Guidance needed on upgrading

P

PaddyTM

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Hoping to get some advice:

i'm looking at systematically upgrading my desktop, and was curious to know if there is a preferred order in which i should do it ie: mobo first, then cpu, then ram...

or does it not really matter?
 
I usually save up and do it all at once.

If you're a gamer, I'd go graphics card first, then mobo/CPU then RAM.
 
Not a gamer, its more for general use.

What i'd like to do is keep it current so i don't wake up one morning and find the whole system is obsolete (which happened to me on my last pc), so this way i'm hoping that by upgrading piecemeal, it will at least keep me decent.
 
You also need to take into account that whatever you're upgrading is compatible. If you're changing mobo's and your current CPU is a different socket it will cause frustrations. Give us more info on what you currently have as well, that way we can suggest a more defined route.
 
If you're upgrading from a very old PC, you might have to do it all in one go. Upgrade the motherboard -> supports DDR2 and different socket CPU -> upgrade the CPU and RAM as well.

I also usually just do it all at once :)
 
How old is your PC? Any idea of the specs?

You'll probably have to upgrade the motherboard first.
 
I currently have:

half gig of ram
P4 3.00 ghz
board is a GA-85661 FXM.

Don't want to go crazy on it, as i hardly get to use it, but as i say, i'm worried its going to end up obsolete, and therefore require a significant cash outlay.
 
Not really a dedicated machine, i use it for a bit of everything.
 
Be more specific, if it's just for Office, Photoshop type stuff, etc. then just stick 2GB of RAM in there and you're good to go for at least 1.5 years+
 
cool; in your opinion is it not worth my while continually upgrading?
don't really want to spend money that i don't have to, don't want to end up with a brick.
 
If you're only gonna be using it for the stuff I mentioned above then it would definitely be overkill to continually upgrade your system. Just think about it, getting a new CPU, mobo and some faster RAM is gonna make your apps open up like what, a second or 2 faster? It's gonna make your system a tad more responsive? Getting a new hard drive will let you transfer your files a couple of seconds quicker? If you're a real geek and need the best of everything as soon as it's out then by all means splurge on the new technology but for day to day use, it's just wasting money that you could use towards other stuff in your life. That's just my opinion, use it don't use it. :)
 
My suggestion, considering what you use the PC for, would be to leave it until it becomes obsolete, at which point upgrade. That way, though you may fork out a large sum once off, you are not continually spending money on it when you don't need to.
 
If you're not a serious gamer or PC user, don't bother upgrading continuously. The applications will open about 2 seconds faster, but I don't think that justifies the price of an upgrade...
 
feo said:
Be more specific, if it's just for Office, Photoshop type stuff, etc. then just stick 2GB of RAM in there and you're good to go for at least 1.5 years+
Click to expand...

I agree, just check what RAM you have before buying. Probably DDR400? Quite pricey now, if you can't afford it then just get another 512MB or 1GB stick.
 
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