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What should I upgrade?

G

Gary King

Limp Gawd
Joined
Jun 9, 2004
Messages
313
I have 512 mb of RAM and 1.8 ghz CPU; should I get more processor or add more RAM to increase speed?

My computer can't handle too many programs open at the same time right now, so I'd like to increase something; I was leaning more towards 512 mb more of RAM since that seems like a better value in my opinion, and better in the long run.

Any suggestions?

Thanks! :)
 
What kind of programs? Are we talking extensive programs or just simple applications like an internet browser, AIM, Windows Explorer, etc.?

I have a 1.67 GHz Athlon that came with 256MB RAM and I never had any trouble running a bunch of simple programs at the same time. I added a 512 stick later to help with gaming. If you're having problems running several little programs at the same time, ya might wanna defrag or something.

More RAM never hurts, though.
 
But would I need more CPU to match up with the RAM? Or 1024 mb RAM and 1.8 ghz is an 'okay' combination?

The programs I run are pretty big ones (and ideally I run them simultaneously):

Dreamweaver MX
Flash MX 2004
Photoshop CS
ImageReady CS
GetRight
Opera
MyIE
Trillian
FlashFXP
mIRC

These are the main ones that I can think of for now (I'm on a Windows XP home, so WinExplorer as well.)
 
Is it a 1.8 GHz AMD or Intel?

If it's an Intel Celeron, upgrade Processor. If it's Pentium 4, upgrade the RAM, and prepare to upgrade your processor in the future.

If it's an AMD Athlon, Upgrade the RAM.
 
Its hard to say really. What type of motherboard is it in? If its running RDRAM, don't bother upgrading it. If its running DDR, maybe upgrade, but I'd assume that its 333MHz RAM which would do you no good in any future computer you build, meaning you'd spend money on somthing that may not last you a whole lot longer. Would a format and re-install solve your slow running or is your OS pretty clean right now?

I guess what I mean to say is, it might be good to leave well enough alone and not spend money when you don't really need to and build a new system when this thing gets too unbearable.
 
Thanks for the insight, I really appreciate it! :)

I have the following motherboard, and memory:

MOTHERBOARD - ASUS P4 DDR 3PCI AGP AUDIO LAN VGA
MEMORY - 512MB DDR MEMORY PC2100

My computer, in my opinion, is very 'messy' in that I have never formatted since I got it in September 2002. But I also don't want to lose anything as well, so that's why I never formatted; unless it's highly suggested that I do so? What steps should I take to save my data?
 
Gary King said:
Thanks for the insight, I really appreciate it! :)

I have the following motherboard, and memory:

MOTHERBOARD - ASUS P4 DDR 3PCI AGP AUDIO LAN VGA
MEMORY - 512MB DDR MEMORY PC2100

My computer, in my opinion, is very 'messy' in that I have never formatted since I got it in September 2002. But I also don't want to lose anything as well, so that's why I never formatted; unless it's highly suggested that I do so? What steps should I take to save my data?
Click to expand...


Well, the OS could very well be a problem then. What all are you backing up? If its just files, music, etc, just burn them onto a CD and you're good to go. I would recommend re-installing windows as it can get cluttered very easily, especially after two years. Give that a shot and if it speeds stuff up, save some money. Otherwise, I'm not sure if RAM or a CPU would speed you up more as this is a fairly balanced system.

Good luck.
 
I have many apps (that I constantly use) and setups etc. that makes me have nightmares if I had to re-install and re-setup them all.

I'm sure others have been in this predicament before? What's the average time it takes to complete a backup and fresh re-format? I try to also do weekly defrags/disk cleanups as well for my 160 GB computer.
 
I see, that is a pain then. To just do a format and re-install, it usually takes me an evening to finish. That is, the install of the OS and my baisic programs and stuff. Then I have maybe a week of sporadic installs and setup to get everything just the way I like it.

Even with defragmenting and disk cleanup the OS gets cluttered. Your hard drive can be clean, but what really gets hosed is the registry. Installing and uninstalling programs, tinkering with settings, and any number of other activities can, over time, leave your OS bloated and slow even with the best care being taken. This is the nature of windows and there isn't much any of us can do about it.

Its a pain, but I'd still recomend the format. If you go through all the work and it doesn't do anything for you, you can flame me later. ;) Hope this helps.
 
Gary King said:
Thanks for the insight, I really appreciate it! :)

I have the following motherboard, and memory:

MOTHERBOARD - ASUS P4 DDR 3PCI AGP AUDIO LAN VGA
MEMORY - 512MB DDR MEMORY PC2100

My computer, in my opinion, is very 'messy' in that I have never formatted since I got it in September 2002. But I also don't want to lose anything as well, so that's why I never formatted; unless it's highly suggested that I do so? What steps should I take to save my data?
Click to expand...
man.. that's way too long you've been running your current OS install :p
 
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