okies... my computer kinda sucks, and i'll be getting a little cash soon for my 18th, i worked out on yahoo that its about $446 to you americans, so... anybody got any suggestions for making this POS a better games machine?

i got at the minute Athlon XP 1900+ (only clocks in at 1200mhz, gonna fix this sometime later).
My MoBo can support up to 2200+
512MB DDR RAM
GF4 MX 460 (definately getting replaced, its faulty anyway).
80 Gig HDD (might buy another, i'm low on space).
Crude, old CD-RW
A DVD player which never fails to go unnoticed by my computer.

Thats about all i can think of, pretty happy with sound setup... Any suggestions?

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Drugs & Stupidity, Tons of it.

You do know that the XP speed ratings are not the actual clock speed? Just to make sure

Check what RAM speeds your mainboard supports, I guess not too fast judging from the upper processor limit.

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Of war, we don't speak anymore

That XP 1900 should be clocked a lot higher to begin with. I have an XP 1800 and it's clocked at a little more than 1500.

More RAM and a new video card will keep that box kicking for a while longer. If you want to upgrade that processor, you should get a new mobo.

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I'm not an actor. I just play one on TV.

It clocks in at 1200mhz, shouldbe 1596, fsb is at 133x12, everything is right apart from the processor.

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Drugs & Stupidity, Tons of it.

Get your CPU clocked right and a better 3D card. Perhaps a GeForce FX or Radeon 9800... Also a new HDD would be nice.

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http://www.sporkaudio.com

Better.



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Massassian since: March 12, 2001

[=-"The hardest thing is to forgive, but God does;
Even if you murdered or robbed, years wrong, but God loves;
Take one step toward him, he takes two toward you;
Even when all else fail, God supports you." - Nas-=]

Yea, don't let a GF FX be an option. It just isn't an option. Ignore the fact that it exists. Thanks.

Other than the video card... you could maybe get a new 80gb HD to join your other one, but nothing on that system other than the video card screams "slow system".

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"The future is not determined by a throw of the dice, but is determined by the conscious decisions of you and me."
I am addicted to ellipses!!! AHHH!!! ...

Let's see...

The processor is a bit slow... You should be able to upgrade it to a +2200 for $56US... ( http://store.yahoo.com/pcmemory-stores/amdatxp22soc.html )

The RAM given the chip you use, is most likely 266Mhz in bus speed. That's fine, and 512 MB is fine as far as performance goes (especially if you lack empty RAM slots).

The graphics card... Replacing it would be mandatory. If you're looking for a good combination of speed/price, you can get a (Saphire-built) Radeon 9600XT (128MB DDR) for $150US ( http://www.ewiz.com/detail.php?p=AT-9600XT&c=fr )

As for the Hard Drive, I would just reccomend buying another 80GB drive. You can get one for as little as $52US. I'd also reccomend not permanently storing as much music, or whatever data you're leaving on your drive. ( http://store.yahoo.com/livewarehouse/hdsm37510.html )

As for your slow writer drive, I've found DVD+RW drives for as low as $200US, with $80 of rebates lowering the total to $120US. (URL too long to post!)

As for your disfunctional DVD drive, I think it would porbably be a technical problem, and doens't neccessitate a replacement, just some time (and a lot of stress).

Total cost: $378 United States Dollars (includes rebates, but not taxes/shipping). Estimated performance increase: 120-200%.

Froogle is an incredibly useful tool...

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Nes digs around in the trash can.
Nes finds a hamburger!
Nes puts the hamburger in his backpack.

[This message has been edited by nottheking (edited February 23, 2004).]

[This message has been edited by nottheking (edited February 23, 2004).]

all sounds good to me, but i'm just worried about replacing my processor... i bought a new heatsink/fan which is currently strapped on top of my processor, so removing that could be messy, especially with all the paste and crap.

also, when i checked OCUK, there were three different types of XP processor, i'm not too sure which one i need (thoroughbred, mobile or barton - current 1900+ was purchased in June 2002 if that helps matters).

Somebody told me that my ram could have something to do with my stunted processor speed... any ideas (and any way of finding out information about ram speeds etc)?

If i upgraded to a 2200+, would a 9600 Pro create a bottleneck? and yes, another 80 gig would probablys suffice.

In about April time, if my computer isnt fixed by then, i'll be sending this thing to the shop for a working DVD drive and a niftier processor.

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Drugs & Stupidity, Tons of it.

Like they are saying go for a new video card, i have a GeForce 4 Ti4200 128mb 8xAGP its a nice card but you really need some thing a bit faster like the Ti4600 or a Radeon 9600 Pro. Look into buying a new mobo and hard drive as well, it would not hurt to buy a new processor like a 2200+ or if you get a new mobo get a faster one. I think you would have enough for all that.

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Some day we'll all know

Are you talking about removing the whole thing from the board? That shouldn't be too diffiuclt. There's plenty of guides to show you how. Just search for one.


As far as I know, Thoroughbred and Barton are just code-names for different generations. They're interchangable, but the "mobile" proccessor is only for Notebook computers...


Try using BelArc Advisor, or something like that. then, check your system bus speed. It will be half your RAM speed. If you have DDR, however, RAM usually isn't a speed problem, even though I'm betting you have the slowest DDR, at 266Mhz.


I didn't say 9600 Pro, I said 9600 XT! There's a HUGE difference! The 9600XT (short for "Extreme") would definitely NOT be a bottleneck... the 3D card NEVER is! Also, the only reccomended step to take past 9600XT is the 9800XT, which costs more than you have ($500US)...


I wouldn't have them upgrade the proccessor... Chances are they're charge you plenty for instalation... but with the DVD, if you have a service plan/warranty to have somebody else fix it, then by all means, send it in.

Oh, last question: is your computer OEM (I.E. Dell, Gateway, HP), or hand-built? OEM machines mean you get some support from the maker, while hand-built machines are more easily upgraded.

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Nes digs around in the trash can.
Nes finds a hamburger!
Nes puts the hamburger in his backpack.

its hand built, with the processor, i just mean, if i don't buy a new one, i'll send it to the shop because i dont have a clue whats making my processor clock in 400mhz too slowly.

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Drugs & Stupidity, Tons of it.

Are you familiar with the BIOS?

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Of war, we don't speak anymore

vaguely... i know a couple of things, i am aware that my FSB is set to the correct setting for 1596Mhz, thats about it.

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Drugs & Stupidity, Tons of it.

Then I'd say get out the mainboard manual and check if the jumpers are set accordingly

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Of war, we don't speak anymore

Yes, check for the CPU multiplier setting.

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