Computer Unsavvy Help Needed

[GS Redneck]

Okay so here I am a completely un-knowledgable person seeking advice and this site was recommended to me by a friend. I have a DELL XPS/Dimension 400/9150 bout almost 4 years ago. I found the following format on the Video Card Forum and figured it would work here. I loaded my Service Tag number into the Dell Site (DVR3HB1 If it helps) but I can't make much out of the language it described my computer in. So I am going to fill in the lines below with cut and paste from the Service tag info.
Purchase Details:

1.Budget(Be sure to include currency if not USD):
$200-$300

2.Do you consider rebates?
If i can get the money back easy enough sure.

3.Brand Preference:
Being completely clueless on computer gear, No

4. Crossfire/SLI?
Don't know but from what I read I believe SLI


5.Have you previously looked at a product which you feel would fill your needs?
Nope have been looking but not understanding which is better than which

6.Which games (If any)do you plan to play and @ which desired detail levels?
World of Warcraft on High maybe not Ultra and maybe Mech Warrior 4 I believe there is an online contingent trying to bring it back.

7. Are there any other uses(Folding, Photoshop, Video editing or watching Blu-Ray) or features (DX11, CUDA, OpenGL, 3D, Eyefinity) you are looking for besides gaming?
Right now the only other thing would be video chat using Skype to let kids see Grandparents and what not.

8. Is the performance added by overclocking something you would take into consideration?
Have no clue

System Specs:

1. Pre-built(HP, Dell, etc)? Ordering(a new computer) or Upgrading?
Upgrading a Dell XPS/Dimension 400/9150 Service Tag DVR3HB1

2.Monitor Resolution:
Not sure here is dell description
DIS,FPL,19,E196FPB,MG,DAO,FPIB

3.Processor:
Pentium(R) D 2.80GHz
this is part desc from dell sight
Processor,80551,Pentium D Smithfield For Desktops,820 2.8,BO,Server

4.Power Supply Unit:
I opend the case it says 375W not sure make model

5.Case Dimensions(Length, Low Profile, Cooling):
It is the dell tower case

I have looked at a few video cards and hard drives, I am sure any of them are upgrades compared to what i have but I don't know which is the most bang for the buck? I have no preconceived notions so I am open to any suggestions. About the only thing I really do know is that I seriously need to upgrade Ram but not sure if 2G is max or what is max. Thank you ahead of time.

Paul

 

[jamesmcuk]

Well Ram and Processor are probably the best bang for buck but without more on the mobo etc its hard to say. What I can say is though that installing SLi will do nothing at all unless you play games and even then i doubt the rest of the system would keep up anyway. Save your cash and buy a full new mobo, GPU, RAM, an CPU when you can.

 

[mlc]

if you go to the Dell support page, and enter the Service Tag.. it should pull up you config, and present a tab with upgrade options...

you have 2 512 sticks (1 gb total) of RAM now ? Check with Dell, you can probably go to 4gb, but maybe only 2.. . A 4gb upgrade of DDR2 ram probably runs around $80 or so...

You have a 7300 series graphics card, which is pretty old. An upgrade to something like a 9800GT card for 100 bucks would be a huge leap.. Once again though, you'll need to confirm with Dell to see what that rig can accommodate. Then Depending on how big a jump you make with the graphics card, you may also need to upgrade your power supply as well..

You could easily dump 300 then into these upgrades. and then start wondering about your processor being a bottleneck, etc.. So I'm inclined to agree with Jamesmcuk, and try to do a complete upgrade in one shot. You can probably throw together a half way decent setup (inlc/ motherboard, cpu, ram, graphics card and psu) for around $400 to 500 or so...

 

[Lanyap]

Hi Paul. Welcome.

Here is a break down of your basic Dell config in "computer English" based on your service tag. I'll try to come back with some more recommendations.

