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Upgrade or Buy New

Discussion in 'Computers & Technology Forum' started by tyndale1946, Dec 9, 2002.

  1. tyndale1946

    tyndale1946 Well-Known Member
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    I have a micron 450 MegHz Pentium 2 10GB and it is 5 years old... Would it be more cost effective(I'm cheap)to upgrade the old one or buy a new one. I don't do much on the computer except go to internet sites and very seldom play games on it or download music or the various things others do on theirs. What would everyone recommend seeing that I am basically using my computer in a low functioning capacity? Would it be benefical for me to upgrade and add more gigs and memory or buy new as computer are cheap and I can get more for my money?... If I do buy new what would you all recommend for my needs?... Brother Glen [​IMG]
     
  2. rsr

    rsr <b> 7,000 posts club</b>
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    Bro. Glen, you didn't say how much memory you have. Memory is cheap now, so you might get a pretty good bang for your buck that way.

    Sounds like your machine is fine for what you're using it for. I wouldn't recommend spending a lot on upgrades. You likely can't do much better than a 450 on that motherboard. Besides, new machines are available at some really good prices.

    If you want to buy new, Gateway is offering a $399 model (with free shipping) and TigerDirect has a complete e-machine (minus monitor) for $299. Dell starts at $569 (with monitor, CD burner and larger hard drive.)

    [ December 09, 2002, 04:46 PM: Message edited by: rsr ]
     
  3. Don

    Don Well-Known Member
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    Brother Glen, you didn't tell us what you're exactly using the machine for.

    Based on what you said you're not using it for, I'm not sure you need to upgrade.
     
  4. Twizzler

    Twizzler Member

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    Glen,

    450Mhz would be a huge upgrade for me! I'm still running on an old 166MHz machine and it does just fine for everything I need.

    If the only thing you're doing is surfing the internet and sending / receiving email your current machine is more than adequate. If you feel it's being bogged down you may want to re-format the hard drive and get rid of everything you don't need. You can also add more RAM for next to nothing and still have a powerful internet machine.

    If you decide to throw it away give me a call. I'll pay for shipping to my dump. [​IMG]

    tw
     
  5. tyndale1946

    tyndale1946 Well-Known Member
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    I typed a long description of my problem but when I went to send it internal server error... If this gets through I have 128MB of SDRAM... It is only 4 years old and paid $2,180 for it and when I first started it could it fly. Now I'm having problems and being a computer dork what do I keep and what do I throw away if I want to tweak it? What about calling one of those in home services to give it a tune up or is it to much or will they try to sell me something I don't need? HELP!!!!... Brother Glen :confused:
     
  6. Twizzler

    Twizzler Member

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    Brother Glen,

    That's what nerdy friends are for. (Don't take offense to my reference to nerds; I'm proud to be a nerd!) I've got all kinds of friends (and family - not always the same).

    Like I said before, if you want to throw it away I have a computer dump in my basement and would be happy to help you out.

    Just run the computer into Best Buy, tell them to dump everything off the hard drive except the operating system and drivers. You'll have to reload all of your software, but if you're only using it for the internet, then you don't really have anything to load. They should do this for about 50 bucks. If they want much more, then their trying to rip you off. Make sure you tell them to wipe everything off but the OS and drivers.

    tw [​IMG]
     
  7. pinoybaptist

    pinoybaptist Active Member
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    Why are you thinking of upgrading ? If you use your computer simply to surf then leave it as it is. Even adding memory is just going to be an unnecessary expense if all you do is surf and do not use MP3's or stream video or stream music.

    On the other hand, if you do other things like Word Processing or Spreadsheets or a little programming on the side, then simply find out the maximum memory your system can upgrade to and upgrade your memory and your bios.

    It's fun to be able to build your own machine, so if you really want to you can go to half.com for good component prices, then pick up other components elsewhere in the net. For all you know the neighborhood computer parts store may have some stuff that comes cheaper than the ones in the net.

    Otherwise, buying a new machine is the way to go.
     
  8. Don

    Don Well-Known Member
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    Brother Glen, why exactly do you think you need to upgrade? Are you starting to have performance problems? Computer slowing down? What's causing you to think it might be time to trade in the old family Ford for a new Cadillac?
     
  9. tyndale1946

    tyndale1946 Well-Known Member
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    Had a friend come over and give it a tweak today and now it is running fine. Daughter had to much of her stuff bogging down the system and just turned it off. My daughter is 26 and when she comes over with husband and grandaughter she loves to get on this computer. She has one but doesn't have access to the net. So she puts it here and that is where it stays. I can't remove anything as I don't know what it is or what it is for and I'm afraid if I remove the wrong thing... CRASH!... I'm fine now and thanks everyone for their help... Maybe next year they will have their own new computer with internet service and they will leave mine be... Thanks everyone for your help!... Brother Glen [​IMG]
     
  10. pinoybaptist

    pinoybaptist Active Member
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    Saying this with love, Bro. Glen. Next time your daughter comes tell her to create a folder on the desktop and put all her downloads there including the .exe files [​IMG]
     
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