Please help computer noob!

[Equinox]

Ok,

I have VERY basic knowledge of computers and the like so I need your help..

I bought a basic run of the mill computer over a year ago which is fine if Im running Freelancer but Ive been wanting to try some newer games..

So Ive been searching for some more RAM and a new video card but have come across different versions of them so Im unsure what my computer needs..

So is there a way to find out what RAM my computer takes and also what video card would work best with it??.

I don't want nothing to fancy as my budget is only ?100 for both, Ive prised a few video cards up and theres a few around the ?60 mark that look ok and that would leave ?40 to get some extra ram.

Any help would be much appreciated!..

Cheers.

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[Unseelie]

Ram type should be printed on the ram stick...
and as far as I know, all the video cards stick into the same slots....

Depending on the manufacturer, the website may help you upgrade...HP is awesome that way...

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[ioha]

Well, an easy solution is to look inside your comp;

Your video card is probably an AGP one if the PC is a little aged.
The memory type is indicated on the modules as well; could be DDR RAM, pretty common. But that all is of course just a guess, since I don't know your comp.

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Sebastian Goldig | Carlos "Coyote" Wells | Joshua Cooper
Colony News Service | Bretonian Royal Court | Characters & Biographies | Signatures & Designs

[Equinox]

Ok, I didn't really want to have to open the computer up (im a total noob when it comes to computers) but if theres no other way to find out what ram I need ill open it and have a look.

Thanks for the help guys..

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[kingvaillant]

before upgrading you have to check the power of your power supply (you'll have to open the case for that)

you'll have to check what kind if motherboard you have (open case, look for a lil name like for example Asus P4P800)

once you know your MB go make a search on the internet to see what kind of things it can support

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Director of the Liberty Security Force: Fidelity, Bravery and Integrity

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[Hyperion]

If you dont want to open up youre comp, than just use Everest Home or Ultimate. Every part of youre pc is listed there.


You can download the free Home Edition here.

:)

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lurking in the darkness...

[Etaphreven]

Hyperion's right. I use that Everest thingy aswell and it's great if you want to find out something about your PC.

[13CentKiller]

Just a tip,

If its SDRAM, buy a new computer...

also:

Start>Run>Type dxdiag and click ok >Click save all information at the bottom right of the window, save to a file, and PM it to me. I will get a better idea as to how your computer is set-up, and I can tell you what you need. And what to get in the way of parts if you wish.

Cheers:cool:

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"Three o'clock is always too late or too early for anything you want to do."

[looqas]

The thing is that you'll probably have to open the case sooner or later, so do it sooner.

Those ready sold machines usually have only 2 slots for RAM and it's pretty common for Dell to use them both like 2x256MB or 2x512MB. So you'd have to ditch one or both sticks to insert new ones.

The most vital information you (or us) need to know is the motherboard model. It gives all the necessary info what parts you can have. For that Everest is nice. Just copy paste the info here.

And while the case is open you might want to check the lable of your PSU and report the info also.

We'll take it from there.

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Flying under radar.

[Equinox]

This is the summery from Everest.

--------[ Summary ]------------------------------------------------------

Computer:
Operating System Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition
OS Service Pack Service Pack 2
DirectX 4.09.00.0904 (DirectX 9.0c)
Computer Name MARK
User Name New User

Motherboard:
CPU Type Intel Celeron D 336, 2800 MHz (21 x 133)
Motherboard Name Unknown
Motherboard Chipset VIA P4M800 Pro
System Memory 192 MB
BIOS Type Award (06/09/06)
Communication Port Communications Port (COM1)
Communication Port Communications Port (COM2)
Communication Port ECP Printer Port (LPT1)

Display:
Video Adapter VIA/S3G UniChrome Pro IGP (64 MB)
3D Accelerator VIA/S3 UniChrome Pro
Monitor Plug and Play Monitor [NoDB] (0000000000)

Multimedia:
Audio Adapter VIA AC'97 Enhanced Audio Controller

Storage:
IDE Controller Standard Dual Channel PCI IDE Controller
IDE Controller VIA Bus Master IDE Controller
Floppy Drive Floppy disk drive
Disk Drive HDS728080PLAT20 (80 GB, 7200 RPM, Ultra-ATA/133)
Optical Drive TSSTcorp CD/DVDW SH-S182D
SMART Hard Disks Status OK

Partitions:
C: (NTFS) 78528 MB (21088 MB free)

Input:
Keyboard Standard 101/102-Key or Microsoft Natural PS/2 Keyboard
Mouse PS/2 Compatible Mouse

Network:
Network Adapter VIA Rhine II Fast Ethernet Adapter (192.168.1.64)
Modem PCI SoftV92 Modem #2

Peripherals:
Printer Lexmark 640 Series
USB1 Controller VIA VT83C572 PCI-USB Controller
USB1 Controller VIA VT83C572 PCI-USB Controller
USB1 Controller VIA VT83C572 PCI-USB Controller
USB1 Controller VIA VT83C572 PCI-USB Controller
USB2 Controller VIA USB 2.0 Enhanced Host Controller
USB Device USB Printing Support



Motherboard?

[ Motherboard ]

Motherboard Properties:
Manufacturer MICRO-STAR INTERNATIONAL CO., LTD
Product MS-7211
Version 4.1
Serial Number 6710309220

Ram?

--------[ SPD ]------------------------

[ DIMM1: Samsung M3 68L3223FTN-CCC ]

Memory Module Properties:
Module Name Samsung M3 68L3223FTN-CCC
Serial Number 1306F1DDh
Manufacture Date Week 25 / 2006
Module Size 256 MB (2 ranks, 4 banks)
Module Type Unbuffered
Memory Type DDR SDRAM
Memory Speed PC3500 (217 MHz)
Module Width 64 bit
Module Voltage SSTL 2.5
Error Detection Method None
Refresh Rate Reduced (7.8 us), Self-Refresh

Memory Timings:
@ 222 MHz 3.0-4-4-9 (CL-RCD-RP-RAS)
@ 200 MHz 2.5-4-4-8 (CL-RCD-RP-RAS)

Memory Module Features:
Early RAS# Precharge Not Supported
Auto-Precharge Not Supported
Precharge All Not Supported
Write1/Read Burst Not Supported
Buffered Address/Control Inputs Not Supported
Registered Address/Control Inputs Not Supported
On-Card PLL (Clock) Not Supported
Buffered DQMB Inputs Not Supported
Registered DQMB Inputs Not Supported
Differential Clock Input Supported
Redundant Row Address Not Supported

Memory Module Manufacturer:
Company Name Samsung
Product Information http://www.samsung.com/Products/Semicond.../index.htm

CPU

--------[ CPU ]----------------------------

CPU Properties:
CPU Type Intel Celeron D 336, 2800 MHz (21 x 133)
CPU Alias Prescott-256
CPU Stepping G1
Instruction Set x86, x86-64, MMX, SSE, SSE2, SSE3
Original Clock 2800 MHz
Min / Max CPU Multiplier 14x / 21x
Engineering Sample No
L1 Trace Cache 12K Instructions
L1 Data Cache 16 KB
L2 Cache 256 KB (On-Die, ECC, ATC, Full-Speed)

CPU Manufacturer:
Company Name Intel Corporation
Product Information http://www.intel.com/products/browse/processor.htm

CPU Utilization:
CPU #1 0 %

Is there anything ive missed?

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