i would just get a different os and add more ram. i had a similar computer, and the motherboard was only a am2. not too many cpus for it.
Because we use and support PCs not dissimilar in performance, and for light use like the OP describes, they are still quite good machines.After reading though this is astonishing the amount of all of us want to save this pile of dirty dusty junk.
Upgrade the whole system. I am sure you want to hear that anyways. Everyone likes a new computer. Tell them to save the pictures and stuff on a disk them throw that thing out the window.
make a nice new quad core amd or whatever and let them pic the case out. Have fun with it. Why polish a turd?
Definitly just need a video upgrade. Throw even a $30 5450 in it.
That 5600+ will do what they want with ease. Hell, I have a 5000+ in a system downstairs connected to a TV that will do 1080p
Terrible Advice on this thread:
2) Buying a SSD. Again, completely unnecessary for parents who simply want to run a web browser and Word.
Parents are the type who install random stuff without caring (and then wonder why their desktop takes forever to show up), and who often shut off the computer when not in use (YMMV but that's my experience). These two reasons alone could justify a small SSD. Also, Vista is a good OS contrary to popular belief, but it does take longer than W7 to finally load up. Again, an SSD would help. I had a Core 2 Duo laptop that was a pain to cold boot with a 7200rpm drive using Vista x64, but was extremely snappy with an SSD. This was with 4GB RAM.
If an SSD is too costly+small, I imagine something like a Momentus XT would also be a good alternative. Anything to boost disk performance.
Vista doesn't even support TRIM, does it?
Windows 7 boots faster than Vista largely because it loads drivers in a more sophisticated way. But the different isn't huge especially when a system doesn't have a ton of devices.
I still think an SSD on a computer for only the most basic uses is excessive. Vista doesn't even support TRIM, does it?
SSDs might still be too small and expensive to justify for everyone, but it makes a PC feel more like an appliance. Nobody likes to wait for things to load, or wonder if the computer froze because they clicked an icon and nothing happened because the disk is thrashing (which happens a lot for the typical user). Unfortunately when the cylindrical disk LED flashes for a minute, too many assume it's because their CPU is slow or they don't have enough memory, neither of which should be issues today.
I totally forgot about the lack of trim. My SSD at the time was an Intel X25-M G1 so it didn't matter but I've read that many newer SSDs do okay without it (can't say for sure).
can u disable the graphical effects in vista? then you wouldn't need to upgrade.
Are you gonna build something? I'd go for an Intel i3 with WIN 7, w/new RAM (4GB).
So his parents computer is sluggish and your suggestion is to "upgrade" to something that is literally half as fast. http://www.anandtech.com/bench/Product/30?vs=328I'd go with a Zacate for a parents' computer.
E-350 + Mobo = $100 on Newegg
4 GB DDR3 1333 Crucial RAM = $28 on mwave
Rosewill ITX case w/power supply = $50
Windows 7 OEM = $100
HDD = $0 for using the one his parents already have
$278 for a whole new computer. And the E-450s are coming out any day now.
So his parents computer is sluggish and your suggestion is to "upgrade" to something that is literally half as fast. http://www.anandtech.com/bench/Product/30?vs=328
Anyway I promise you op that a fresh install of Windows 7 is the single biggest upgrade you can do for this computer. If you feel like dropping a little more money then a cheap SSD as well. Imo its been years since modern CPU upgrades have made a difference to web browsing and operating system use. And 3GBs of Ram is fine as long as the OS is running relatively clean.
sorry but Zacate is just too damn slow for a modern setup. they might as well go buy a 6-7 year old computer at a garage sale if that's the the kind of performance that satisfies them. even my parents noticed how much slower it was than their old 4200 X2 pc.I'd go with a Zacate for a parents' computer.
E-350 + Mobo = $100 on Newegg
4 GB DDR3 1333 Crucial RAM = $28 on mwave
Rosewill ITX case w/power supply = $50
Windows 7 OEM = $100
HDD = $0 for using the one his parents already have
$278 for a whole new computer. And the E-450s are coming out any day now.
6150 does not use that much ram from what I remember. I think the options in the BIOS were 32/64/128 and maybe 256.Well then you get ugly internet.
One other benefit from dropping in a HD 5450 is that you'd recover 512 mb of system RAM that the 6150 is using. All for $35.
No offense meant, but I would see no reason to get them a Zacate E-350 system. The CPU is weak, and the graphics could easily be passed up by a cheap discrete card in the system that they have. I tried a Zacate system in best buy, and it took forever even to load Word. I saw this processer in a netbook form factor and it seemed really nice. I just dont see any place for it in even a large notebook, much less a desktop.
It would save a bit of power, but is it really that significant?? Maybe a few dollars a month at most. If you save 50 watts times 24 hours per day, that is 1.2 kwhours per day, or what 15 or 20 cents per day depending on the price of electricity.