i wanna soup my computer up, help needed

[Rongi]

i have about 600 bucks and i wanna make my computer all supar good n shit. i want a new video card so i can hook up my other monitor and have DUAL MONITAR ACSHUN :O. i also wanna be able to play good looking games and not have it look like shit or be slow. so all you nerds out there, your assistance is needed

[ziggytrix]

what are you starting from?

[Rongi]

well i have an extremely crappy vid card according to chojin ( 32MB ATI Rage 128 Ultra ). i have a dell desktop. it's a dimension 4550

[ziggytrix]

ok, i'm basing my info off http://support.dell.com/support/edoc...cs.htm#1101572

memory is usually the worst choke point on most machine builds outta places like dell. if you've got less than 512MB of RAM, you should add some RAM.

dell's website says the 4550's only take up to 512MB DIMMS and you have two slots, so I'd get this for 1GB total for $115 (cheap!).

you have WAY too many options on the video card, but an important question is do you see yourself moving this card to a new system in the future, or are you just trying the get another year outta this box?

personally, I'd prolly just get this for under 200 bux, which was a high-end card once-upon-a-time. it's a toy, too, with support for dual-monitors, cable TV, and all that whack shit you get with ATI's AIW cards.

whatever you do, make sure you get a card that uses 4X AGP interface, cuz that's the max your current motherboard should be able to handle.

for anything more, you'd be better off throwing together a barebones system to just replace your current machine, but that could be a little more than 600 bucks, depending on the quality of your components.

[Rongi]

i think i've had this thing for about 2 or 3 years. it should prolly last me 3 or 4 more.

i only have 256mbs of ram

[ziggytrix]

also, if your current HDD is not an ATA-100, get one of those too. disk access time is a big bottleneck in gaming. there are faster drives out there, but your current mobo doesn't support them. it doesn't have to be huge capacity if you have room in your case and still keep your old drive. big cache and small seek times are what you need.

if you're thinking about overclocking your components you'll need to talk to someone else, cuz i don't do overclocking.

[Rongi]

i dont even know what overclocking means

my current ata is a "intel 82801DB Ultra ATA Storage Controller - 24CD" where could i get an ata 100?

[ziggytrix]

hahah, that's funny. overclocking is where you change the voltage output of your mobo to make your processor run faster (and hotter) than factory spec. i think you're gonna fuck this up if you don't do some research or get someone to help you in person.

look at this selection of 7200RPM EIDE drives - you can only use Ultra ATA100 or slower drives, so don't buy one of the 133s.

[felix_tibs]

If you are planning on SOUPing up your computer, I recommend a Santa Fe Chiocken soup. Also, Beef N Barley is tasty during the summer months.

Hope this helps(I know it didnt).

[Rongi]

ziggy, i have a hardware geek friend who kicks my ass in halo all the time so i'll consult him on all this junk

and felix, thank you for being generally useless

[executioneer]

lol i was gonna post a picture of campbells bean with bacon

[Rongi]

[executioneer]

if it was me i'd start a new computer from scratch, but that's because i dont like out-of-the-box computers like dells or w/e v. much

-willie

[Rongi]

i dont know anyone who would make one for me

[executioneer]

you could pay the computor store to do it for you

[Rongi]

how much would they do it for

[executioneer]

idk like 50 an hour? or maybe less :/ i got my motherboard and processor installed but did the rest myself, because i had a bad experience with motherboards installs

[Rongi]

lol should i save up for an alienware computer

[executioneer]

idk ive never used one

[Rongi]

i just wanna be able to play good looking games without slow down and shit damnit like hl2

[Rongi]

http://www.newegg.com/app/viewproduc...142-037&DEPA=1

is there anyway i could use that card on my machine? it sounds sexy as hell.

and ziggy, that link you gave me for ATA dun work

[ziggytrix]

it uses a PCI Express BUS interface (which is new) and your machine only supports AGP 2X/4X

with a new motherboard, it would be possible, but with a proprietary dell case, i'm not sure how easy it would be to put a new mobo in, and really if you're talking about replacing the motherboard, that prolly means the processor, and you've said you want a new video card, and you're gonna need more than 256MB ram... well hell, you've almost got a whole new computer right there.

sorry bout the busted link, try this. That 120GB Seatgate with the 5 year warranty looks like a good deal to me, but you've got lots of options.

and damn this thread for making me realize how NOT up to date my box is

[Rongi]

i think i'll just stick with the radeon. a new motherboard would be a total hassle :/

ok so basically i need these three things...

http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProduc...102-352&depa=1

http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProduc...141-434&depa=1

http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProduc...144-129&depa=1

thnx so much ziggy :D

[whoreable]

for gaming i would recommend more than that aiw card. unless you plan on using the tv tuner and crap you can get another card that is much faster for the same price.

something like this would blow it away in games.

http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProduc...102-362&depa=1

one problem you might run into is power, this dimensions has a 250 watt poweruspply. it might not be enough for a new card.

If you wannt do the motherboard proc replacement you are better off getting a new system. cases are so cheap these days.

You might also want to check more of your system specs here http://support.dell.com/support/topi...&~ck=mn&~tab=3

This system originally came with a wide variety of processors that range alot in terms of speed.

[executioneer]

he's got the 2.0 gig one fyi