I have a Dell Dimension 4600 w/ a P4@2.4Ghz, 512 Mb RAM, 80 Gb HD, and a nVidia GeForce 5200 FX gfx card running M$ Windows XP SP2. I run software like photoshop, 3ds max, Guild Wars, Halo, UT2K4, and other editing programs/games. My computer isnt really slow at running these, but id like them to be a little more fast/efficient w/ them. Which hardware should I upgrade first to receive the best performance increase(within a reasonable price range)?
What do i need to upgrade?
- Thread starter gamer_013
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Hmmm... Photoshop is CPU intensive, while your games need a better graphics card.
My suggestion would be to go for a better vid card, and possibly a new PSU (Dell brand, of course, since an off-the-shelf one won't work with a Dell mobo).
A new CPU would be cheaper, however. I don't know the stats for your computer, but I figure that it is a socket 478. So it would depend on what FSB your mobo could handle. If it is 533, then you can go up to a 2.8 for $165. If it can hit 800, then you can go to 3.4E for $288.
Prices from NewEgg.
My suggestion would be to go for a better vid card, and possibly a new PSU (Dell brand, of course, since an off-the-shelf one won't work with a Dell mobo).
A new CPU would be cheaper, however. I don't know the stats for your computer, but I figure that it is a socket 478. So it would depend on what FSB your mobo could handle. If it is 533, then you can go up to a 2.8 for $165. If it can hit 800, then you can go to 3.4E for $288.
Prices from NewEgg.
Well, i would like a new CPU but what kind of difference would 400/1000 MHz make, and would it really be worth another $165/$288?(i only have around $300 to spend right now) And i was thinking about purchasing another 512 Mb of RAM; how do i find out which kind my motherboard supports?
RAM help
I found out what type of RAM i need w/ CPU-Z(pic shows specs). Does it matter if its DIMM? Because i was wondering if this would work: http://www.pricegrabber.com/search_getprod.php/masterid=851955/search=512MB+DDR+SDRAM I want another 512MB thats around $40-60.
I have 4 slots, my current RAM are in slots 1 and 3.
I found out what type of RAM i need w/ CPU-Z(pic shows specs). Does it matter if its DIMM? Because i was wondering if this would work: http://www.pricegrabber.com/search_getprod.php/masterid=851955/search=512MB+DDR+SDRAM I want another 512MB thats around $40-60.
I have 4 slots, my current RAM are in slots 1 and 3.
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