Upgrade my 2005 dimension 4700??

[sm99eagle]

Hello,
I was wanting to know if my computer should be upgraded or recycled, it has a pentium 4 (2.8 ghz) 160 GB SATA hard drive, 512 MB DDR2 ram. I am running xp. It runs fine, but is slower than all get out when trying to load anything and it gets confused alot. I don't have a huge budget and I don't wanna waste money on a 6 year old machine. I thought about just getting 4 GB ram kit, but I don't know what to do..confused....lol. Thank you for any imput.

 

[rolli59]

Running XP the only upgrade I would make is getting a 2GB ram kit http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820178095
Apart from that the next step would be a full system upgrade.

 

[king smp]

For XP 4gb ram would be overkill.
On 1gb XP runs smooth and on 2gb it runs optimal.
if you can find the memory really cheap then put 1gb or 2gb in.
With that said I personally would re-install XP and the programs you
actually really use.
If it has been a long time since the OS was installed then over
a long period of time the operating system will naturally slow
down due to junk and unnecessary files.
If you dont know how or dont want to reinstall XP then
try CCleaner (free-just google it and download)
Use that to clean up junk files and also reduce the number of startup
programs (option under tools for startups) that are starting with Windows since they slow you down.
Also use the registry cleaner built into CCleaner
If you havent defragmented the hard drive do that also.
I dont know your level of computer expertise so if you have questions
post back

 

[lysinger]

I second king SMP:
4gb ram is overkill for win XP unless you are doing photo editing or video editing.
Backup and Reload windows if you haven't done so in 3 years or more


I have a dimension 4700 3.2ghz with 2gb ram, winXP, radeon HD 4670 video card, and a 1tb caviar green SATA HD.

If you want more speed and want to keep your setup:

$50 Radeon HD 5450 video card on sale (stop using shared memory for the onboard video card)
$50-55 used P4 570 or 570J 3.8ghz CPU that will run on that board
$65-190 WD caviar black 64mb cache SATA II drive *optional*

(you will need to upgrade your CPU cooler or the chassis cooling fan, I had to do so as the stock cooler kept the chassis cooling fan running at top speed at idle and was keeping me awake at night. I used the cooler out of a dimension 8400 I trash picked on the side of the road that also had the 3.2ghz CPU in it ^_^)

 

[king smp]

thanks lysinger
To the OP
If your in the USA then careful how much you spend upgrading
when you get around the 150 USD you can look around Craigslist and
pick up a faster system or start to look into building your own (150 dollars
is amd dual core + mobo + ram with a few bucks towards case and psu)
I think keeping older systems upgraded CHEAPLY if they still do what you
want them to do is a great thing (like getting a free P4 3.2) but
prices have dropped on older OEM systems with AMD duals and lower end Core2Duos on Craigslist so that is something
to keep in mind.
Though as long as HD and Video card are SATA and PCI-E then they can be used later on newer system but I wouldnt get a new CPU unless it was under $20.
$100 bucks easily buys an AMD quad core or Core2Duo cpu nowadays.

 

[kitaware]

I had a 4700 (3.2hz-HT/2.5gb ram/256mb v.card with DVI) too....
...with a couple of extra HDD (40gb OS/200gb/160gb) and it was not going to pay to improve it...

I wanted to upgrade for photoshopping...and this is what I did...

I got an i7-860 with Win7-64bit/6gb Ram/2 HDD (500gb each)/512mb 5450 for $500 from HP business outlet (cheap cybermonday deal)
...essentially 3x or more improvement in all aspects of the machine including the obvious 1 core to 4 core cpu...

....I sold my 4700 and 3 extra (IDE) HDDs for $200 for a net upgrade cost of $300...

You don't say what you'll be doing with your PC...but...

You could upgrade yours for $200-300...or...

You can still get an HP refurbished i5-750 turbo quad core/6gb/700gb HDD/512mb 5450) for $465...sell your 4700 for $125 and your new PC (very similar to mine) will be less than $350...hard to beat that I think...

