Hi, I'm upgrading my parent's computer (they don't want to buy a new one nor do they want me to get them a new one - they just would like it smoother and faster with minimal change!). Here are the current specs:
ASUS mobo: M2NBP-VM CSM
AMD Athlon 60 3500+ cpu
RAM: 1gb Corsair 800mhz 5-5-5-12
On board video
20gb hdd (yeah, 20gb - wow!)
Windows XP Home edition
They use the computer for email, web browsing, and photos. One wouldn't think that would take much, but the computer is SLOW! I know the harddrive probably has a lot to do with it.
I've already bought a Western Digital 250 gb hard drive and an NVIDIA GeForce 8400GS Video Card (my mom switched back to her older CRT because she couldn't get the new flat screen monitor the way she wanted; I'm hoping the video card will help there). I'm now looking at adding RAM and possibly upgrading the CPU somewhat, but I want to get the best bang for the buck. I've been researching, and I'm pretty sure I'm best off just getting another stick of 1gb RAM so that it runs in dual channel. However, my RAM is Corsar CM2x1024-6400 G (5-5-5-12), and from what I've read, the sticks need to be exact, and I can't find another 5-5-5-12 stick or one with the G suffix. Does that matter for this purpose?
As for the CPU, should I post that question to the CPU section, or can someone here advise me on that too? Thanks!
ASUS mobo: M2NBP-VM CSM
AMD Athlon 60 3500+ cpu
RAM: 1gb Corsair 800mhz 5-5-5-12
On board video
20gb hdd (yeah, 20gb - wow!)
Windows XP Home edition
They use the computer for email, web browsing, and photos. One wouldn't think that would take much, but the computer is SLOW! I know the harddrive probably has a lot to do with it.
I've already bought a Western Digital 250 gb hard drive and an NVIDIA GeForce 8400GS Video Card (my mom switched back to her older CRT because she couldn't get the new flat screen monitor the way she wanted; I'm hoping the video card will help there). I'm now looking at adding RAM and possibly upgrading the CPU somewhat, but I want to get the best bang for the buck. I've been researching, and I'm pretty sure I'm best off just getting another stick of 1gb RAM so that it runs in dual channel. However, my RAM is Corsar CM2x1024-6400 G (5-5-5-12), and from what I've read, the sticks need to be exact, and I can't find another 5-5-5-12 stick or one with the G suffix. Does that matter for this purpose?
As for the CPU, should I post that question to the CPU section, or can someone here advise me on that too? Thanks!