would PATA drive affect performance alot?

hi

i'm planning on replacing my gf's computer that's breaking down (its reaaaaaally old). however, i dont have enough money right now to buy her everything and her comp is getting worse and worse. she tends to game alot and i was wondering if her current 5400RPM PATA drive would restrict her gaming too much. the games she plays most often are tf2 and sims 2. i dont normally order new-build pieces until i can afford everything, but this is a special case. do u think her drive could hold her down for a couple of weeks? would she get normal fps with it in these 2 games at least?

Replacing a 5200 rpm drive to a 7200 rpm sure will boost the performance. There are pretty cheap 7200 rpm drives out there these days.

If you're going for a new harddrive I would recommend Western Digital(good quality). It's my favourite brand when it comes to harddrives. They are simply the best despite the fact that they are not always the fastest ones.