- Mar 2, 2015
- 2
- 0
- 4,510
My father has a Dell XPS 420 that he purchased in Oct 2008. The system is configured with:
CPU: Intel Core 2 Quad Q9400 2.66 GHz
RAM: 3GB DDR2 SDRAM at 800 MHz
GRAPHICS: ATI Radeon HD 3650
OS: Win 7 x86 Pro, but the system will support x64 OS.
The HDD (7200 PRM) has crashed and he’s having to replace the drive. He’s complaining about the system being slow and he’s weighing his options:
(1) Replace the failed HDD with a comparable drive.
(2) Replace the HDD with a SSD (Samsung 850 EVO 250 GB | $123) and/or upgrade the RAM to 8GB ($65). Add a HDD (7200 RPM) for data storage. Total cost for the upgrade (less the HDD) is $188. I have an unused license for Win 7 Pro x64; so I plan to put x64 OS on the system.
(3) Replace the computer.
I’m not sure how to do a benchmark or a valid comparison for upgrading the system versus a new computer.
He primarily uses the computer for web browsing, email, word processing and photo editing. Occasionally, he does some video editing. But, no gaming.
He’s leaning toward upgrading system components, but we’re not sure if it will yield a noticeable performance improvement.
My questions, what is the most effective upgrade for his system and which components make the most sense? If we go with option 2, should we install both the SSD and the additional memory? Or, go with one over the other. He’s looking for a noticeable upgrade in performance?
Thank you for your assistance.
CPU: Intel Core 2 Quad Q9400 2.66 GHz
RAM: 3GB DDR2 SDRAM at 800 MHz
GRAPHICS: ATI Radeon HD 3650
OS: Win 7 x86 Pro, but the system will support x64 OS.
The HDD (7200 PRM) has crashed and he’s having to replace the drive. He’s complaining about the system being slow and he’s weighing his options:
(1) Replace the failed HDD with a comparable drive.
(2) Replace the HDD with a SSD (Samsung 850 EVO 250 GB | $123) and/or upgrade the RAM to 8GB ($65). Add a HDD (7200 RPM) for data storage. Total cost for the upgrade (less the HDD) is $188. I have an unused license for Win 7 Pro x64; so I plan to put x64 OS on the system.
(3) Replace the computer.
I’m not sure how to do a benchmark or a valid comparison for upgrading the system versus a new computer.
He primarily uses the computer for web browsing, email, word processing and photo editing. Occasionally, he does some video editing. But, no gaming.
He’s leaning toward upgrading system components, but we’re not sure if it will yield a noticeable performance improvement.
My questions, what is the most effective upgrade for his system and which components make the most sense? If we go with option 2, should we install both the SSD and the additional memory? Or, go with one over the other. He’s looking for a noticeable upgrade in performance?
Thank you for your assistance.
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