Upgrade of Pavillion 502n worth it

[Guest]

I have a couple of PC's in kids rec area and one of them is seldom used because its so slow - even basic Internet.

Its a HP Pavillion 502n running Windows XP SP3 with 1.3GHz celeron processor. Its had a few upgrades - now full 512Mb RAM, 80G HD and RADEON 9200 video card (think power supply was changed out too).

They are girls and current gaming tends to be either web-based or Sims.

At first I thought slowness was due to all the cr@p they install but I've reinstalled to a base OS etc (only 10Gb used) and still no better so thinkin of upgrading the motherboard, processor & RAM....... but is it worth it?

If it is can someone recomend a suitable motherboard/processor that will suit this case?

Thanks,
Mark

 

[Guest]

Also what tests should I run to see if I have motherboard, CPU, Memory or other hardware issue that is causing the slow response (i'm sure it never used to run this slow for basic Internet (and I have 25 Mbps/15 Mbps FiOS)

 

[Guest]

Thats my thinking too, and I think one issue is the McAfee software as it runs better with it removed. I've run harddrive, CPU & memory tests and all clean.

Think I will re-assign this peice of junk to be a MAME arcade machine and keep an eye on buy.com for something.

 

[Guest]

I've upgraded things like memory. psu's, graphics cards etc. & loaded software just not clued up on what’s needed to build from scratch. I know most pre-built are junk but having teenage girls that are not big PC gamers they usually suit - for instance their other PC is a

HP Pavillion a6244n
Intel Core 2 Duo E4500
3Mb Ram
GE Force 8300 GS
Vista Home Premium

And this seems to meet all their current gaming needs - but with 2 of them they are always fighting over it.

So if you have a suggestion on an I guess entry level gaming PC appreciate some guidane. (I think most intensive games are Sims 2/Harry Potter)

 

[Guest]

$500ish but can buy over time if thats not realistic (once tax refunds are in)

 

[Guest]

I'm definitly open to the idea - is there a good resource on how to select right parts. As you can see I don't need anything special at this time but be good to know can upgrade if required.

 

[Guest]

Great - if your willing to provide a list of what I need really appreciate.

 

[Guest]

Ha, Ha, Lucky You.

No rush - like say may need to wait for Tax Rebate but can keep look out for specials on Newegg.

 

[britinva]

I never received my registration email last time around so account was deleted. This time I did so hopefully I won't dissapear.

Still interested in some DIY build guidance.

Cheers,
Mark

 

[britinva]

Yeah was a problem with registration - hopefully won't get deleted again

 

[britinva]

Yeah - same sort of budget.

Was looking at this as a possible option - seems to come in around $550
http://www.hardware-revolution.com/budget-gaming-pc-q4-2010/

But open to other suggestions.

 

[britinva]

Yep, the Tier1 does seem like a resonable system for not too much $$$

If you think Tier1 is a good starting system then I'll keep bookmarked - then I'll see how tax rebates go and if I can stretch to a better system using some Tier2 parts. But this by far should be better than their current prime PC (Pavillion a6244n - 2.2GHz with #Gb RAM)

 

[britinva]

Best answer selected by britinva.