Computers should update themselves.

[Dangerous55]

I wish my computer was better.

I got a

AMD Athlon xp 3200+ `2.2 GHZ
512 Ram
Radeon 9200 256
80 Gig HD


It was outdated when I bought it start of school last year. I also though I had a 3.2 GHZ whatever, I coulda swore I did i thought thats what the guy told me.


What is good about my system, and anyone know any cheap and easy upgrades?

Im starting too get back into some games. The FEAR demo is sweet, it runs good and is playable but on low settings.

[ABDUR101]

Get a newer 3D card and 1gyg of ram and you should be ok I'd imagine. Just make sure you buy a 3D card that uses the slots available in your comp(PCI-Express are whats being used for newer cards, but you should have an AGP slot, and definately standard PCI. Hell, depending on when you bought it, maybe even a PCI-Express as well)

[Kent]

The CPU is good, and the HDD is adequate. More RAM is always nice... I need to get some more, too. 1GB RAM will most likely suit games really well (but most motherboards support more than that, not that you'll really need more, but RAM always boosts performance).

But the video card needs definate improvement. You could probably get a GeForce 6800 pretty cheap now, and that's a really good card. 7000-series are still pretty pricey, and I haven't had the honor os seeing one in action yet, but they've got to be pretty good. I'd still wait until the price went down, though.

But yeah, you'll need to know the specifics about what your motherboard supports, how much RAM it can support, whether it's standard PCI or Express, if it has an AGP slot (some of the newer PCs are coming with motherboards without AGP slots any more), and if so, what speed... Depending on your motherboard and how much of a hole in your wallet you're willing to make, you might be able to rig yourself up a nice little SLI system.

[KodiaX987]

Mini-help. http://pso-world.com/images/phpbb/icons/smiles/icon_smile.gif Athlon processors run slower than Intel but the performance in the end is equivalent. This is why your 2.2 GHz CPU is called a 3200, because it can do the same work as a 3.2 GHz Pentium.

[VioletSkye]

A really nice (free) program for figuring out specifics about your system is EVEREST (http://www.lavalys.com/products/overview.php?pid=1〈=en). It will give you detailed info on on your Motherboard, CPU, Videocard, Monitor, Storage devices, Network adapters, multimedia, input devices and more. It can help you figure out what types of slots you have and how many, what type of RAM you are currently using and how many slots they take up.

If your PC has only two slots for memory (which is more common in lower end systems/motherboards) and you are using (2)x 256MB sticks then you would have to get rid of at least 1 stick of memory and maybe both depending on the type of RAM in order to upgrade. If you are using (1) 512MB stick of RAM or if your motherboard has 3 or 4 slots for RAM then come as close as you can to getting the same type of RAM your system currently uses (Everest can give you that info.) The CPU is just fine and could probably be overclocked a little without the need for additional cooling if you don't go to extreme with it. Everest will also give you CPU and Motherboard temperatures which you can use to gauge how much hotter your system runs after overclocking. Turn your PC on and let it run for at least 30 minutes using programs you normally use (or better yet playing a game) then check the temp. Then OC the CPU slightly and play again for 10 minutes and check the temp. As long as the temp raises only within the 10-12 degree range, you're fine. Play for another 10 minutes and check again, if everything looks good, play for another 10 minutes. If after 30 minutes your temp hasn't raised over 10-12 degrees, you're good to go. If it hasn't raised much at all, them OC the CPU a little more (go in very small steps) and test again. You really don't want to go much higher than 60 degrees C, otherwise you'll need to look into addtional cooling, either through more/better fans or some type of liquid cooling (which I do NOT recommend for novices.)

Keep in mind that many off the shelf brand pcs have motherboards that will not allow you to OC them without modding and some CPUs simply won't allow it. If thats the case, then leave the CPU alone unless you know what you are doing. The 2.2GHz is just fine http://pso-world.com/images/phpbb/icons/smiles/icon_smile.gif

You could definitely use a new videocard if you plan on playing any of the newer games. Although the 9800 Pro is still a good card and is fairly cheap now, I quit recommending it because it won't keep up with the current slew of games on the horizon and I try to recommend hardware that will at least make it through a few generations of hardware. 6800GT's have come down in price quite a bit and would be a more suitable upgrade. You can pick up 9800 Pro 128MB versions for around $120-$130 but honestly 128MB is cutting it too close for newer games. The 256MB flavors are close enough in price to a 6800GT that for an extra $50-$70 you can get a 6800GT.

