Got an old pc and want to upgrade piece at a time ($ a little funny)

kewzilla

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Hello, I just got an HP m7250n mce xp sp3 pentium d 2.8 ghz 1gb ram and Radeon x300 series. What is the best compatible upgrade for my pc? I kind of want to stay with Radeon since there is nothing wrong (persay) with it and I know Radeon works with this machine. I know it is dated and there should be something out there better suited for streaming (Lan)/browsing/video editing/ and some gaming(not a priority but would be nice if/when i want. I am in the process of upgrading ram (max out at 4gb) and ssd to handle booting and the sort. Aside the obvious (old pc), I really like this machine and the Media Center is cool, with tversity on the side. I am a novice and came here for some help and pointing in the right direction. If there is any details that I left out that would be helpfull in assisting me, I will do my best to provide... Its the least I can do for the help. Many thanks in advance and you all have no idea how much helping me not to to destroy my pc will be appreciated!
 

kewzilla

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Thank you Herr_Koos! I will iook into that as soon as my GIANTS beat up on the Cowgirls.... LOL. I am assuming it is a Radeon. Where is a decent priced site to start? I usually go Amazon. It always works wonders, but I havent messed with electronics there. Any suggestions?
 

kewzilla

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I will look into W7, hopefully it will support wmc. That may be a deal breaker, unless I should consider other details that sway me from making it a major factor. Thanks for that tidbit, I was not even thinking about that. It makes a lot of sense.
 

kewzilla

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i found this for about $117 average...MSI R6670-MD2GD3 Radeon HD 6670 Graphic Card - 800 MHz Core - 2 GB DDR3 SDRAM - PCI Express 2.1 x1... Is this compatible with my pc? how can I see if it is?. It sounds like something I can use with my 3DTV... Just a thought. This is the stuff that gets me. So many, so many suttle differences.. UGH!
 

kewzilla

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Awesome info mlcaouette, thank you! I was racking my brain and trying to rationalize getting 2g for a little more. Since my last post, Ive seen them for somewhere in the 80's range. with a little more searching, hopefully I'll find something cheaper yet. What price range would be acceptable to pull the trigger?
 

mlcaouette

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Between 60 and 70 dollars shipped would be what I would look for. newegg and amazon are great places to shop if you're in the US that is. You need to see if you need a low profile card or not (basically is your case thin?).
 

kewzilla

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No it's not thin. I should make sure it's a low profile then just to make sure it will fit. O.K. wow lots of little things to consider. Thought it'd be easier than its been. I have homework to do. And this is why I'm here, lol
 


Here you go:

http://www.amd.com/uk/products/desktop/graphics/amd-radeon-hd-6000/hd-6670/pages/amd-radeon-hd-6670-overview.aspx#2

It does indeed support 3D according to the specifications.
 

kewzilla

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Just a quick question about W7.... Whats a price range that won't be considered ripping me off? I never upgraded OS before and I want a legit copy.
 

mlcaouette

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I think the system builders home edition of windows 7 (OEM) is around 100 bucks, you could get that and also buy the 40.00 windows 8 upgrade and have both for $140.
 

cuong

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Hi

Another option is a CPU upgrade. You need to confirm your motherboard compatibility but its likely that a core 2 duo would be able to drop right in - that would give you a bit more horsepower and they are now every cheap on Ebay.

Good luck.

 

plantlet

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I would recommend first upgrading your RAM. It will give a noticeable performance boost and it's cheap. 4GB is plenty, G.Skill RAM is cheap and high quality.

Secondly, I would upgrade your CPU. I'm pretty sure it's socket 775. If it is, you could drop in a core 2 quad which isn't too bad.

For a graphics card, a Radeon 6670 is a huge upgrade and is a very cheap card. A GTX 280 is only $105 on Newegg if you want a more powerful card. You can OC the GTX 280 for a lot more power.

Also for faster speed, get Windows 7 x64 and an SSD to install it on. A 16GB is enough space, but a 32GB or 64GB is probably either cheaper, or the same price.

You also have to make sure your current power supply can handle this, which I doubt it could, so you may need to upgrade that too.. a 500W should do it.
 

kewzilla

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Is that standard pricing or is there a good place to go to get good prices? I have no clue which place is trustworthy, let alone not trying to drain pockets....
 

kewzilla

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ok thank you very much. i appreciate the info
 

kewzilla

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ok, ok... i now see that what i want to do will be a little more of an undertaking than expected... i was not thinking all the way thru, but this is what i wan so this is what i'm gonna do. never had a good pc and i really want to build one so this is a good start. then later on, i can get down and get a little more serious. but this is a good pace for me. you guys are teaching me so much! right on!
 

kewzilla

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ok I got brave and started clicking on things trying to figure out what i have and what is not original....my findings is that I have no clue but i did find a system resource report. please let me know if it gives you guys a clearer picture of my old pc and if its of any use for what i want to do...


System Resource Report - Page: 1 ******************** SYSTEM SUMMARY ******************** Windows Version: Windows 5.1 Service Pack 3 (Build 2600) Registered Owner: Registered Organization: Computer Name: YOUR-55E5F9E3D2 Machine Type: AT/AT COMPATIBLE System BIOS Version: HP-CPC - 42302e31 System BIOS Date: 09/12/05 Processor Type: x86 Family 15 Model 4 Stepping 4 Processor Vendor: GenuineIntel Number of Processors: 2 Physical Memory: 1023 MB ******************** DISK DRIVE INFO ******************** Drive C: Type: Fixed disk drive Total Space: 241,444,868,096 bytes Free Space: 98,787,618,816 bytes Heads: 255 Cylinders: 30401 Sectors Per Track: 63 Bytes Per Sector: 512 Drive D: Type: Fixed disk drive Total Space: 8,595,185,664 bytes Free Space: 918,102,016 bytes Heads: 255 Cylinders: 30401 Sectors Per Track: 63 Bytes Per Sector: 512 Drive G: Type: Fixed disk drive Total Space: 1,000,202,240,000 bytes Free Space: 14,429,454,336 bytes Heads: 255 Cylinders: 121601 Sectors Per Track: 63 Bytes Per Sector: 512 ******************** IRQ SUMMARY ******************** IRQ Usage Summary: (ISA) 0 System timer (ISA) 1 HP PS2 Keyboard (2K - 3) (ISA) 8 System CMOS/real time clock (ISA) 9 Microsoft ACPI-Compliant System (ISA) 12 PS/2 Compatible Mouse (ISA) 13 Numeric data processor (ISA) 14 Primary IDE Channel (PCI) 16 Intel(R) 945G/P PCI Express Root Port - 2771 (PCI) 16 RADEON X300 Series (PCI) 16 Microsoft UAA Bus Driver for High Definition Audio


System Resource Report - Page: 2 (PCI) 16 Intel(R) 82801GB USB Universal Host Controller - 27CB (PCI) 17 LSI PCI Soft Modem (PCI) 18 Intel(R) 82801GB USB Universal Host Controller - 27CA (PCI) 19 Intel(R) 82801GB USB Universal Host Controller - 27C9 (PCI) 19 Hauppauge WinTV PVR PCI II (26xxx) (PCI) 19 Intel(R) 82801GB Serial ATA Storage Controllers - 27C0 (PCI) 20 VIA OHCI Compliant IEEE 1394 Host Controller (PCI) 20 Intel(R) PRO/100 VE Network Connection (PCI) 23 Intel(R) 82801GB USB Universal Host Controller - 27C8 (PCI) 23 Intel(R) 82801GB USB2 Enhanced Host Controller - 27CC ******************** DMA USAGE SUMMARY ******************** DMA Usage Summary: 3 ECP Printer Port (LPT1) 4 Direct memory access controller ******************** MEMORY SUMMARY ******************** Memory Usage Summary: [00000000 - 0009FFFF] System board [000A0000 - 000BFFFF] PCI bus [000A0000 - 000BFFFF] Intel(R) 945G/P PCI Express Root Port - 2771 [000A0000 - 000BFFFF] RADEON X300 Series [000C0000 - 000DFFFF] PCI bus [000E0000 - 000EFFFF] System board [000F0000 - 000F3FFF] System board [000F4000 - 000F7FFF] System board [000F8000 - 000FBFFF] System board [000FC000 - 000FFFFF] System board [00100000 - 3FEDFFFF] System board [3FEE0000 - 3FEFFFFF] System board [3FF00000 - FEBFFFFF] PCI bus [E8000000 - EFFFFFFF] Intel(R) 945G/P PCI Express Root Port - 2771 [E8000000 - EFFFFFFF] RADEON X300 Series [F0000000 - F3FFFFFF] Motherboard resources [F8000000 - FBFFFFFF] Hauppauge WinTV PVR PCI II (26xxx) [FDD00000 - FDDFFFFF] Intel(R) 945G/P PCI Express Root Port - 2771 [FDDE0000 - FDDEFFFF] RADEON X300 Series Secondary [FDDF0000 - FDDFFFFF] RADEON X300 Series [FDEFD000 - FDEFDFFF] Intel(R) PRO/100 VE Network Connection [FDEFE000 - FDEFE0FF] LSI PCI Soft Modem [FDEFF000 - FDEFF7FF] VIA OHCI Compliant IEEE 1394 Host Controller [FDFF8000 - FDFFBFFF] Microsoft UAA Bus Driver for High Definition Audio [FDFFE000 - FDFFE3FF] Intel(R) 82801GB Serial ATA Storage Controllers - 27C0 [FDFFF000 - FDFFF3FF] Intel(R) 82801GB USB2 Enhanced Host Controller - 27CC [FEC00000 - FEC00FFF] System board [FEE00000 - FEE00FFF] System board [FFB00000 - FFB7FFFF] System board [FFB80000 - FFBFFFFF] Intel(R) 82802 Firmware Hub Device [FFF00000 - FFFFFFFF] System board ******************** IO PORT SUMMARY ******************** I/O Ports Usage Summary: [00000000 - 00000CF7] PCI bus


System Resource Report - Page: 3 [00000000 - 0000000F] Direct memory access controller [00000010 - 0000001F] Motherboard resources [00000020 - 00000021] Programmable interrupt controller [00000022 - 0000003F] Motherboard resources [00000040 - 00000043] System timer [00000044 - 0000005F] Motherboard resources [00000060 - 00000060] HP PS2 Keyboard (2K - 3) [00000061 - 00000061] System speaker [00000062 - 00000063] Motherboard resources [00000064 - 00000064] HP PS2 Keyboard (2K - 3) [00000065 - 0000006F] Motherboard resources [00000070 - 00000073] System CMOS/real time clock [00000074 - 0000007F] Motherboard resources [00000080 - 00000090] Direct memory access controller [00000091 - 00000093] Motherboard resources [00000094 - 0000009F] Direct memory access controller [000000A0 - 000000A1] Programmable interrupt controller [000000A2 - 000000BF] Motherboard resources [000000C0 - 000000DF] Direct memory access controller [000000E0 - 000000EF] Motherboard resources [000000F0 - 000000FF] Numeric data processor [000001F0 - 000001F7] Primary IDE Channel [00000274 - 00000277] ISAPNP Read Data Port [00000279 - 00000279] ISAPNP Read Data Port [00000378 - 0000037F] ECP Printer Port (LPT1) [000003B0 - 000003BB] Intel(R) 945G/P PCI Express Root Port - 2771 [000003B0 - 000003BB] RADEON X300 Series [000003C0 - 000003DF] Intel(R) 945G/P PCI Express Root Port - 2771 [000003C0 - 000003DF] RADEON X300 Series [000003F6 - 000003F6] Primary IDE Channel [00000400 - 000004BF] Motherboard resources [000004D0 - 000004D1] Motherboard resources [00000500 - 0000051F] Intel(R) 82801GB SMBus Controller - 27DA [00000778 - 0000077B] ECP Printer Port (LPT1) [00000800 - 0000087F] Motherboard resources [00000880 - 0000088F] Motherboard resources [00000A79 - 00000A79] ISAPNP Read Data Port [00000D00 - 0000FFFF] PCI bus [0000D000 - 0000DFFF] Intel(R) 945G/P PCI Express Root Port - 2771 [0000DE00 - 0000DEFF] RADEON X300 Series [0000EA00 - 0000EAFF] LSI PCI Soft Modem [0000ED00 - 0000ED3F] Intel(R) PRO/100 VE Network Connection [0000EE00 - 0000EE07] LSI PCI Soft Modem [0000EF00 - 0000EF7F] VIA OHCI Compliant IEEE 1394 Host Controller [0000F600 - 0000F60F] Intel(R) 82801GB Serial ATA Storage Controllers - 27C0 [0000F700 - 0000F703] Intel(R) 82801GB Serial ATA Storage Controllers - 27C0 [0000F800 - 0000F807] Intel(R) 82801GB Serial ATA Storage Controllers - 27C0 [0000F900 - 0000F903] Intel(R) 82801GB Serial ATA Storage Controllers - 27C0 [0000FA00 - 0000FA07] Intel(R) 82801GB Serial ATA Storage Controllers - 27C0 [0000FB00 - 0000FB0F] Intel(R) 82801GB Ultra ATA Storage Controllers - 27DF [0000FC00 - 0000FC1F] Intel(R) 82801GB USB Universal Host Controller - 27CB [0000FD00 - 0000FD1F] Intel(R) 82801GB USB Universal Host Controller - 27CA [0000FE00 - 0000FE1F] Intel(R) 82801GB USB Universal Host Controller - 27C9 [0000FF00 - 0000FF1F] Intel(R) 82801GB USB Universal Host Controller - 27C8 ******************** SYSTEM DEVICE INFO ********************