Processor/CPU, Intel, Pentium D, 2.8G, 2MB Cache, 800MHz FSB
> You could upgrade the CPU from 2.8G to a used 3.4G for about $50. I would make this a low priority. Upgrade the video card, memory and hard drive first. Upgrade the BIOS before you upgrade the CPU.
Example: http://www.geeks.com/details.asp?invtid=PD945-R&cat=CPU
Example List: http://www.geeks.com/products_sc.asp?cat=914

Video Card, PCI-Express, nVidia Geforce 7300
> This is a low end video card. I don't have a specific card to recommend. Either nVidia or ATI mid-level card in the $100 range. Maybe others could help here.
The Dell 375W PSU should be able to handle a card in the mid-level range.

Memory, DDR2, 1G (2x512MB), 533MHz
> Upgrading to 2G sounds good. 4G is the max - 1G per memory slot. I would go with at least 667MHz DDR2.

Hard drive, 250GB, SATA2, 7200RPM, 8M Cache, Samsung
> Large hard drive prices are low these days. Probably want to get at least 750GB or maybe 1TB in the $50-60 range.

Display, 19" LCD (VGA only), Dell E196FP
> Might want to consider upgrading to a larger wide screen with DVI input to utilize digital on a new video card.

Windows XP, Media Center Edition 2005

Memory
Type
dual-channel 533- and 667-MHz DDR2
Memory connectors
four
Memory capacities
256 MB, 512 MB, or 1 GB
Minimum memory
512 MB
Maximum memory
4 GB

http://support.dell.com/support/edocs/systems/xps400/sm/specs.htm#wp1053343

 

[GS Redneck]

Hi Paul. Welcome.

Here is a break down of your basic Dell config in "computer English" based on your service tag. I'll try to come back with some more recommendations.

Processor/CPU, Intel, Pentium D, 2.8G, 2MB Cache, 800MHz FSB
> You could upgrade the CPU from 2.8G to a used 3.4G for about $50. I would make this a low priority. Upgrade the video card, memory and hard drive first. Upgrade the BIOS before you upgrade the CPU.
Example: http://www.geeks.com/details.asp?invtid=PD945-R&cat=CPU
Example List: http://www.geeks.com/products_sc.asp?cat=914

Video Card, PCI-Express, nVidia Geforce 7300
> This is a low end video card. I don't have a specific card to recommend. Either nVidia or ATI mid-level card in the $100 range. Maybe others could help here.
The Dell 375W PSU should be able to handle a card in the mid-level range.

Memory, DDR2, 1G (2x512MB), 533MHz
> Upgrading to 2G sounds good. 4G is the max - 1G per memory slot. I would go with at least 667MHz DDR2.

Hard drive, 250GB, SATA2, 7200RPM, 8M Cache, Samsung
> Large hard drive prices are low these days. Probably want to get at least 750GB or maybe 1TB in the $50-60 range.

Display, 19" LCD (VGA only), Dell E196FP
> Might want to consider upgrading to a larger wide screen with DVI input to utilize digital on a new video card.

Windows XP, Media Center Edition 2005

Memory
Type
dual-channel 533- and 667-MHz DDR2
Memory connectors
four
Memory capacities
256 MB, 512 MB, or 1 GB
Minimum memory
512 MB
Maximum memory
4 GB

http://support.dell.com/support/edocs/systems/xps400/sm/specs.htm#wp1053343

First of all thank you very much for everyone who responded. Now that i have some good advice and thanks to Lanyap finding the specs i can now become more detailed on my questions.

I have looked at the Dell upgrades and I have a few questions:
Hard Drives:
Okay bigger size understand, Buffer size I currently have 8Mb, is this what determines how much it can pull from hard drive to put in the processor, therefore the bigger the better?
Now should any hard drive fit Dell is using Western Digital exclusively, should i stick with them and just find it at a more inexpensive price?

RAM:
Okay so memory was straight forward but for clairification, I can only put 1Gb per slot, correct?

Graphics Cards:
Okay so I am looking at the upgrades Dell recommends and I am lost. I realize i would probably prefer a Video card with 1Gb Memory but wow I cant really make heads or tales, and which ones would my PSU be able to handle? I don't mean to make others do my work but could someone make a suggestion from this link to which one would be the best for under $100 and then i will do the leg work to find it cheaper somewhere else.

http://accessories.us.dell.com/sna/c...pid=167494&p=1

Thank you once again for all your help.

