Upgrading a 500mhz computer: why?

[crisscross]

I am surprised nobody has raised this point yet.

What hard drive do you have? i.e. 5400RPM or 7200RPM. I noticed a huge speed improvement (boot time etc) going from a 5400 drive to a 7200RPM one. You might want to consider upgrading to a 7200RPM drive with 8MB cache

 

Originally posted by: Tornado54
I am surprised nobody has raised this point yet.

What hard drive do you have? i.e. 5400RPM or 7200RPM. I noticed a huge speed improvement (boot time etc) going from a 5400 drive to a 7200RPM one. You might want to consider upgrading to a 7200RPM drive with 8MB cache

I agree, you WILL notice a big difference whether you have a old 7200 rpm or a 5400 rpm.

 

[ChefJoe]

Bah, if you're going to spend over $100 on this upgrade, you're not going to be that impressed. I speak as an owner of a P3 500 MHz system that was upgraded to a 1.1 P3 CuMine chip and as a user of a Celeron 1.3 in my main system (which I'm planning on retiring with a Prescott).

 

[bsr]

Originally posted by: nick1985
welcome to the anandtech forums. if you are satisfied with how your computer perfoms, then leave it as is. if you would like do do some more gaming, i would suggest another stick of RAM and a new video card, maybe a ti-4200? you could get those 2 things for about 150 shipped. you will be able to play most games with that upgrade.

What would be the point of a ti4200 with a 500mhz system ???


Starwiz, you can build a great system that has 5times the power of your current for very cheap now. As far as why do you need it? theres no real need, but from what you said it sound like you need more power... It's not so much a question why, but more of a question, Why not ?? You can get great system (1.6Ghz+, 512mb or more ram, radeon 8500/9000 or perhaps 9500) for $500 or less (if you build it) ...

 

[Slogun]

What would be the point of a ti4200 with a 500mhz system ???

Probably true. I am using a GeF4 4200 with my 1.4GHz system, as someone said above it may not totally take advantage of the 4200.
When I was using my 500MHz celeron system and upgraded my vid card to a GeF2, such a bottleneck was created that the system would often crash during games.

 

[bsr]

Yeah, I wont even get a 9700 without atleast 2Ghz system...

 

[microAmp]

Originally posted by: starwiz
Zephyrprime: you mentioned I should get a socket adapter then a PIII 1.4.

I looked online for a while and the closest I could find to the processor you suggested was a "<STRONG>Intel Celeron (Pentium III based) 1.4GHz 256K 100MHz FSB FCPGA2</STRONG>". This seems almost fine, until you see that it's a "Tualatin" processor, a group of processors CNET says were "The fastest new mobile Pentium IIIs" (when the article was written).

So now I have two questions:

Firstly, where can I find this chip you describe?

Secondly, where can I find a converter for my PIII socket (slot L, is it called?) to whatever socket that one uses?

Thanks a lot for your help.

You might be able to get a Slot T
Here for more info.

 

[dexvx]

Originally posted by: starwiz
Zephyrprime: you mentioned I should get a socket adapter then a PIII 1.4.

I looked online for a while and the closest I could find to the processor you suggested was a "<STRONG>Intel Celeron (Pentium III based) 1.4GHz 256K 100MHz FSB FCPGA2</STRONG>". This seems almost fine, until you see that it's a "Tualatin" processor, a group of processors CNET says were "The fastest new mobile Pentium IIIs" (when the article was written).

So now I have two questions:

Firstly, where can I find this chip you describe?

Secondly, where can I find a converter for my PIII socket (slot L, is it called?) to whatever socket that one uses?

Thanks a lot for your help.

Or you can have someone on the forums mod the a regular slotket for you. I think the T-slot alone is $30-50. I'd also check their compatibility page to see if you can actually do it.

As for the Tualatin Celeron, its essentially a Coppermine P3, performance wise. You could go for the more expensive P3-S 512K cache, but its a decent ways more expensive.

 

[0roo0roo]

if u have to ask....

