upgrading the computer

We have had our Gateway (133 MHz) for almost four years now and was wondering if it would feasible to upgrade the cpu or just purchase a new computer. We really don't need a new monitor or speakers. What speed would you recommend we jump up to, also.. We use it mainly for e-mail and downloads and occasionally computer video games. We don't upgrade very often, so I want to have something that will be good for at least another 3-4 years!

 

Hey well first off it would probably be more feasable to just by a whole new tower for your computer. You could probably upgrade although you will need to know the Bus speed on your motherboard, what type of motherboard is in the system, and wether or not the board is capable of handeling a faster processor. More than likely it is not! So by the time you bought a new board and processor, etc. you would probably be close to around(if not more than) the price of say a 500-600Mhz system! My suggestions to you would be to buy the new tower because then you will have all new technology(exp. SDRam or Rambus or whatever else is out ther as apposed to Simms and Dimms, and or USB ports too) instead of some new and some old.This way you will still have the original PC too just incase something was to happen to the new one! I really can'nt tell you what you should by to be the best as technology changes so rapidly. Ya never know PC's as we think of them today could be obselete in 5 yrs. Although 500-600MHz and 128MB Ram sounds like it would do the job for what you are using it for. 700MHz is probably the mainstream now-a-days!Hope I could help!

 

Hey well first off it would probably be more feasable to just by a whole new tower for your computer. You could probably upgrade although you will need to know the Bus speed on your motherboard, what type of motherboard is in the system, and wether or not the board is capable of handeling a faster processor. More than likely it is not! So by the time you bought a new board and processor, etc. you would probably be close to around(if not more than) the price of say a 500-600Mhz system! My suggestions to you would be to buy the new tower because then you will have all new technology(exp. SDRam or Rambus or whatever else is out ther as apposed to Simms and Dimms, and or USB ports too) instead of some new and some old.This way you will still have the original PC too just incase something was to happen to the new one! I really can'nt tell you what you should by to be the best as technology changes so rapidly. Ya never know PC's as we think of them today could be obselete in 5 yrs. Although 500-600MHz and 128MB Ram sounds like it would do the job for what you are using it for. 700MHz is probably the mainstream now-a-days!Hope I could help!

 

I would upgrade to at least a mid-tower ATX. If you like AMD get a Super Socket 7 ATX motherboard. They (AMD) still run at 550 mhz which is not too slow for anyone. I'd install at least 96 mb of PC-100 RAM (make sure that the motherboard will support 100 mhz front side bus).

The ATX boards are much easier to work with and have the USB port(s) already installed. Just plug and go.

You can probably still use all of your other hardware, except maybe the modem. You probably have a 33.6 which will work, but why not move up to a 56k or go DSL or cable modem?


More than a Carpenter

http://www.carpenter.cjb.net



[This message has been edited by More than a Carpenter (edited August 29, 2000).]

 

Upgrade to a new tower. You don't need to buy a new monitor or speakers.

You can upgrade the CPU but are severely limiting its power unless you update the rest of the internals. You have an old bus - 1/2 the speed of a new bus. The bus is the bottleneck of the system.

After 4 years, the hard drive doesn't have much life left anyway.