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Dell Dimension 5000

Last response: in Graphics & Displays
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Hello,

I would be grateful for some advice on the following:

1. RAM upgrade

I currently have 2 x 256mb sticks (samsung), I'm now looking to upgrade to 2GB due to system running at a snails pace!

Do I need to buy Kingston 'Dell specific RAM (KTD DM8400/1G)

http://www.jbosolutions.co.uk/kingston-memory-dimm-240p...

OR, can I just simply buy the 'matched pairs' generic modules?

http://www.ebuyer.com/product/72670

2. Graphics card upgrade

My system currently uses onboard graphics. I would like to run two 24" monitors for trading stocks. My wife & kids would also like to play some fairly basic games.

What is the best (most upto date)graphics card for my system? (Intel 915G, P4 2.8GHz HT,305w PSU, one PCIe x 16 slot)

I initially looked at the GT 240, HD 4670 & HD 5670.

Thanks in advance for your help.

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Graphics card Master

1. according to DELL your RAM is "DDR2 memory with support for DDR2 PC2-5300, DDR2 PC2-6400 speeds"

the ram you linked will work but you can get something faster like
http://www.ebuyer.com/product/91124

don't mix it with your current ram because RAM will clock to the slowest speed when mixed and I'm guessing you currently have slow DDR in there.

2. your CPU will limit you in gameplay. for trading stocks something as simple as the ATI 4350 will do the job on two monitors.
http://www.ebuyer.com/product/169294

the ATI 4650 or 4670 will give you a bit more kick but you really won't see any better performance then that because of the P4 CPU limiting your gameplay. this card has two DVI ports if both your monitors take that.
http://www.ebuyer.com/product/190752




@CT1615 - Thanks for such a quick reply!

That was my concern with regard to the graphics card / CPU bottleneck...I didn't want to spend £50+ on a GPU if it isn't going to produce any better result than a sub £30 card.

With regard to the RAM, I tried PC2 4200 (533MHz) from Mr Memory....My computer ran ok for about 10 minutes, then got the blue screen freeze!! This is why I thought it would be best to stick with PC2 3200 DDR2 (400 MHz).....The P4 processor has 800FSB.

Thanks again for your help.
Graphics card Master

could have been a bad stick. happens all the time.

the 4670 will produce better results then a 4650 in some games (with your CPU). the 4350 is mostly for dual monitors, work, simple flash games, Sims games, etc.,

I really appreciate your help....I've been stressing all week! lol

I'll order the 4670 from ebuyer. I held back on buying this card due to reading a comment on another forum about someone with the same computer having trouble fitting this card into the slot....something to do with the heatsink / cooler getting in the way?

I've had a quick look inside and can't really see why they would have had any trouble.

RAM - Will I notice any difference in performance with 533MHz, compared to 400MHz?
Graphics card Master

sara2010 said:
I really appreciate your help....I've been stressing all week! lol

I'll order the 4670 from ebuyer. I held back on buying this card due to reading a comment on another forum about someone with the same computer having trouble fitting this card into the slot....something to do with the heatsink / cooler getting in the way?

I've had a quick look inside and can't really see why they would have had any trouble.

RAM - Will I notice any difference in performance with 533MHz, compared to 400MHz?


DELL uses those BTX coolers that can often cause issues with dual slot cards. that xfx is a single slot card and rather short, you should have no issues.

for your RAM question, I would go with the 677mhz just for resale value. as is your PC is pushing its lifespan but I doubt you would see a real life difference between 400 & 533mhz.
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