 

[Bojangles139]

It's not so much a question why, but more of a question, Why not ?? You can get great system (1.6Ghz+, 512mb or more ram, radeon 8500/9000 or perhaps 9500) for $500 or less (if you build it) ...[/quote]


why not? cause not all of us have mommy and daddy's money to spend. 500 or even 300 bux can go a long way and do some good dents in bills. if it was a family member or a good friend asking me this question, i would recommend not upgrading. it works for what your doing, keep it. you want bragging rights, upgrade. honestly, that thing should last you a good 2 more years if not longer. you honestly do not need to even go to a gig for what your doing. only reason i built a $800 system is cause i game a lot and it will last me 3 years. my last one, a abit-kt7, 900mhz amd, 133mg ram, gf2 mx400 which ran $500 lasted for over 3 years. that and i hate consoles. to limiting. :-/

brandon

 

[Mitzi]

Originally posted by: SgtZulu
You're in the wrong forum n00b.
Most people here do a total upgrade every 6 months.

Err, right. I guess I must be a n00bie too then

 

[bsr]

Originally posted by: Bojangles139
It's not so much a question why, but more of a question, Why not ?? You can get great system (1.6Ghz+, 512mb or more ram, radeon 8500/9000 or perhaps 9500) for $500 or less (if you build it) ...

why not? cause not all of us have mommy and daddy's money to spend. 500 or even 300 bux can go a long way and do some good dents in bills. if it was a family member or a good friend asking me this question, i would recommend not upgrading. it works for what your doing, keep it. you want bragging rights, upgrade. honestly, that thing should last you a good 2 more years if not longer. you honestly do not need to even go to a gig for what your doing. only reason i built a $800 system is cause i game a lot and it will last me 3 years. my last one, a abit-kt7, 900mhz amd, 133mg ram, gf2 mx400 which ran $500 lasted for over 3 years. that and i hate consoles. to limiting. :-/

brandon[/quote]

Well not everyone is poor like you neither, and you dont have to spend $500 at one time, it can be a one month project.

 

[0roo0roo]

well technically he's right, don't need a fast system to write a paper the bells and whistles are mostly for fun

 

[starwiz]

you dont have to spend $500 at one time

Ah, but you see there is a problem with this: Right now, if I upgrade, I have to upgrade my mainboard, CPU, RAM, and PSU. I can't just upgrade some of them, because none of them are compatiable with what I have now. So while it wouldn't be $500 but $300, it's still not like I could buy the RAM and stick it into my computer.

 

[Rich3077]

Just a few days ago I upgraded my PIII 600 system to a overclocked P4 2.4b @3.1.
What did it take to finally upgrade?? I tried to upgrade my video card and my old motherboard
did not like a geforce2.
While I do not play games every day.. when I do want to play one I want the computer to be able.. and also to be able to run any other software. Old system had 384 RAM and I had a lot of swapping to the hard drive that annoyed me.

I say go for a system rebuild.. but that's just me.
When I built my PIII 600 it was a screamer, so by building a high end system I feel I get my moneys worth because it should last longer between rebuilds.

Yeah, it cost me way to much.. I had to buy everything from scratch. I also had to have all the best
hardware.. starting with a $250 motherboard and a gig of PC2700 RAM so that I would have a little
room for overclocking.
I will be working overtime to pay for this beast, however I should be set for a while once I complete the build. I still need hard drives and a better video card.

I don't trust the slot T and powerleap adaptors. I put a powerleap adaptor in my wifes PC and 2 months later her motherboard died, so I ended up spending the money on a new motherboard anyway.
I am not alone in having a fried motherboard from powerleap or Slot T.. and if you want to know more about it check this thread.
***Trustly old Abit BH6 now @ 1.57 GHz! Slot 1 owners come on in***

Here is another option to consider... if you have an Aldi food store in you're area you may have noticed
a nice computer they had at christmas time for $899.00. These seemed to be a pretty good deal and I wanted to buy one for my wife but did'nt have the spare cash due to christmas. They have been advertizing the system will return on March 31st. Rumors are flying around the net that they are just
liquidating the ones that did'nt sell at christmas and will sell for $699.00. If the rumors are true than this will be a geat deal, I would imagine you would need to be at the store when it opened to even get one.
Aldi PC


Building a new computer was fun.. however there are always hard chioces to make and budgits to break.
There is always that... but for only $20 more I could get..... That applies to every peice of hardware.