DUH http://pso-world.com/images/phpbb/icons/smiles/icon_lol.gif I totally forgot to post a guide for overclocking. My bad, anyway, you SHOULD!!!! read through the following before you attempt this:

Overclocking Guide (http://www.hardforum.com/showthread.php?t=795444).

<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: VioletSkye on 2005-10-12 12:37 ]</font>

[Dangerous55]

Thank you all, looks like I need to start saving my cash. Between this, guns, and the new consoles I am screwed.


Oh yeah, I downloaded some PerformanceTest program. My computer got a 335.2 after all the tests.

[Dangerous55]

Also, how many Processes is normal to be running, when I bring up the Task Manager. I usually only run like AIM, MSN, Steam, a browser and Windows Media Player. But there are a ton of processes up that I don't know what they are. Any help with that?

[VioletSkye]

On 2005-10-12 18:31, Dangerous55 wrote:
Also, how many Processes is normal to be running, when I bring up the Task Manager. I usually only run like AIM, MSN, Steam, a browser and Windows Media Player. But there are a ton of processes up that I don't know what they are. Any help with that?


The amount of processes really depends on the pc and whats installed. When I optimize machines for people I always see TONS of programs that they have going at startup that are totally unnecessary and makes their bootup time ridiculously long. I normally have around 26-28 processes running depending on what I'm doing. You may have more or less which is fine. Make sure to remove any unnecessary programs from startup and that will stop a few of the processes from running.


If you would like info on what they are, check out the TASKLIST link at Answers That Work. (http://www.answersthatwork.com/)

<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: VioletSkye on 2005-10-12 18:44 ]</font>

[Blitzkommando]

Do you really have that 3200+ running at 2.2GHz? Cause, that is some pretty darn good overclocking there. That brings it up to 3400+ speed.

Harddrives are rather cheap today. And, expect some changes there in the near future with the Hitachi drives coming out soon that have new methods for writing the data. Anyway, if you have a bay open you can probably find, depending on how much you want to spend, a rather affordable 160 GB drive. I know Best Buy has sales on their 80GB drives pretty consistantly though. Usually for $20-25 a drive with the rebate. And you could also spend a bit more and find 160GB drives for as low as $40. Either choice is a very good deal.

Video cards is really dependent on what type of slot you have in your computer. If it is AGP the best you could buy is the 6800 GT most likely. But if PCI-Express it could go either with the 7800 series by nVidia or the X1800 series by ATI now. But, if you aren't looking to spend $300+ on a card, like most people, a 6800 would probably be your best bet for cost versus functionality. I would suggest the X800 series, however, it does not have Smart Shader 3.0 and has slightly lower scores than the 6800 series. Smart Shader 3.0 is something I find important because without it you cannot run HDR (High Dynamic Range) Lighting in most games. And, because this is a relatively low load nicety but also fairly noticable, I figure why not have the feature for future games.

Like I said above, the 3200+ is a pretty darn solid processor. I am using one myself right now. A question here that could very well extend the life of your computer is this: Do you have the 939 Socket or the 754 Socket? To tell, this program makes it rather easy. CPU-Z (http://www.cpuid.org/cpuz.php) Simply run it and at the line where it says "Package" it will say the socket set. A 939 socket means you can, in the future, replace it with either a Dual-Core X2 series of the Athlon 64 (Which I would not recommend for gaming) or the FX series Athlon 64. Both of those are monsters, with the X2 series designed more for server type computers and the FX for gaming. And, I suppose, if you really wanted to replace it now, you could even go with the Athlon 64 4000+, which is the same chip as the FX53 for just over $350. This would boost a number of aspects of the processor, most notably, the speed to 2.4GHz. While that doesn't sound like a lot, THIS (http://www.pcstats.com/articleview.cfm?articleID=1666) article can explain why it is superior to the 3800+ and all the other previous 64s under the FX series.

As I said, it all depends on how much you are willing to put into the computer. But, mind you, the more you put in, the longer it will last and thus more you will get out.

[VioletSkye]

He didn't need to OC it, there are 3200's that run at 2.2GHz as the default speed. There are two models of 3200, the 2.0GHZ (Socket 939) and the 2.2 GHz (Socket 754 and Socket A.) And for the XP 3200+, 2.2 GHz is the standard default speed regardless of mobo. Also the Socket 754 3400's only run at 2.0 GHz. Since he is running a 3200 XP his mobo is probably a Socket A.

<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: VioletSkye on 2005-10-12 22:17 ]</font>