Need help updating graphics card & processor on my PC

maximus otter

maximus otter

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Jul 20, 2002
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Can anyone point me to a site which lists graphics cards & processors and the PCs with which they are compatible?

I want to upgrade my PC with a 2 to 2.5ghz P4 and a reasonable graphics card. I'm a learner, but not hopeless (I managed to source appropriate memeory & fit it myself).

The problem? I want to find a site which lists which items are compatible with my PC, a 2001 (?) Packard Bell iXtreme 9200i.

It currently has the OEM 1ghz P3 chip and 640 meg of RAM.

maximus otter
 
Matches,

Thanks for the speedy reply. We have plenty of places I can buy computer kit from over here in the UK. The problem is for me to know which to buy. Will it be compatible with my steam-era Packard Bell PC?

I need a web site that leads me by the hand to the correct product.

Thanks again,

maximus otter
 
Your graphics card should be fairly simple because the system specs. required for installation are on the box.You need to know if you have a place to put it (spare slot).My particular computers website gives me compatibility info. I haven't looked at PB but will take a peek;)

They don't seem to have much. Unless someone else here can help, I'd email tech support.:confused:
 
Maximus, I'm not a PC expert and I don't know what the situation is like in the UK, as far as the availability of PC components, but here is my opinion.

As far as I know, you can't upgrade your current PC to a P4 without a motherboard swap. Now, if you start talking about switching mobos, you'll need new memory at the least. So now we've got a P4 CPU, mobo, RAM and video card. Also, the P4 needs a particular type of power supply, so you'll need one of those too.

At this point, for a middle of the road system, good for surfing and occassional gaming, we're talking about somewhere in the range of $600 - $700 minimum, and that's if your current components (hard drive, optical drive, sound card, etc.) will work with the new mobo.

If you wanted to go all out and build a killer gaming rig, think more in the range of $1,200+ (the video card alone is $400). All you'd be doing at this point would be salvaging the case and maybe a floppy drive and optical drive.

If it were me (again, I don't know what is available in the UK), I'd just drop $600 - $800 on a new P4 machine, without the monitor, since my monitor is still good (I'm assuming yours is still good). For that much, I could get a decent gaming machine, that had room for expansion/upgrading, plus a warranty.

Sorry for raining on your parade, but that's how it looks from here.
 
You'll probably have to visit the site of each card mfg to tell for sure, but you really shouldn't have any trouble running a decent card with what you've got. (unless you're running WinXP - then you're screwed..lol)

I did a search at www.techtv.com for graphics cards and came up with several good sources of information. Try that.

You can also email them with questions, they are really good about writing back promptly.
 
I'm not precisely an expert, but I have built my own system from scratch, so I know a bit about components. Bottom line, to go from a 1 Ghz P3 to a 2 Ghz P4, you are talking about an almost entirely new system. You will have to replace, at a minimum, the motherboard, processor, RAM, and power supply. Since you want a new graphics card as well, you're talking $500 to $600 dollars as a rough estimate, if you want quality components. You can skimp on the power supply but will pay for it later when your system dies. Also, your Packard Bell case might have a proprietary design that won't allow you to mount a new motherboard, which means a new case as well. Add a new hard drive and CD-ROM, and you have a whole new computer. You've waited too long to upgrade, right now any upgrade that will bring you anywhere near current speeds will cost more than it's worth. The good news is that you can put together a new system for less than $1000 dollars, way less if you use your old monitor and keyboard/speakers. I gained all of my computer knowledge from reading Maximum PC magazine, www.maximumpc.com , I highly recommend it if you can find them in the UK. They did an article on how to build your own PC two years ago, I used that and a little help from friends to get mine up and running. A google search should yield lots of pages on putting together your own system. It's not difficult at all really, you just have to be careful and patient. A good source for components is www.newegg.com and www.monarchcomputer.com ; I've bought from Monarch before and been very happy with their service. Newegg has a very good reputation as well, I plan to buy a copy of WinXP from them soon. Good luck with your upgrade.

Edited to add: BTW I strongly recommend Athlon XP processors over Intel Pentium 4s. Unless you want the fastest on the market, Athlons are much cheaper and perform just as well. I'm running an Athlon XP 2200+, which is comparable to a 2.2 Ghz P4. You can find Athlon chips several grades higher than mine for well under $100, and a good motherboard for about $80. Comparable P4s will be closer to $190 for the chip and about $90 for the motherboard.
 
Originally posted by Roadrunner:
$500 to $600 dollars as a rough estimate
Click to expand...

Easier to just buy a new tower.Since we're here,...my daughters computer keeps shutting-off by itself.Is there a heat sensing cut-off switch somewhere? I can't decide if the power supply is ready to mess the bed or maybe a fan is shot? Any idea Roadrunner?:confused:

I have tech support on hold:D
 
If you haven't used Pricewatch.com, it's a great source of pricing information on PCs and PC components.

I would suggest you will have a great deal less frustration, instability, and performance gotchas by buying a new system.

For a motherboard, I'd go with an Asus P4P800 Deluxe. For a CPU, whichever 800 MHz FSB Intel P-IV you can afford. For a video card, an ATI Radeon 9700.
 
Try Tiger Direct for any parts you are looking for. they have a bunch of barebones kits that are fairly priced. You may be able to build a good P4 machine for under $800.

You might wanna take a look at this system as an example of what you could get. Otter's new rig?
 
I think the processor switch is well covered. You'll likely need a new mainboard and such which will make the upgrade less than cost effective. Good prices can be had on slightly outdated items at some of the discount hardware sites but you'll still be fairly close to the price of an entirely new PC once you get everything you'll need.

As for the video card, you'll need to open up your case. Your existing card will be the one with the montior cable attached to it. You might have video built into your mainboard, in which case you'll need to find a manual on the board to determine how to disable the on board VGA output. Otherwise there will be confusion when the new card is installed.

If you have an expansion video card you'll need to note the type of slot it is in. A black plastic slot longer than the others is ICA, a shorter white plastic slot is PCI, an even shorter greyish plastic slot is AGP. You really just need to chose a card that attaches to the same slot as your current card, or that will fit in an available slot. (ie - You might have a PCI card now and an open AGP slot....get the AGP card). You might want to note the operating systems that the card's driver will support but most will do all versions of Windows since 98.

There are some variations in the type of acceleration the AGP slots will use, but the card and your mainboard should be able to come to reasonable agreement and work together even if they use different acceleration rates.
 
Situation Update: Power supply fan on daughters computer dead.Using portable fan to keep it cool until I can get a new one.Thanks anyway:)
 
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