Another option to consider...
Check the Hot Deals Forum often... more
than once a day, because sometimes the really great deals sell out fast.
Just peice together a whole system one peice at a time buying only the very best deals you can find.
I have considered this.. however I did'nt want to wait any longer for my hardware.
I am still holding out buying a video card because I havent found the one I want in my price range.. however I will.

Most people here would dissagree with my next statement... but I would avoid buying any hardware
from online trading forums or fleabay. Most of the time these people are trying to get back almost
100% of there purchase price for newer hardware. You also run the risk of getting burned.. or something could happen like the item gets lost in shipment.
Loosing a couple hundred bucks on a trade can really put a damper on the system budgit.

Or.. you could just do like me and break the bank and buy everything you need for an upgrade even if you can't afford it.


If you are happy with you're current PC then stick with it. I was no longer happy with my old setup
because I wanted to play games.
If you do decide to upgrade just keep in mind that it is very hard to stay within x amount of dollars once
you get started.

Sorry for the long post, but I was in the same boat as you just a few days ago so I have an idea what you are going through. These damn PC's sure can be an expensive hobby, but things could be worse.. we could be addicted to TV instead.


Peace
Rich

 

[MisterMe]

I suppose it all comes down to how honest you are with yourself about "needs" and "wants" - Most people "want" a late model fast machine but then consider that most people don't "need" that same fast machine...

 

[starwiz]

Well, if there's a good chance I'll fry my motherboard, I don't think I'll use that adapter.

I don't need to buy a new computer...my hdd, video card, CD drive, and case are all fine, though the case is a little small and limiting on mainboard size.

The upgrade would cost me $300...I guess what you all are telling me is that I need to decide for myself...now there's a concept.

 

[Mavrick]

I was asking myself the same question last week. Is it worth it? The answer is no!

As McCarthy said, upgrading to play games is entertainment spending. And computer gaming is really not the best entertainement available (considering that you said that, like me, you're an occasionnal gamer) and it is short lived.

Remember that it will be expansive to upgrade, and unless your life revolves around gaming, you'll spend the summer with little money and be bored to death. There are a lot of better ways to entertain yourself in the summer than with computers.

Have fun

 

[Slogun]

A lot of people who frequent this forum get enjoyment out of the mere act of upgrading.
Much like guys who are into cars enjoy tinkering under the hood getting every ounce of performance out of their engine.

 

[Bojangles139]

Originally posted by: bsr

Originally posted by: Bojangles139
It's not so much a question why, but more of a question, Why not ?? You can get great system (1.6Ghz+, 512mb or more ram, radeon 8500/9000 or perhaps 9500) for $500 or less (if you build it) ...

why not? cause not all of us have mommy and daddy's money to spend. 500 or even 300 bux can go a long way and do some good dents in bills. if it was a family member or a good friend asking me this question, i would recommend not upgrading. it works for what your doing, keep it. you want bragging rights, upgrade. honestly, that thing should last you a good 2 more years if not longer. you honestly do not need to even go to a gig for what your doing. only reason i built a $800 system is cause i game a lot and it will last me 3 years. my last one, a abit-kt7, 900mhz amd, 133mg ram, gf2 mx400 which ran $500 lasted for over 3 years. that and i hate consoles. to limiting. :-/

brandon

Well not everyone is poor like you neither, and you dont have to spend $500 at one time, it can be a one month project.[/quote]


LOL. well, not everybody can spare 500 bux for a luxury. and if you think $500 is pocket change, your a spoiled brat, should go hug and thank your parents for doing so well. i'm not saying i'm poor nor am i saying i'm rich, i can just realize somepeople have familys and bills to pay, they can't justify spending 500 or even 300 on computers so they can play a few games. hell, i could live off 300 bux for at least 2 months (not considering bills)

brandon

 