Paul

 

[mlc]

A GTS250 or Radeon HD 4850 would be your best bets for under 100.. if you shop on newegg etc.. No need to shop throug Dell for that.. You should be able to buy any PCI Express card .. and it should fit....

Don't get caught up with the 1 GB memory.. that's not important unless you're running on a large monitor at higher resolutions.... So if you use a monitor requiring more than 1680x1050 resolution (20-22 inch).. then more than you'll want something with 768 or 1gb ram.....

those 4350 and 1300 chips listed in your link are more or less equivalent to what you have today.. so be careful.. You can do better if you upgrade using a site like newegg.com.. unless of course there is some proprietary form/size exclusive to dell.. But i think that only applies to their cases and motherboards...

 

[GS Redneck]

Okay so i compared the Radeon HD 4850 with the GTS 250 and it looked like the HD 4850 was a far better card am I correct in this assumption. If so I may shop around for best price on this one.

So the prognosis is I will be upgrading to:
Radeon HD 4850

CPU
Intel Pentium D 945 3.4GHz 800MHz 2x2MB Socket 775 Dual-Core CPU

Hard Drive
1TB SATA 3Gb/s Hard Drive 64MB IntelliPower 3.5IN Caviar Green WD10EARS


1TB SATA 3Gb/s Hard Drive 64MB IntelliPower 3.5IN Caviar Green WD10EARS


1TB SATA 3Gb/s Hard Drive 64MB IntelliPower 3.5IN Caviar Green WD10EARS

RAM
2 GB of ram added for total of 3GB

Does this look like a computer now that will run WoW pretty easy and allow us to Skype with family around the country without many issues?

And finally if i replace the cpu will i be able to reload the windows XP that originally came with the computer?

Once again thanks for all the info.

Paul

 

[BoomerD]

Okay so i compared the Radeon HD 4850 with the GTS 250 and it looked like the HD 4850 was a far better card am I correct in this assumption. If so I may shop around for best price on this one.

So the prognosis is I will be upgrading to:
Radeon HD 4850

CPU
Intel Pentium D 945 3.4GHz 800MHz 2x2MB Socket 775 Dual-Core CPU

Hard Drive
1TB SATA 3Gb/s Hard Drive 64MB IntelliPower 3.5IN Caviar Green WD10EARS


1TB SATA 3Gb/s Hard Drive 64MB IntelliPower 3.5IN Caviar Green WD10EARS


1TB SATA 3Gb/s Hard Drive 64MB IntelliPower 3.5IN Caviar Green WD10EARS

RAM
2 GB of ram added for total of 3GB

Does this look like a computer now that will run WoW pretty easy and allow us to Skype with family around the country without many issues?

And finally if i replace the cpu will i be able to reload the windows XP that originally came with the computer?

Once again thanks for all the info.

Paul

The CPU has nothing to do with the Windows installation. BUT, you MAY have an issue with the Dell install disk. (or you might not...I upgraded CPU and HDD in a Gateway a few years ago and was able to use their install disk)

 

[jamesmcuk]

This will run wow easily - mines a core 2 duo 3gz, it will run wow at 60fps at the top res with all detail set to max and can play an avi movie on the other monitor with no lag. So you should be fine.

 

[Lanyap]

Okay so i compared the Radeon HD 4850 with the GTS 250 and it looked like the HD 4850 was a far better card am I correct in this assumption. If so I may shop around for best price on this one.

So the prognosis is I will be upgrading to:
Radeon HD 4850

Video card model looks like a good choice.

CPU
Intel Pentium D 945 3.4GHz 800MHz 2x2MB Socket 775 Dual-Core CPU

Looks good. You need to make sure you have the latest BIOS. You can get it at dell support driver section for your system using the svc tag.
http://support.dell.com/support/dow...dateid=-1&formatid=-1&source=-1&fileid=192889

Have you replaced a CPU before?

