be fine

[drdan]

Thanks for the answer.

Why is that? I'm not arguing, I'm just trying to avoid unnecessary bottlenecks and the processor technically seems to be able to utilize it. What am I missing about this? I don't want to spend more than I need.

[johnny_quest]

You'll want to go with the maximum speed ram the motherboard will support, the ddr2-800. you're right, the memory speed is the bottleneck.

otherwise, it all looks good to me. your daughters lucky to get a new setup...

[jahajazz]

I'm not an expert by any means but I do have a few comments.

The mobo and cpu that you picked are not compatible, the mobo is socket AM2 while the cpu is socket 939. As far as performance, Core 2 Duo crushes anything AMD has to offer.

For the most bang for buck, I would do this:

Mobo ECS P965T-A (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16813135022) $74.99

Cpu Intel Core 2 Duo E6300 (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?item=N82E16819115005) $180.00

Gpu ASUS EAX1600PRO (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?item=N82E16814121549) $84.99

Ram CORSAIR ValueSelect 1GB DDR2 667 (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?item=N82E16820145568) $103.99
Core 2 Duos don't need the faster memory as much as their AMD counterparts do.

$448.97 (-$10 more if you buy the mobo and cpu in combo)
(Edit oops sorry forgot the case, with it after rebate and combo is $483.96)

[drdan]

crud, I didn't see that. Here is a compatible CPU I think. I like the pentiums and appreciate the input. I will suggest that to her as well.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16819103735

[jahajazz]

No problem :) and yes that cpu would be compatible with the mobo you picked. Also, the nForce 4 chipset is already a generation behind.

[PatioFurniture]

Ah my bad, for the AMD you will want DDR2-800, but truthfully I would suggest the faster core 2 Duo series and then you would be fine with DDR2-667

[saphalline]

Hold on here! I'm all for buying new hardware and building new systems - it's a lot of fun afterall. But what I'm seeing doesn't necessitate a completely new system. What kind of productivity work can you do on a Core 2 Duo that you can't do on an AthlonXP 2100+? I can think of a few high-end apps, like Photoshop or Premiere, that would appreciate the extra power, but college research and homework??

I'm just not seeing the need for a completely new build. At least not yet. Try to convince me otherwise.

For starters, what exact hardware does she have now? What exact programs/apps does she use now? What internet connection does she have? Can you elaborate more on "My daughter is getting frustrated with the speed of her computer"?

Computer performance problems can vary widely in scope. Simply throwing money at the problem is more of a corporate practice! :p In makes sense in the corporate world since buying new takes less time and costs less money in the long run, but for a single consumer... I think we've got the time to at least investigate the issue. Especially if a $50 upgrade + a few hours of time will fix the problem vs a $500 new system + a few hours of time. :cool: