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General discussion

Bought a Systemax 2.6ghz P4..Any ideas for upgrading it???

Jun 28, 2005 7:26AM PDT

p4 2.6ghz with 400mhz fsb (with no additional cooling, it can be overclocked to at least 2.8ghz in bios),
40gb hd,
256mb samsung pc2700 ram (probably running at pc2100 speeds),
52x sony cd burner (can be flashed to a liteon),
onboard everything else (windows xp sp2)


I just purchased this computer real cheap and would like some ideas on what I could do in regards to upgrading it. What type of memory should I upgrade to? etc. It has an Agp slot for my Radeon 9200se and a couple of PCI slots as well. I just want to get the most out of this basic system. Thanks so much.

Discussion is locked

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hmm
Jun 28, 2005 10:21AM PDT

buy 1 gb of ram. i think u can buy pc3200 ram but not sure. get a better gfx card. suggest 6800. upgrade to a larger hard driver. or a faster one like a raptor.

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(NT) (NT)everything above and a dual layer dvd burner
Jun 28, 2005 10:43AM PDT
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RE
Jun 28, 2005 10:58AM PDT

Before any of those upgrades, a psu upgrade!!!

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yes, PSU
Jun 28, 2005 11:34PM PDT

I would upgrade the PSU if you are going to get a new video card, like a 6800. Your budget will tell what vc you can get.

Your ram is running at pc2100 speeds, but get another stick of 512 or 1024MB.

Get at least another 40GB hard drive.

A dual-layer dvd burner.

And if you care about sound, get this: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16829102175

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Thanks for your response..I notice that...
Jun 28, 2005 11:52PM PDT

I noticed that on one of your computer systems, you have a 9200se card in it. Do I still need to upgrade my PSU if
I install that card? Please tell me the importance of a PSU and why would my system would not already have a sufficient one. What specs of the memory should I look for when upgrading? Thanks in advance.

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if you choose the 9200se, you wont need a new ps unless
Jun 29, 2005 1:28AM PDT

you add more hard drives and it also depends what wattage it is. the 9200se doesnt have any special power requirements so you can keep the one you have. except buying a new power supply will make your computer more stable and quieter. antec, coolermaster, and ocz make good power supplies.

for your ram, if your motherboard supports pc2700, upgrade to two sticks of 512mb.

also you asked the importance of the power supply, its the most important component in every computer.

konny

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Here is more info on the system
Jun 29, 2005 3:35AM PDT

300 watt PSU

supports pc1600 or pc2100 ddr ram (200 mhz,266mhz)
up to 2GB .184 pin

THe computer comes with 256mb Non ECC memory. WHat does non ECC mean? Should I stick with that when upgrading memory? thanks

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hmmm
Jun 29, 2005 4:19AM PDT

ecc, quoted from pny.
"ECC stands for Error Correcting Code. It is also referred to as parity memory. ECC is more advanced than non-parity because it can detect both multiple-bit errors and single-bit errors; while non-parity memory only detects single-bit errors. ECC is typically found in higher-end PC?s and file servers where data integrity is key."

as for your memory, stick with non ecc and go with 512MB x 2 pc2100 ram. it will be MUCH better than the original 256MB, trust me.

konny

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Found a good price on Pc3200...Will that work?
Jul 9, 2005 10:31AM PDT

As mentioned. my computer supports pc2100 ddr and pc2700 drr ram but I found a good deal for Kingston Value Ram
512MB PC3200 DDR SDRAM.(2.6v).My current ram is 2.5v and pc2700. Does my computer support Sdram and that voltage? Thanks

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sorry, you cannot use pc3200
Jul 9, 2005 10:44AM PDT

stick with your motherboards supported ram. pc2700.

konny

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You don't need a new PSU
Jul 10, 2005 7:58AM PDT

I believe that you have a 250 or 300 watt PSU.... thats enough.
Go get a 6200 or and X700

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My 2
Jun 29, 2005 6:27AM PDT

Your P4 with 2.6GHz has enough GHz for any current game out there.

IMO if you want to keep cost low and still have a pretty good PC:

Adding another 256MB stick increasing the RAM to 512MB is going to show a good improvement and is adequate for any current game. You may see a slight improvement going higher than 512 with some of the current highend games.

You will run out of hard drive space very soon, expecially in gaming. My 100GB WD is almost full and I recently added a EXTERNAL WD 80GB 7200RPM USB 2.0 drive that I purchased on sale at Circuity City $99, but $69 after rebates. The external drive is USB 2.0 connected & plugs into a 110v house current(through a good high jouwel(s) surge protector... I use bat APC's) so not a drain on the PC power supply.

You say you have a Radeon 9200se to put in the AGP slot. Try it and if you can afford the Nvidia GeForce 6600GT (AGP) or Radeon X700 (AGP) get one of those or the Nvidia 6600 (AGP) at a lesser cost. Do not go regular PCI as you have a AGP slot.

Your Power Supply at 300W may be adequate already, but get another higher W quality one if problems occur since the 6600/x700 AGP cards require an additional power cord (usually furnished) to the mobo.

If you don't have a low budget in mind....knock yourself out...Wink

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Appreciate the input and.....
Jun 30, 2005 5:48AM PDT

Thanks for your input on my system. I think my Pentium 4 is a Northwood also as I see in your system profile. What is the difference? Also, I need to look for a pc2100 ddr ram. What is the significance of the 2100 and is it good memory? Are there limitations to having a 400 mhz FSB? Your further input is greatly appreciated. By the way. I do have a external 120g HD to hook up to it. Any other recommendations would also be helpful. Thank You .

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Re: Upgrade
Jun 30, 2005 6:53AM PDT

Since you already have 256MB of PC2700, get another 256MB of PC2700. It will perform at PC2100 if that is what your PC is spec at. Look at your current stick to get identical type, or best yet go to Crucial.com and key in your computer specs and they will show the correct type of RAM. Yes, we would like to have the more modern 800 FSB and can't, but 400 FSB has worked out for me OK so far. The only problem I now see for my PC is that I may now have to get a new video card (like the GeForce 6600GT (AGP) to play Battlefield 2 and probably some of the new games coming in the future. At least I can do that and get a little more RAM as necessary, instead of spending some serious $'s or (forbid) work. Wink

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minor input
Jun 30, 2005 8:38AM PDT

As far as the video card, Keep your eyes open and you can get some nice deals on the 6800nu agp versions. Today Newegg had the PNY 6800nu for $160 shipped. They are a better card than the 6600gt and they have been coming down in price and from time to time can be purchased at the same price as a 6600gt.