Hard Drive
1TB SATA 3Gb/s Hard Drive 64MB IntelliPower 3.5IN Caviar Green WD10EARS


1TB SATA 3Gb/s Hard Drive 64MB IntelliPower 3.5IN Caviar Green WD10EARS


1TB SATA 3Gb/s Hard Drive 64MB IntelliPower 3.5IN Caviar Green WD10EARS

Even thought this HD has a 64MB cache it's still spinning at a slower RPM, 5400. This would be ok for a data storage drive but not neccessarily a primary drive with Windows plus the reviews are not too good on newegg. Stick with a 7200 RPM drive. I would go with a Western Digital Caviar Blue with 32MB cache at 7200RPM or, if you want higher performance for $20 more Western Digital Caviar Black with 64MB cache at 7200RPM.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16822136534
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16822136533

RAM
2 GB of ram added for total of 3GB

I would suggest Crucial. You can't go wrong with it. $35.99 with free shipping at newegg.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...e=&srchInDesc=

And finally if i replace the cpu will i be able to reload the windows XP that originally came with the computer?

Yes. You will need to reload all of the drivers.

 

[BoomerD]

Be sure you have the original Dell driver disk to avoid the problems in Uppie1414's thread.

 

[Lanyap]

Be sure you have the original Dell driver disk to avoid the problems in Uppie1414's thread.

:thumbsup:

 

[GS Redneck]

Okay moving along in this undertanding to make sure i do this correctly.

Down load the latest BIOS and put them on thumb drive to load onto new CPU.

Look at getting the 7200rpm version of HD. I am assuming with higher RPM it means that it will find data faster and allow for smoother operaton.

Video card question, Is Visiontek reputable brand as compared to gigabyte and XFX?

That should hopefully finish up this thread. BTW I do have the original driver disk and OS disk. Thanks again to everyone for their input.

Paul

 

[Lanyap]

Okay moving along in this undertanding to make sure i do this correctly.

Down load the latest BIOS and put them on thumb drive to load onto new CPU.

Run the BIOS update now before you install the new CPU or perform any of your upgrades. If you have an older BIOS it may not recognize the new CPU or your new large HD and cause you problems.

Look at getting the 7200rpm version of HD. I am assuming with higher RPM it means that it will find data faster and allow for smoother operaton.

Yes, the faster the RPM of the drive the quicker it can access the data. Cache does play an important role in performance and can be used to offset performance in a slower drive. Normally you want to look for the fastest drive with the most cache within your budget for your main drive.

Video card question, Is Visiontek reputable brand as compared to gigabyte and XFX?

Visiontek has been around for a long time and is generally a good brand. I always check reviews on particular models and brands at Newegg to see if it has any issues. Also check the warranty. Some brands have better warranties than others.

That should hopefully finish up this thread. BTW I do have the original driver disk and OS disk. Thanks again to everyone for their input.

Paul

When you load the drivers you want to use the following order. If you use the original driver disk you should get the latest drivers from dell support after you load the original drivers. You could also get all of the latest drivers now and just copy them to your upgraded system. For your new video card, go to ati.com to get the latest drivers. Don't use the driver disk that comes with card.
http://support.dell.com/support/dow...imension 400/9150&os=WW1&osl=en&catid=&impid=

Chipset (Installs motherboard drivers)
Network (Allows you to access internet to download additional drivers and software)
Video (Allows you to set the normal video resolution)
Audio
Modem (You probably don't use a dial modem but this keeps it from showing up as unknown device)


You are about to perform a complex upgrade on your PC. Do you have any experience with this type of activity and/or do you have anyone with experience available to assist? Just the CPU upgrade can be daunting if you have never done it before.

Here is the section in the Dell service manual that explains how to replace parts.
http://support.dell.com/support/edocs/systems/xps400/sm/parts.htm

 

[GS Redneck]

Okay a couple more questions here, and possible problem i have seen doing research.

HD question first:
Does the Size of the Hard Drive really matter with regards to performance. IE do I really need a 1Tb HD when I barely use 1/2 of my 250 Gb hard drive. IE this should do me fine
a 500 Gb, 7200rpm, 64MB Cache, with a SATA 6.0 Gb/s
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16822136544

Its $20 Dollars cheaper than the 1Tb version.

Graphics card question.

