Dell Dimension 5000

[sara2010]

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-240pin-ddr-p-5840.html

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.

 

[sara2010]

@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.

 

[sara2010]

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?