Upgrading my XPS400. Suggestions please

[rifter2003]

First off i'll tell you a bit about myself. I don't know much about computers. I know numbers like 2gb of ram, 3gz processor and 400gb hardrive. But when it comes to choosing the best video cards, processors and such i'm pretty lost. So i can tell you what i have and i need to know what to get. so here goes.
I have a Dell XPS 400 (bought in October 2005)
2.8ghz pentium D processor
ATI Radeon x600 256mb hypermemory Video card
1GB of ram
144GB of HD space of which i currently use 30gb

My question is: I want to upgrade my video card and buy some new ram for my computer. I think this will help me play new games coming out like Warhammer Online a bit easier without lagging and FPS slugging along. I don't know prices too well but the GeForce 8800 and ATI 3870 are around 160-200 dollars i believe. I'd like some suggestions on what i'm looking for in any upgrade i may get. and What else should i know before i buy? Sorry for the long post.

[nemowolf]

I think you need to check your second RAM there cause no OS other than a 64bit OS can use more than 4GB of total system memory. Unless that is supposed to be your HD space which plays very little into performance.

Your best upgrade is to build a new system as the components in your current XPS 400 are limiting and very out of date already. Your PD is already 4 generations of processors old and you can get alot of performance from upgrading that. Your also going to be limited on the RAM as your going to need to find older ram which isnt as fast as newer ram.


You need to figure out your budget first, what you want is pointless unless you have the money to spend on it. Your 8800 GT will cost around 200 and some additional ram will cost you anywhere from 50-150 depending on what you have currently in your system and if you need to replace any of it.

(If you have two slots with 512 each and you want to get to two gigs then your going to end up buying two 1 gig sticks. If you have four slots with two 512 sticks and you want two gigs you can buy either an additional 1 gig stick or two 512s.)

There are plenty of threads in the general section with builds and suggestions for builds with parts listed from newegg. I would start going through the back posts and figure out which path is better for you:

Either spend money on an old and outdated machine

or

Spend money on a new freshly built machine new parts and some salvaged from your old system. (New mobo, processor, case, PSU, RAM, & vid card)

[RicheemxX]

Some of the XPS 400's are socket 775 based with ddr2 so there might not be a total need for an entirely new system. D/L and run [urlhttp://www.cpuid.com/pcwizard.php]PC Wizard 2008[/url] and post the specs.

As nemo has said sometimes its not worth beating a dead horse, but its best to know which horse you are riding before you shoot the dang thing.

If you are on a tight budget sometimes you don't always have the option for a whole new build

[rifter2003]

I downloaded the program but i'm not sure exactly which spec's you would like me to post. It would seem you want my RAM specs. It shows that i do have DDR2 but i don't know what 775based is. Let me know exactly what you need to see and i'll try to get it. Thanks for everyone's input thus far. I could get a new computer but honestly i don't feel i'm qualified or knowledgable enough to build one just yet. always willing to learn though.

[RicheemxX]

Socket 775 would be the socket type for the cpu, click on the processor icon and it will tell you. If you can just copy and paste the specs from the system summary.

[rifter2003]

it does say :Support : Socket 775 LGA



Manufacturer : Dell XPS DXPO51
Mainboard : Dell 0YC523
Chipset : Intel i945P
Processor : Intel Pentium XE 820 @ 2800 MHz
Physical Memory : 1024 MB (2 x 512 DDR2-SDRAM )
Video Card : ATI Technologies Inc Radeon X600 Series
Hard Disk : Maxtor (160 GB)
DVD-Rom Drive : SONY DVD-ROM DDU1615
CD-Rom Drive : SONY CD-RW CRX217E
Monitor Type : Dell Computer DELL 1704FPT - 17 inches
Network Card : Intel Corporation PRO/1000 PL Network Connection
Operating System : Microsoft Windows XP Professional 5.01.2600 Service Pack 2
DirectX : Version 9.0c (July 2007)

[EXreaction]

If you can find a legit coupon code:
http://www.hardocp.com/news.html?new...VzaWFzdCwsLDE=

8800 GT - $100 AR.

[RicheemxX]

Originally Posted by EXreaction

If you can find a legit coupon code:
http://www.hardocp.com/news.html?new...VzaWFzdCwsLDE=

8800 GT - $100 AR.

That would be a good fit, wonder why I didn't get that email

Anyways, since your board supports ddr2 go over to Dealighted and find some deals. You should be able to find a few sub $25 deals for 2gigs

[rifter2003]

i know the 8800gt series is a lot newer than my old ati x600...but can you tell me what makes this 256mb card better than my 256mb card? Also how much improvement would this compared to the 512 version?

[HeroesForGhosts]

Although the 8800 and your x600 both have 256MB of memory, the memory on the 8800 GT is faster, newer technology, as is the 8800 GT's core.

The 8800 GT is at least twelve times as powerful as your x600--you'll see a TON of improvement regardless of whether you go with the 256MB or 512MB version of the 8800 GT.


The 256MB version is more than adequate for casual gaming, which seems to be what you need it for. And 100$ after rebate is a great deal.