Upgrading family PC

[tetlow_63]

I am currently being asked to upgrade my family's PC for them.

Currently it has a 1.8Ghz P4, 256Mb Ram (SD I think) and a GeForce 2 MX (AGP 4x).

Is it possible to run an AGP 8x on the same slot?
What's the easiest way of discovering what socket processor the PC will need?
Would I need to upgrade the PSU? (Currently using the one that came with it from Dell).
How can I find out how much more RAM it will take?

Bearing in mind that I don't know what motherboard we are using - finding this out would also be useful.

 

[sailpog]

go to www.crucial.com to see about memmory. An AGPx8 card will run in AGPX4 but it wont run to its power.

 

[schulz269]

You well have to call dell and see how u can upgrade it and how much its gonna be however usually the APG video cards can run in 4x/8x slots so it should work jsut find however u might not get hte best proformance out of it useing a 4x slot but it should be better then what you have now.

 

[Trotter]

Post you make and model and we'll see if we can get the specs on it.

 

[tetlow_63]

It's a Dell Dimension 4300, nearly 5 years old. Thanks for the crucial link!

 

[thebleakness]

Heres the tech specs http://support.dell.com/support/edocs/systems/dim4300/specs.htm#1101572

According to that, the maximum RAM that it will take is 512mb.
Power supply is 250W, i dont know how much AGP cards need so i cant help you there. Yes, AGPx8 will work in 4x but only at 4x speeds, not a huge difference between the two but you will notice a difference if you upgrade.
Im thinking that you have a 478 pentium 4 but im not entirely sure. Download cpu-z and tell us what you have.

 

[tetlow_63]

Yeah, it is Socket 478.

What would you say is the best way to upgrade it cost effectively?

I was thinking an 8x gpu, as the 4x ones available don't seem to great, another 256mb of RAM and a Celeron 2.8ghz processor. How much difference would that make?

 

[macdude425]

A good bit, but if you can cost effectively max out the RAM, I suggest you do that, especially if you're running Windows XP.

 

[tetlow_63]

That's the plan, apparently 512 is the max capacity. Which would be a better card - A an ATI 9250/9550 or a GeForce FX 5200/5500?