[Bojangles139]

if its entertainment your looking for, go buy yourself a frisbee golf disc, go play, and put the money you save into stocks. market is near rock bottom, perfect time to buy. in a year, sell and buy 3 computers!

brandon

 

[mooojojojo]

for those that say upgrading the harddrive from 5400 to 7200 is a huge improvement - I have to disagree - I didn't notice any speed increase when going from Quantum CD 8.4 to Barracuda 80GB. I don't know maybe it was the BX udma33, or it was the celeron533 but it didn't seem to run any faster to me.

starwiz - I was in a situation sorta like yours - didn't want to upgrade because I felt I didn't need it. but then I got some projects to work at home and my celery533/256mb drove me nuts in some moments.. so I had the money and decided to upgrade. but if you still feel that your pc is adequate and doesn't slow you down - I think you should keep it for as long as it is good enough for you.

 

[DAPUNISHER]

for those that say upgrading the harddrive from 5400 to 7200 is a huge improvement - I have to disagree - I didn't notice any speed increase when going from Quantum CD 8.4 to Barracuda 80GB. I don't know maybe it was the BX udma33, or it was the celeron533 but it didn't seem to run any faster to me.

Maybe? desktop ATA 7200rpm drives are 30%+ faster than 5400rpm drives on average IIRC. From storagereview.com-

Today, spindle speed is the first thing you really should look for when assessing a drive; the speed of the spindle is the primary method by which drives are categorized into "classes". Almost any 7,200 RPM drive will be faster, and more expensive, than a 5,400 RPM drive of the same size and generation. The spindle speed directly correlates to the drive's rotational latency, affecting positioning performance, and also influences the drive's internal transfer rate. However, there is more to this: the difference in speed between different classes of drives is due not only to the speed of the spindle, but the fact that manufacturers tend to design these drives to be faster in other ways as well, knowing they are targeting a market more concerned with all facets of performance.

also

Many benchmarks are designed to try to isolate the hard disk from the rest of the system to test "only" the hard disk. Some are more successful than others in doing this. Unfortunately, many of them don't take all the factors into account and end up (for example) testing the system's hard disk cache instead of the hard disk itself. They are getting smarter over time, however, but still, virtually every hard disk benchmark I have ever seen has allowed the rest of the system to impact the number. You take the hard disk out of a Pentium II 300 PC and put it into a Pentium III 600 system, run the benchmark again, and the score goes up.

So you can see how the speed of your system affects performance of the drive.

 

[mechBgon]

We have a variety of Win2000 systems at work, including a Dell P3 450 with 256Mb of RAM. As the part-time IT guy, working with that system (and others of its era) to install patches or software is always frustrating. Why? The slow hard drive. I like texun's suggestion of a good monitor and tornado54's suggestion of a faster hard drive.

In the realm of faster hard drives, I favor the 15000rpm Seagate X15-36LP or 15k.3 flavors, both of which use fluid-dynamic bearings. Most people seem to regard that as overkill, like adding a nitrous-oxide kit to one's car. Still, with a five-year 24/7 warranty, the longevity alone would probably justify the price, not to mention the disk performance and reliability. I guarantee it'll hold its value better over five years than investing the $320 in a video card, at any rate

Incidentally, there is a common expectation that 15k drives idle loud, but I haven't found that to be the case with my X15-36LP, which uses fluid-dynamic bearings (as does the newer, faster 15k.3). Seeks are noticable, but it certainly gets them over with quickly Works for me...

 

[Eug]

I went from a Celeron 800 with 384 MB and Radeon 7200, to a Celeron 1.4 Tualatin with Slot-T with 512 MB and Radeon 9100. Same motherboard. The computer is now blistering fast compared to previously for something like US$175.

I did get a new hard drive, but it wasn't much of a speed difference. I just couldn't take the noise anymore of my IBM drives. Now my computer is ultra quiet with a Seagate Barracuda V (with acoustic management turned on).