Dell Dimension 4550 Upgrade???

[lsume05]

I have a Dell Dimension 4550 which is about 10 years old. It's main purpose is surfing the web, word processing, pictures......typical home computer. Is it worth investing money into to make some upgrades, and what upgrades should I make.

My System:
Intel Pentium 4 1.80GHz
1GB Ram
Nvidia GeForce4 MX420
Western Digital 80GB 7200RPM 8MB

I would like to be able to run Window 7 and Microsoft Office 2010 without the system bogging down.

 

[rolli59]

That machine is best left in its current configuration. There will be no gain in installing windows 7 and many of the features on the motherboard will not have driver support in windows 7 and neither does the graphics card. A new system would be in order. http://www.dell.com/us/p/inspiron-570/fs

 

[etk]

Is your 1GB of RAM 512*2? are there 2 more open RAM slots? An extra GB of RAM, a new CPU cooler and a mild oveclock to 2.2 GHz or so should get you what you want, this should cost around $50. Though I would personally just get a new system.


Look for a 790GX motherboard, a cheap Athlon II X2, a BRAND NAME 300-350W PSU, 2 GB of DDR 3, a new HDD (recommended, not required) and a cheap case. You can re-use your CD-ROM, HDD, monitors, Keyboard, and mouse. This should cost you around $200 including a 500GB HDD, $300 if you include win 7.

 

[lsume05]

Thanks for the responses. I figured that would be the response I would get. Should I consider building a new computer myself or just get a Dell. I don't have a whole lot of computer knowledge, but I always thought building my own would be fun and give me more options for upgrades further down the road.

 

[rolli59]

If you are up for building yourself then that is the way to go!

 

[etk]

Definately don't be intimidated by building your own. Computers go together like lego's these days. Just submit your selected parts in the proper format on the homebuilt forum to have people check for compatability. Make sure you let people know you just use it for work processing and internet, so they don;t reccoment add on's you won't need. Your motherboard will have instructions on putting it all together physically.