Is an upgrade worth it?

[SCLAND&TIMBER]

My current desktop is about five years old. Still running xp, but looking to upgrade to 7.

I'm not schooled on the computer lingo so bear with me. From what I can find out my current setup is running

Intel Pentium D processor
Cpu 2.80 GHz (2CPUs)
Memory 1014 mb ram
Page file- 900 mb used , 1538 mb available

I have no idea on my graphics card but was told last time I had some computer work done that it would need to be upgraded soon.

I figure after five years something is bound to start going wrong so I need to make upgrades to some equipment or buy something that is up to date.

Appreciate any advice...

[Redleg Camo]

If I were you, I would back up all the stuff you need to an external hard drive and wipe that computer out. Then, install 7. Then, move all your files off the external hard drive back onto the computer. You might be surprised how well that computer will run after its wiped out.

[rp]

Buy a new one and keep the old one as a backup.

[Delmer]

From the title I thought this thread was about girlfriends

[rp]

That would have been "Do I need another?"

[millero]

i would not advise upgrading that computer to windows 7. if you do want to go the win7 route, you should upgrade the ram to 2gb or 4gb.

[HT]

i would not advise upgrading that computer to windows 7. if you do want to go the win7 route, you should upgrade the ram to 2gb or 4gb.

X2.. I would keep XP..that's what i still use..Plus, i just built me a new pc here in janurary. My old PC i had for over 10 years, and it was still running strong..I ended up giving that pc to my parents.. My new PC and the old PC are running XP PRO..

[millero]

X2.. I would keep XP..that's what i still use..Plus, i just built me a new pc here in janurary. My old PC i had for over 10 years, and it was still running strong..I ended up giving that pc to my parents.. My new PC and the old PC are running XP PRO..

dont get me wrong, i like win7 a lot. and i'm running it on 4 machines (c2d 64bit laptop, atom netbook dual booted with 7 and a hacked version of osx, 64bit desktop with 6gb ram with dual graphic cards, and another 64bit desktop with 4gb ram and dual graphics cards in sli).

[Mergie Master]

Just go to Newegg, order a new case and all your parts then build your own computer the way you want it. That's what I'm on right now, one I built myself.

All the parts for this souped up 'chine, minus the monitor and mouse only set me back a little over $800 and a couple of hours build time and I'm blazing.

[millero]

Just go to Newegg, order a new case and all your parts then build your own computer the way you want it. That's what I'm on right now, one I built myself.

All the parts for this souped up 'chine, minus the monitor and mouse only set me back a little over $800 and a couple of hours build time and I'm blazing.

when i priced my next one, i was at 2200ish... i'll be waiting for a bit.

[SCFoxman]

Just go to Newegg, order a new case and all your parts then build your own computer the way you want it. That's what I'm on right now, one I built myself.

All the parts for this souped up 'chine, minus the monitor and mouse only set me back a little over $800 and a couple of hours build time and I'm blazing.

This is the way to go right here. If you're not in need of a heavy graphics load, you can get by probably with about $600 and have a rig that'll handle what you need and be lightyears ahead of your current box.

[millero]

This is the way to go right here. If you're not in need of a heavy graphics load, you can get by probably with about $600 and have a rig that'll handle what you need and be lightyears ahead of your current box.

honestly, if youre only interested in 600 bucks worth of a pc, you can get some pretty good deals from dell and hp.

[SCFoxman]

Problem with that is you're stuck with proprietary motherboards that don't have the capabilities of comparable parted rigs. And the quality of the individual components, especially RAM, are pretty lackluster with Dell and HP, as well as there integrated graphics.

[millero]

Problem with that is you're stuck with proprietary motherboards that don't have the capabilities of comparable parted rigs. And the quality of the individual components, especially RAM, are pretty lackluster with Dell and HP, as well as there integrated graphics.

you are so far from the truth.

[SCFoxman]

you are so far from the truth.

I'm always open to correction. My statements are based upon previous experiences. And this was definitely the case with the lower priced bargain PC's. Specifically those lower price point at big box stores. If these issues among others have been rectified, awesome.

Maybe it's the satisfaction I get from building a rig for $600 that can keep up with a $1000 name branded box.

[millero]

I'm always open to correction. My statements are based upon previous experiences. And this was definitely the case with the lower priced bargain PC's. Specifically those lower price point at big box stores. If these issues among others have been rectified, awesome.

Maybe it's the satisfaction I get from building a rig for $600 that can keep up with a $1000 name branded box.

you are correct in that you may be able to build a 600 dollar custom box that would compete with a 1000 dollar mass produced setup. but, for the general user, thats not the case.

currently, theres a dell optiplex 380 with win7, c2d 2.93ghz, 2gb ram, 320gb hd, 16x dvd, integrated graphics, 20" monitor for $534. and that includes a 3yr warranty.

youre not going to be able to build that box for the same price. as far the pieces being sub par, its the same equipment that you will buy off of newegg or zipzoomfly. there arent that many companies that make this stuff. its like everything else; you have have a few manufacturers and a bunch of people putting their logos on them. the graphics card in my example is integrated. for what 90% of users do with a computer, it will be fine. if you play games or do video/image editing, you dont need to buy a 600 dollar box anyway.

[millero]

fwiw, i build all of mine.

[SCFoxman]

I hear ya.

My biggest gripes are things like:

1. BTX form factor that they used. And other semi-proprietary form factors. All of which limit the ability to add peripherals of your choosing. If and when your OEM vid card takes a dump, you are hard pressed to get one to fit. Hell, sometimes tough enough to find adequate space on some of the ATX boards in general.

2. Having them change every year the mfr. of their parts from the 5 or so mfrs. If your box was outta warranty, you were paying through the nose for an OEM replacement. And using ECS/Foxconn for anything.

3. Once they got onboard with using uATX and ATX form factor, they spec out quirky locations for the ports, once again tying your hands to purchase OEM replacements at ridiculously inflated prices.

4. Dumbing down of the bios, and the inclusion of all the vendor fluff software which I consider to be nagware.

Don't get me wrong, though. These same folks can do some competitive builds when you're getting into rack servers for corporate. I just feel I get more bang for the buck building my own. Plus, after you build your own a few times, you almost never are at the mercy of calling someone to fix your junk.

But, I digress. I don't have too much in the experience of '08 and newer. If you don't want to hassle with researching which mobo/cpu combo works best. And which RAM seems to get the best timings with that combo, etc... Then absolutely go for a pre-built. There's obviously a huge market for exactly that.