System Resource Report - Page: 4 Class: Universal Serial Bus controllers Device: Intel(R) 82801GB USB Universal Host Controller - 27C8 Resource: IRQ: [00000023] IO: [0000FF00 - 0000FF1F] Device Drivers: Class: Universal Serial Bus controllers Device: Intel(R) 82801GB USB Universal Host Controller - 27C9 Resource: IRQ: [00000019] IO: [0000FE00 - 0000FE1F] Device Drivers: Class: Universal Serial Bus controllers Device: Intel(R) 82801GB USB Universal Host Controller - 27CA Resource: IRQ: [00000018] IO: [0000FD00 - 0000FD1F] Device Drivers: Class: Universal Serial Bus controllers Device: Intel(R) 82801GB USB Universal Host Controller - 27CB Resource: IRQ: [00000016] IO: [0000FC00 - 0000FC1F] Device Drivers: Class: Universal Serial Bus controllers Device: Intel(R) 82801GB USB2 Enhanced Host Controller - 27CC Resource: IRQ: [00000023] MEM: [FDFFF000 - FDFFF3FF] Device Drivers: Class: Universal Serial Bus controllers Device: USB Root Hub No resources used. Device Drivers: Class: Universal Serial Bus controllers Device: USB Root Hub No resources used. Device Drivers: Class: Universal Serial Bus controllers Device: USB Root Hub No resources used. Device Drivers: Class: Universal Serial Bus controllers Device: USB Root Hub No resources used. Device Drivers:


System Resource Report - Page: 5 Class: Universal Serial Bus controllers Device: USB Root Hub No resources used. Device Drivers: Class: Universal Serial Bus controllers Device: USB Mass Storage Device No resources used. Device Drivers: Class: Universal Serial Bus controllers Device: USB Mass Storage Device No resources used. Device Drivers: Class: DVD/CD-ROM drives Device: HP DVD Writer 840b No resources used. Device Drivers: Class: DVD/CD-ROM drives Device: TSSTcorp DVD-ROM TS-H352C No resources used. Device Drivers: Class: Computer Device: ACPI Multiprocessor PC No resources used. Device Drivers: Class: Disk drives Device: Maxtor 6L250S0 No resources used. Device Drivers: Class: Disk drives Device: WDC WD10EAVS-00D7B0 No resources used. Device Drivers: Class: Disk drives Device: Generic USB CF Reader USB Device No resources used. Device Drivers: Class: Disk drives Device: Generic USB MS Reader USB Device No resources used. Device Drivers: Class: Disk drives Device: Generic USB SD Reader USB Device No resources used. Device Drivers: Class: Disk drives


System Resource Report - Page: 6 Device: Generic USB SM Reader USB Device No resources used. Device Drivers: Class: Disk drives Device: HTC Android Phone USB Device No resources used. Device Drivers: Class: Display adapters Device: RADEON X300 Series Resource: IRQ: [00000016] MEM: [000A0000 - 000BFFFF] MEM: [E8000000 - EFFFFFFF] MEM: [FDDF0000 - FDDFFFFF] IO: [000003B0 - 000003BB] IO: [000003C0 - 000003DF] IO: [0000DE00 - 0000DEFF] Device Drivers: Class: Display adapters Device: RADEON X300 Series Secondary Resource: MEM: [FDDE0000 - FDDEFFFF] Device Drivers: Class: IDE ATA/ATAPI controllers Device: Intel(R) 82801GB Serial ATA Storage Controllers - 27C0 Resource: IRQ: [00000019] MEM: [FDFFE000 - FDFFE3FF] IO: [0000F600 - 0000F60F] IO: [0000F700 - 0000F703] IO: [0000F800 - 0000F807] IO: [0000F900 - 0000F903] IO: [0000FA00 - 0000FA07] Device Drivers: Class: IDE ATA/ATAPI controllers Device: Intel(R) 82801GB Ultra ATA Storage Controllers - 27DF Resource: IO: [0000FB00 - 0000FB0F] Device Drivers: Class: IDE ATA/ATAPI controllers Device: Primary IDE Channel No resources used. Device Drivers: Class: IDE ATA/ATAPI controllers Device: Secondary IDE Channel No resources used. Device Drivers: Class: IDE ATA/ATAPI controllers


