• Some users have recently had their accounts hijacked. It seems that the now defunct EVGA forums might have compromised your password there and seems many are using the same PW here. We would suggest you UPDATE YOUR PASSWORD and TURN ON 2FA for your account here to further secure it. None of the compromised accounts had 2FA turned on.
    Once you have enabled 2FA, your account will be updated soon to show a badge, letting other members know that you use 2FA to protect your account. This should be beneficial for everyone that uses FSFT.

MB, CPU, RAM Upgrade?

R

Rustynuts

[H]F Junkie
Joined
Feb 6, 2003
Messages
10,346
Want to do a cheap upgrade for my Mom's PC, something around $300. What's the best bang for the above stuff? AMD or Intel, probably stick with 512M ram. May also have to do a video upgrade. What's the best low-mid card out there for cheap?
 
A) I hate your post.
B) You did not ask courteously.
C) You have not stated the following:
1. What will the computer be used for?
2. What is its current specifications?
3. Is it a prebuilt (Dell, Gateway)?
4. What is your definition of "low-mid card"?
5. By "probably stic with 512M ram," do you mean you:
i. Already have 512MB of RAM?
ii. Have already decided to get 512MB of RAM?
 
ok.. before this thread becomes locked.. Ill just get a few things rolling, here are (In my opinion) some very decent items you asked for to upgrade an AMD system:

Motherboard: ASUS A7N8X This board has all the features one would need for great performance, decent overclocking and relief on your wallet.
CPU: Athlon XP 2500+ This seems to be one of the most popular chips around this forum. Locked or unlocked, this is a champ for overclocking and overall performance.

These two items together are well under 200$ leaving you with enough cash to spend on some very decent memory. I left the memory out due to you stating that you already have 512mb (or so I think).
 
Grab an Nforce2 mobo with integrated GF4mx video
http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc.asp?description=13-138-234&catalog=22&depa=1

2 x 256 Crucial PC2700=$80, use 2 dimms to activate dual channel (necessary for onboard vid)
http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc.asp?description=20-145-497&catalog=147&depa=1

A Barton XP2500 retail with HSF for $80
http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc.asp?description=19-103-379&catalog=343&depa=1

$80 + $80 + $68 = $228, well under budget for more goodies
 
Thanks all for the replies (except CF!), but to answer your own DISCOURTEOUS post,
1 - I don't really think it matter what the PC is used for, I want the most bang for the buck, but it will be used mainly for gaming (nephew) and surfing.
2 - Doesn't matter what the current specs are, that's why I'm upgrading everything, probably a sub-gig celeron.
3 - Homebuilt, but so old I don't remember what's in there.
4 - Something less than $100 I guess. A 9600XT is probably too much for the budget right now.
5 - New ram, probably ddr400 since it's not that much more than 2700.
 
If the computer is used for gaming it is a must that you have an atleast decent card. 2004 will be a great year for gaming, with lots of upgrades and if you're not up to speed with the video, then this computer will be obsolete. Look online for either a 9600xt or a 9500pro. You could get one about $149 or so now.. thats a steal. gl
 
I'm still running an old GF3 ti200 on my machine with no probs. I don't jack up the resolution over 1024x768 usually and it still chugs through all the recent games fine like Call of Duty, C&C Generals, etc. This is on an AMD 1800 too.

Just a note to the flamers, I've been on the board a long time (at least 4-5 years) which my current moniker doesn't show. I've probably run through about 3-4 user IDs over the years as I lose logins, change email, forum flushes, etc. So blow me on the newbie cheese comments!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top