help me upgrade an old old computer

[thestinger]

Hi

I have aquired an old compaq pressario.

It has a celeron 433 chip and having obtained the technical spec it suggests that the motherboard will take any socketed celeron, does this mean I can put a 1 GHz celeron in it without it melting or should I be more careful and go for around 6-700 Mhz.

Also it has some old PCI expasion slots, what is the maximum graphics card that it will take.

The motherboard is an intel 810 whitney

Thanks

 

[darude]

There are more considerations to take, you need to make sure that your Power Supply Unit is up to the job if you go for a faster CPU, I would recomend that you change your heatsink and cpu fan too.

download SIS Sandra Lite (free) and run it, it will tell you detailed specs on your mobo / PC setup.

http://www.sisoftware.co.uk/index.html?dir=&location=downandbuy&langx=en&a=

Do you have an AGP slot, or know the speed of your PCI slot (either 33 or 66 Mhz)

 

[thestinger]

I have 145 watts of power.

i'm on my computer at work at the moment but the spec doesn't mention pci speed although elsewhere it states system bus speed og 66Mhz.

Will the link quoted tell me what I can upgrade to or just givem me the specs

 

[Igorian]

IMHO, given the age and spec of the machine, it's probably going to more trouble than it's worth.

 

[thestinger]

your probably right. But I see it as a bit of a challenge and if it works my wife might let me build my own pc. At the moment she is of the opinion I can't

 

[Igorian]

I understand what you are saying, but as darude has pointed out, other components may need upgrading and you will probably end up with a machine that doesn't perform much better than it does now.

Your PSU is quite weak at 145W and would need replacing. PCI graphic cards are old hat and are generally more expensive because they are less common. Other components like hard drive and CD ROM will be in their twilight years.

Building PCs is fun, but if you are looking for a general purpose/all rounder, then an ready made off the shelf jobby is likely to cost less. Plus you will get a warranty. I no longer build/supply budget machines for customers as the profit margins are just not there. If you were looking for top end kit, then self build is an option.

 

[JohnD]

It is rather old, but if you want a quick fix to improve its performance, additional memory will usually have more effect than a new processor. You can usually get old memory on ebay, make sure the seller has good feedback and confirms it works. The literature may tell you it can take any processor of its socket type, but this may mean any of the procesors that were available when it was built, often not the ones on the market today.

You can do a build for "fun," and obsolete m/cs are very cheap to buy, but I've come to the conclusion that if you want a m/c to use, it's cheaper, and much easier, to buy a fully or partly assembled m/c.

You can get a modern Barebones or Motherboard bundle quite cheaply if you want to tinker, I get mine from Novatech.

 

[JohnD]

... if it works my wife might let me build my own pc. At the moment she is of the opinion I can't

Tell her you're a man, and all men are able to do man stuff.

 

[2scoops0406]

Chuck it, buy a new one.

 

[darude]

I just had a quick look on some sites, I think you'd definatley be better off bining the PC and starting again.

If its for fun then and you don't mind spending the cash then take some time and look on google for pc upgrade guides, just make sure to check that your existing hardware is compatble. There are calculators to give you a rough PSU Wattage guide for various configerations.

Have fun!