System Resource Report - Page: 7 Device: Primary IDE Channel Resource: IRQ: [00000014] IO: [000001F0 - 000001F7] IO: [000003F6 - 000003F6] Device Drivers: Class: Keyboards Device: HP PS2 Keyboard (2K - 3) Resource: IRQ: [00000001] IO: [00000060 - 00000060] IO: [00000064 - 00000064] Device Drivers: Class: Sound, video and game controllers Device: Realtek High Definition Audio No resources used. Device Drivers: Class: Sound, video and game controllers Device: Hauppauge WinTV PVR PCI II (26xxx) Resource: IRQ: [00000019] MEM: [F8000000 - FBFFFFFF] Device Drivers: Class: Sound, video and game controllers Device: Audio Codecs No resources used. Device Drivers: Class: Sound, video and game controllers Device: Legacy Audio Drivers No resources used. Device Drivers: Class: Sound, video and game controllers Device: Media Control Devices No resources used. Device Drivers: Class: Sound, video and game controllers Device: Legacy Video Capture Devices No resources used. Device Drivers: Class: Sound, video and game controllers Device: Video Codecs No resources used. Device Drivers: Class: Sound, video and game controllers Device: Microsoft Kernel System Audio Device No resources used. Device Drivers:
 

kewzilla

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ok that post made zero sense to me so i searched and found the specs for what an original m7250n should be... sorry i was aparently running around in circles..... looks more like english to me :)




Product number
ED842AA
Introduction date
20-Sep-2005
Country/region sold in:
•United States
•Canada
Hardware
Base processor
PentiumD 820 (S) DC 2.8 GHz:
•800 MHz front side bus
•Socket 775
Chipset
Intel 945P
Motherboard
•Manufacturer: Asus
•Motherboard Name: P5LP-LE
•HP/Compaq motherboard name: Lithium-UL8E
Memory
Component Attributes
Memory Installed 1 GB (2 x 512)
Maximum allowed 4 GB* (4 x 1 GB) requires the replacement of the installed 512 MB DIMMs

*Actual available memory may be less
Speed supported PC2-3200 MB/sec
Type 240 pin, DDR2 SDRAM
DIMM slots Four
Open DIMM slots Two

Hard drive
•250 GB SATA
•7200 rpm
16x DVD(+/-)R/RW RAM (+/-)R DL LightScribe drive
•must use Double-Layer media discs in order to take advantage of the DL technology
•must use LightScribe-enabled media discs and supporting software in order to take advantage of the LightScribe technology
type Attributes
DVD-RAM 5X
DVD-R DL Write Once 4X
DVD+R DL Write Once 8X
DVD+R Write Once 16X
DVD+RW Rewritable 8X
DVD-R Write Once 16X
DVD-RW Rewritable 6X
DVD ROM Read 16X
CD-R Write Once 40X
CD-RW Rewritable 32X
CD-ROM Read 40X

DVD ROM
Maximum speed 16X
Modem
PCI K56flex data/fax modem
Video graphics
ATI Radeon x300se
•128 MB DDR memory
•I/O Ports: Composite, S-Video, VGA
Television
•TV tuner card with FM tuner
Sound/Audio
Integrated High Definition audio
•Realtek ALC 882 chipset
•8-channels for Full Dolby 5.1/6.1/7.1 surround sound support with Dolby Pro Logic IIx
Dolby 5.1
Network (LAN)
Integrated 10/100 Base-T networking interface
Memory card reader
•Supports the following cards:
◦Compact Flash I
◦Compact Flash II
◦SmartMedia
◦Memory Stick
◦Memory Stick Pro
◦MultiMediaCard
◦Secure Digital (SD)
◦Micro Drive
◦XD Picture Card (xd = extreme digital)
External I/O ports
I/O ports on the front panel
Port type Quantity
9-in-1 (4 slot) One
1394 One
USB (2.0) Two
Headphone One
Microphone One
Audio L-R One
S-video in One
Composite video in One