 

[king smp]

^ +1
if possible budget wise that is a great way to go

 

[saaiello]

Only thing to really do is add RAM and maybe get a new hard drive. The RAM I would try to find on ebay RAM is real cheap rite now so get it while its down. I suggest hard drive too because it will help handle program loads and it will also help multitasking out some too. The hard drive I would go new all the way but can be brought to a new system if you do decide you need more speed then what your system can offer.

Try to keep it under $100 for total upgrades.

 

[sm99eagle]

WOW, thanks everyone for the imput. I am a novice at computers for the most part. I have NEVER reinstalled xp in the 6 years I have had it. I do have the disk that it came wit hand the driver and utility disk as well. I am basically just using it to surf the web and download movies or music, nothing extreme. I am kinda confused on which ram I need. I know it is a 240 pin DDR2 sdram dimms. Is that all I need to make sure when ordering? Would this RAM work? http://www.buy.com/prod/kingston-valueram-2gb-ddr2-sdram-memory-module-2gb-2-x-1gb-667mhz-ddr2/q/loc/101/202362124.html . Again thank you guys for making me feel right at home and not some idiot trying to learn about computers.

 

[sm99eagle]

Best answer selected by sm99eagle.

 

[king smp]

WOW, thanks everyone for the imput. I am a novice at computers for the most part. I have NEVER reinstalled xp in the 6 years I have had it. I do have the disk that it came wit hand the driver and utility disk as well. I am basically just using it to surf the web and download movies or music, nothing extreme. I am kinda confused on which ram I need. I know it is a 240 pin DDR2 sdram dimms. Is that all I need to make sure when ordering? Would this RAM work? http://www.buy.com/prod/kingston-valueram-2gb-ddr2-sdram-memory-module-2gb-2-x-1gb-667mhz-ddr2/q/loc/101/202362124.html . Again thank you guys for making me feel right at home and not some idiot trying to learn about computers.

I would go with the ram Rolli59 mentioned.
Doesnt have to be that brand but same specs.
If you go to crucial memory website they have a great memory finder for you to get your specs.
It is done by model number.
Also if reinstalling Windows is too much than I highly recommend CCleaner.
it is a free program.
just google it.
alot of tech swear by it.
using that plus defragmenting your hard drive
plus more ram
will definitely help
also consider a video card if your not using one now
that will substantially increase computer speed also
there is a graphics display forum here if you want to post there
to figure out what card is best
though i would definitley keep it low budget
Thank You very much for best answer
There is alot of great members here at Toms that
really like to help "noobies" who are willing to learn
We all started off being noobies after all LOL

 

[king smp]

also it really is time to consider a new tower.
if financially possible then you should start to look into it
your tower is still worth a few bucks used around $100 or so on Craigslist in USA
if you consider money for ram and other upgrades plus the 100 from selling the tower that puts you close to getting a manafacture reconditioned tower or low end new tower.
even a newer low end tower will outperform yours.
since you already have the monitor/kbd/mouse(if they are USB) etc you can just look for a tower.
nowadays a low end Core2Duo or Atom or AMD dual core will be twice as fast easily than the Pentium 4
also use alot less electricity
post in Toms and i am sure alot of members could help scout out some
good deals
just mention country and budget

 

[sm99eagle]

Thank you king, I do live in usa and I have a decent lcd monitor, my mouse and keyboard aren't usb, but thats not an issue, I can pick them up for next to nothing. I am interested in just buying a new tower, like you said, $50 or so for ram, and if I can sell mine for $100, It might as well not be worth my time on this one. My buddy is working on my hard drive as we speak because I somehow got a virus that acts like a fake/rouge antivirus and it has a million pop ups wanting me to buy some bogus software to "fix" all the fake viruses I have,lol. I think I will see how it runs after I get it back and go from there. He told me that he might just delete everything and I can just reload windows, so that might help some with the speed. Anyway, thank you and I really appreciate people like you.