In my research i have found that the HD 4850 recommends a 450W plus PSU

And the 9800 GT recommends a 400W plus PSU. My system currently has a 375W PSU. Will I need to go with a slightly lesser VGU to take in the fact that I have a small PSU. I am manipulating around what I need to maximize performance while trying to stay in a budget.

Finally I do not have any experience installing CPU well not any modern versions. Is the issue pin alignment or is it something a little more complicated than that. I will do some research and see if I can put together a good step by step so I don't screw it up and maybe post it in the CPU section or here for critique. Thanks again you guys are a wealth of knowledge.

Paul

 

[Lanyap]

Okay a couple more questions here, and possible problem i have seen doing research.

HD question first:
Does the Size of the Hard Drive really matter with regards to performance. IE do I really need a 1Tb HD when I barely use 1/2 of my 250 Gb hard drive. IE this should do me fine
a 500 Gb, 7200rpm, 64MB Cache, with a SATA 6.0 Gb/s
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16822136544

Its $20 Dollars cheaper than the 1Tb version.

HD size/capacity does not really affect performance so it's up to you on how much you need. It sounds like the 640GB you linked to would be a good alternative to the 1TB. There is a 500GB version but it's $10 more.

Graphics card question.

In my research i have found that the HD 4850 recommends a 450W plus PSU

And the 9800 GT recommends a 400W plus PSU. My system currently has a 375W PSU. Will I need to go with a slightly lesser VGU to take in the fact that I have a small PSU. I am manipulating around what I need to maximize performance while trying to stay in a budget.

The 375w PSUs that Dell used for the XPS line of desktops are rated lower than they are capable of performing. Typically the 375W PSU is equivalent to an average/good quality regular 450W PSU. It should work with a 4850 but I can't guarantee it. You can do some research here:
http://www.google.com/webhp?sourcei...l+375w+psu+ati+4850&pbx=1&fp=5fc6e4edb7c346ed

Finally I do not have any experience installing CPU well not any modern versions. Is the issue pin alignment or is it something a little more complicated than that. I will do some research and see if I can put together a good step by step so I don't screw it up and maybe post it in the CPU section or here for critique. Thanks again you guys are a wealth of knowledge.

Paul

Actually dropping the CPU in the socket is the easy part. Just look for the notches in the CPU and where they fit into the socket. If you follow the instructions you should be ok. You will need new thermal paste to apply between the cpu and the heat sink. You will also need something to clean the old thermal paste off of the heat sink. Use either acetone (finger nail polish remover) or high % (91?) rubbing alchohol. I prefer acetone.
http://support.dell.com/support/edocs/systems/xps400/sm/parts.htm#wp1060951

I would recommend that you only do one upgrade at a time and perform thorough testing to make sure the upgrade does not cause problems before you do the next upgrade. If you do more than one upgrade at a time and you have problem, you don't know which upgrade caused the problem.

 

[GS Redneck]

Just thought I would give you guys an update on my upgrade progress. I happen to have two Identical Dell Systems. The only problem was one has crashed hard. So I took the gig of Ram out of that one and put it in the computer that is running in order to up the Ram to at least 2G. I then went in to best buy to pick something else up and Saw that they were having a sale on Video Cards. I found the GeForce 9800 GT for $99, I still had reservations though about it because it required a 400W PSU and mine is only a 375W... I have been told that Dell often under rated their PSU supplies, but I found a GeForce 240GT for $80 bucks and it only requires a 350W PSU. So I opted for it. Now Remember I am running that oh so powerful whammie dine GeForce 7300 LE. I went home installed the card and the drivers and boy let me tell you. The Difference is night and day. I went from blotch characters who were missing part of their pixilation to a game being played on a setting of Med-High and playing at 60 fps. I have never seen the game run this good. I am so thrilled. I run an instance in WoW and everything is smooth no video freezing or jerky movement in a big pull just smooth continuous action. So my next step is to upgrade the Hard drive. Can I do this without updating the CPU or should I do those two at the same time? Thanks again for all the wonderful help.

Paul

 

[BoomerD]

:thumbsup:

You can upgrade your HDD w/o changing the CPU...totally unrelated parts.