I/O ports on the back panel
Port type Quantity
PS/2 (keyboard, mouse) Two (one each)
Parallel One
USB (2.0) Four
IEEE 1394 One
LAN One
Audio One each (side speaker out, rear speaker out, center speaker out, line-in, line-out, microphone)

Expansion slots
Slot type Quantity
PCI Three (one available)
PCI Express One (occupied)
DIMM Four (two available)

Drive bays
Bay type Quantity
5.25" external Two (occupied)
3.5" internal One (occupied)
Personal Media Drive One (available)

Chassis accessories
•Camera dock lid
•iPod dock lid
Remote control
•USB infrared receiver
Keyboard and mouse
•HP PS/2 multimedia keyboard
•Quebec Keyboard Kit (French Canada only)
•HP PS/2 optical scroller mouse
Back to top
Software
NOTE:HP provides basic support for software that comes with the computer. For in-depth feature assistance, refer to the help section in the software or on the software vendor's Web site.
Key to software:
•cd/dvd = media included in box
•fc = only available in French Canada
•nfc = not available in French Canada
Software titles that shipped with PC Software Category Software Title
Operating System •Microsoft Windows XP Media Center 2005 with Update Rollup 2
•Microsoft Service Pack 2

CD/CD-RW/DVD/DVD+RW •WinDVD 5 Player Basic (with optional 7.1 upgrade)
•Sonic DigitalMedia Plus 7.02
•Sonic MyDVD Plus 6.13
•Sonic DigitalMedia Archive

Education & Reference •Microsoft Encarta Encyclopedia 2005 Standard (fc)
•MSN Encarta Standard (online) (nfc)

Entertainment, Music & Games •iTunes 4.8 (w/Quicktime)
•HP Tunes
•Real Player
•My HP Games (nfc)

Imaging, Photography, Video & Film •HP Software Update
•HP Image Zone 5
•HP Image Zone Plus for media center
•muvee autoProducer 1.1 for media center
•muvee autoProducer 4

Productivity & Finance •Adobe Reader
•Microsoft Works 8.0
•Microsoft Office 2003 Student Teacher Edition Trial
•Microsoft Money 2005 (nfc)
•Quicken New User Edition 2005 (nfc)

Security •Norton Internet Security 2005 AntiSpyware Edition (60-day security update subscription)
•Norton Security Center

Utility, Maintenance & Performance •PC-Doctor 5 for Windows

Recovery •Microsoft system restore
•HP Recovery Software Suite
•Software Repair Wizard

Service & Support •Updates from HP
•Help & Support Center
•Desktop Web-based registration
•Online documentation

ISP signup •Google toolbar
•Connectivity Support Tools (nfc)
•ISP offers

HP Partner offers •Snapfish
•Adobe Store
•Symantec Security Check
•NetSmartz
•IntelliMover Data Transfer
•@Backup Online Backup
•SwapDrive Online File Sharing




Now Im guessing that, for example, if I wanted my pc to be ready for current/future upgrading to keep up with games and programs (no where real soon nor do i need a hot rod... although I want it to handle what I throw at it with no problems), should I consider upgrading motherboard and case? was looking at processors and chipsets and saw they were very old and not much compatible that looked to me like anything worth upgrading with.... suggestions?
 

mlcaouette

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Ram is not a viable upgrade for the OP DDR2 is way overpriced since it is being phased out (you might be able to get it cheap on ebay).

I would give windows 8 a shot, since you have XP already you can buy a windows 8 upgrade for only 40 bucks (from Microsoft's website). Do a clean install on a new partition so you can keep XP, just google how to do this. It takes a bit of getting used to but it is a solid operating system and it boots way faster than windows 7 on a 7200rpm drive.

For now stick with the graphics card upgrade with a new OS being optional. After you get those than you can decide if you want to upgrade more. But in my honest opinion upgrading this machine any more would just be a waste of money, you would be better off investing into a new home built computer.
 

kewzilla

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OK well then.... whats a good starting point building from ground up? as in mobo, especially the case. I think it would be fun to do that instead of trying to bring this old one back. any chance anything is worth salvaging from the dinosaur, or just ride it till the wheels fall off? what are some online stores that are novice friendly. most i've seen dont explain much, just specs and stuff i dont understand....