new to tech (sorta)

[Rotnpankake]

Okay, I have never built a computer yet, but I've seen it done a couple times and understand the basics and a little bit extra. BUT I need to know what would be better to upgrade because I don't have the $$ for a full build.

I'm running Windows XP on a eMachine T6524 so you can search that if you want to know the specs.

My computer is reasonably fast, but a lot of the time it starts to get really slow. I need to know which part would be best to upgrade.

I run a lot of performance intensive programs. A lot have to do with video such as Sony Vegas, Blender 3D so on and so forth, and sometimes I run multiple of them at once. I need to know if it would be better to upgrade my RAM, CPU, or my Video Card (I know I can't upgrade all three MIGHT be able to upgrade 2 so could u put them in order of what you think would help the most). Right now I have a chipset .

Thanks for the help in advance.

 

[hikaricloud]

Doubt you're going to be able to upgrade the CPU much, it's probably a socket 939.

RAM, you can upgrade to a max of 4gb, not sure if you have 2 or 4 slots. I would get 2gb, since DDR400 RAM is kinda expensive.

Newegg.com - G.SKILL 2GB (2 x 1GB) 184-Pin DDR SDRAM DDR 400 (PC 3200) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model F1-3200PHU2-2GBNS - Desktop Memory

As for a video card, it has a PCI-E slot amazingly enough, so you can upgrade it, but we need to know how many watts your PSU has, since it's not listen on the specs page for your machine.

By the way. Next time you want someone to help you out with upgrading your PC, give us the specs. Don't say "if you really want to know, go google them". That's very counterproductive, and rude.

We are not your paid tech support, we're taking the time to help you out of the goodness of our hearts, get it?

 

[Rotnpankake]

Sorry, I wasn't trying to be rude. I just didn't think you really needed the specs because my question was which would be better to upgrade if I can only get 1. As for watts... It doesn't tell me. Is there anyway I can find it with software or open my case and it'll say on it?

 

[hikaricloud]

It's no problem, just letting you know. WHen upgrading a machine, we need to know the current specs because it gives us the options of what we can upgrade.

Anyway, you can look on the side of the PSU to see how much wattage it has, that's really the only way.

 

[Rotnpankake]

Ok The PSU is 300W max. Just incase I got the model # and brand here is a link if u need it

Bestec ATX-300-12E 300w ATX Power Supply. ATX300-12E.

 

[hikaricloud]

You could grab something like this:

Newegg.com - HIS Hightech H467QT512P Radeon HD 4670 IceQ Turbo 512MB 128-bit GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFire Supported Video Card - Desktop Graphics / Video Cards

How much do you have in your budget?

 

[Rotnpankake]

probably max $150 but the lower the better

 

[hikaricloud]

Is there definitely no chance of you being able to save up that money for a new build? Because buying RAM for this machine will be somewhat of a waste...in a new build, you could spend less money on RAM and get twice as much and it would be faster.

My recommendation is sticking with buying a video card. The 4670 is a pretty nice card on a budget. Then save up the rest of your money towards a new machine. No upgrade to your current computer is going to allow you to see the improvement you want.

When you've saved up enough money for a build (you really only need 400 ish bucks for a decent budget build), you can use the video card in the new machine.

 

[Rotnpankake]

well i'll try and save up some can u recommend me a build (ive seen some people do that in other threads) for a budget of say 500-600$ max

i have a build i would like but its really expensive over $1k O.O

 

[hikaricloud]

I can recommend you a build, but by the time you have enough money it could change pricewise, and combos could expire. But to give you an example, I'll put something together.

Give me a few, I'll post back with a build.

EDIT: Alright, here's an idea for you.

Newegg.com - Computer Parts, PC Components, Laptop Computers, Digital Cameras and more!
Newegg.com - Computer Parts, PC Components, Laptop Computers, Digital Cameras and more!
Newegg.com - Computer Parts, PC Components, Laptop Computers, Digital Cameras and more!
Newegg.com - Western Digital Caviar SE16 WD3200AAKS 320GB 7200 RPM 16MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive - Internal Hard Drives

Total comes to $522.10 after shipping, then you get 30 bucks back in MIRs.

Now, you can make this build even cheaper if you reuse your current HDD, and I built this assuming you're going to salvage your current optical drive.

Threw a better video card in there. If you were going with the 4670, it would be a few bucks cheaper, but going from scratch, the 4850 would be your best bet in this case scenario.