I have an old computer
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JoeyB
Go on, tilt your head!
- Location
- Fareham, Hampshire
Set a budget.
If you are completely clueless then it might be better to by a motherboard / processor / memory bundle from Novatech or the like. Then you can pick a case, power supply, optical drives to go with them.
If you are completely clueless then it might be better to by a motherboard / processor / memory bundle from Novatech or the like. Then you can pick a case, power supply, optical drives to go with them.
Over The Hill
Guru
- Location
- Ridden off into the sunset
The actual job of changing over components in a computer is really easy. I have upgraded ram or added more in the past. Some computers cannot be upgraded as the bit you may want is soldered in on a board rather than the board it is on being able to be unslotted and replaced. More chance of it being removable in a desktop than a laptop I would think.
There is a site that is trustworthy (cannot remember the name but know it when I see it) that sells components and via internet will check your computer and see what can be upgraded.
There is a site that is trustworthy (cannot remember the name but know it when I see it) that sells components and via internet will check your computer and see what can be upgraded.
the_mikey
Legendary Member
- Location
- South Gloucestershire
I would start with a change of OS, maybe a version optimised for limited hardware.
You have 1Gb of RAM (random access memory) ... This is normal memory that is used by xp
AND you have 2gb of memory????? LOL
A lot of people get the hard disk size mixed up with RAM and in some cases ROM
Your storage space is defined by how large your Hard Disk drive is ... Even on an old XP machine it is likely to be many 10's of Megabytes (MB) or possibly be Gigabytes (GB).
Volatile memory (that loses it's contents once power is removed) could be 1 or 2 Gb, but it's far more likely to be 2 Mb (mega bytes)
ROM has some basic code (read only memory) and as the name suggests is read at startup of the PC . This is known as non volatile RAM, so the contents stay when power is removed.
A bus is the circuitry that allows all of this data to flow between the CPU,memory and hard disk.
Have a little snoop via google about the stuff above and it will lead to lots of information .... Can't help you on a specific website or book.
As far as upgrading goes .... Yes it can be done, but it depends on the motherboard and what additional memory slots are avialable. Some boards can only take two memory DIMMS (memory sticks), and only of a certain size.
The same goes for faster CPU's . A larger hard disk is nearly always possible, but this will just increase your storage space (like having a bigger shed than your current shed), not give you a performance boost.
AND you have 2gb of memory????? LOL
A lot of people get the hard disk size mixed up with RAM and in some cases ROM
Your storage space is defined by how large your Hard Disk drive is ... Even on an old XP machine it is likely to be many 10's of Megabytes (MB) or possibly be Gigabytes (GB).
Volatile memory (that loses it's contents once power is removed) could be 1 or 2 Gb, but it's far more likely to be 2 Mb (mega bytes)
ROM has some basic code (read only memory) and as the name suggests is read at startup of the PC . This is known as non volatile RAM, so the contents stay when power is removed.
A bus is the circuitry that allows all of this data to flow between the CPU,memory and hard disk.
Have a little snoop via google about the stuff above and it will lead to lots of information .... Can't help you on a specific website or book.
As far as upgrading goes .... Yes it can be done, but it depends on the motherboard and what additional memory slots are avialable. Some boards can only take two memory DIMMS (memory sticks), and only of a certain size.
The same goes for faster CPU's . A larger hard disk is nearly always possible, but this will just increase your storage space (like having a bigger shed than your current shed), not give you a performance boost.
JoeyB
Go on, tilt your head!
- Location
- Fareham, Hampshire
I think Kies might have just scared him off lol.
Don't even bother trying to upgrade the existing motherboard / processor / memory setup. Just rip it out and start again with up to date hardware. Keep the case and possibly the power supply assuming it has SATA power connectors and is man enough to power the new kit.
Don't even bother trying to upgrade the existing motherboard / processor / memory setup. Just rip it out and start again with up to date hardware. Keep the case and possibly the power supply assuming it has SATA power connectors and is man enough to power the new kit.
Canrider
Guru
Given the system requirements for XP, 2MB wouldn't cut it. And 1.5GB HDD is the listed minimum to fit the operating system.
Running XP, it could be a matter of just cleaning up the system, defrag and dump any and all of the accumulated junk it's accreted over the years and start reasonably fresh.
JoeyB
Go on, tilt your head!
- Location
- Fareham, Hampshire
Ok so your list needs to include the following:
Motherboard
Processor
Processor heat sink / fan
Memory
Power supply
Hard drive
Graphics card ( unless motherboard has onboard graphics)
Optical drive(s)
Case (unless you keep your own one)
Operating System
I've probably forgotten something, I have a few spreadsheets knocking around of previous builds if they are of any use to you let me know and I'll send them on...?
Motherboard
Processor
Processor heat sink / fan
Memory
Power supply
Hard drive
Graphics card ( unless motherboard has onboard graphics)
Optical drive(s)
Case (unless you keep your own one)
Operating System
I've probably forgotten something, I have a few spreadsheets knocking around of previous builds if they are of any use to you let me know and I'll send them on...?
A word of caution to the OP if your rebuild is a way of doing it cheaply, it isn't cost effective any longer as individual components have a high mark up. I used to build PC's some 15 years ago out of interest and they were barely breaking even back then.
My humble advice would be to backup, format and reinstall the OS, assumming that you have the original windows disk, and max out the memory on the motherboard before reinstallation. Biggest bang for your buck in terms of performance
My humble advice would be to backup, format and reinstall the OS, assumming that you have the original windows disk, and max out the memory on the motherboard before reinstallation. Biggest bang for your buck in terms of performance
JoeyB
Go on, tilt your head!
- Location
- Fareham, Hampshire
It does mention this is a bit of a project, and we all no projects are never cheap!
If you are feeling saucy, make the hard drive purchase SSD for some nice performance gains...
If you are feeling saucy, make the hard drive purchase SSD for some nice performance gains...
summerdays
Cycling in the sun
- Location
- Bristol
I was going to suggest you could go to the novo tech store in Portishead, but looked online and found they have closed it. There was someone with exactly the same name as mr summerdays working there which used to cause confusion when he ordered something then turned up to pick it up.
Mr summerdays is always pulling them apart and rejigging them, though I wasn't that impressed last week having done my time sheet to find 3 computers in bits with the youngest being his helper, luckily it was accessible from yet another device. It seems to be less sweary than 10 to 15 years ago.
Mr summerdays is always pulling them apart and rejigging them, though I wasn't that impressed last week having done my time sheet to find 3 computers in bits with the youngest being his helper, luckily it was accessible from yet another device. It seems to be less sweary than 10 to 15 years ago.
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