Computer Upgrading Question

[Audiokid]

Hey guys, recently I've seen my computer kinda going "down-hill", and I figure, it's about freakin' time I upgraded a little bit lol. So, I'm looking to upgrade: Video Card, Sound Card, and RAM. Also, since I'll be bumping those up, I might need a need a new PSU as well (primarily because of the GPU...). I haven't been all there when it comes to watching the prices and stuff of computer parts, but I'll put my CPU-Z stats up here to make the best choices.

http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y169/AudioKid/CPU-Z1.png

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http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y169/AudioKid/CPU-Z2.png

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http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y169/AudioKid/CPU-Z3.png

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http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y169/AudioKid/CPU-Z4.png

I have an AGP slot, no PCI-E :(. I'm hoping for 1 gig of ram and the rest is open. I don't NEED a sound card, but it wouldn't be a hurt.

My MAX budget is about $250 or so... If you have a low end and a high end item that would be a very nice addition, not necessary, but wouldn't be bad. Thanks for the help guys!

[canadianrcist]

newegg.com cheapest site on the next for parts, best deal every.. check em out, you might be able to find a new MOBO in your price range.

[Audiokid]

I guess I just got a quick question, I've found pretty much all I need to know, just have one question. Will DDR400 RAM work with what I have? I know other than the frequency (200mhz vs 400mhz) they are compatible, but will the computer just lower the frequency of the 400Mhz RAM? Or can I raise the frequency any way? And, does the frequency make much of a difference?!

[guitardrumr123]

I guess I just got a quick question, I've found pretty much all I need to know, just have one question. Will DDR400 RAM work with what I have? I know other than the frequency (200mhz vs 400mhz) they are compatible, but will the computer just lower the frequency of the 400Mhz RAM? Or can I raise the frequency any way? And, does the frequency make much of a difference?!

As far as working, you'd have to look up your motherboard and see if it would be compatible. I would recommend though that you pull the 200s out if you put 400s in. Different types of RAM don't always play well together.

As far as better performance...technically it should be faster, but I don't know how much of that you'll be able to see.

[Audiokid]

Alright, yeah I was planning on putting a gig stick in there but i was wondering if that + that 512 would be good.. But i suppose not.

[guitardrumr123]

With RAM it's always better to put a matched set in (brand more than size as I recall). I don't remember why that is, but I do remember that it's true. Also, if your looking for 1.5gigs, then try to do it with three 512mb sticks, if you have that many slots. It will perform better than one 1gig and one 512mb stick.

[markallen]

I have learned if you have to skimp on something make sure it's not the ram.Go with alittle slower cpu if you have to in order to get all the ram you can get.I went with 2 gig of Corsair...And it is sweet...

[TeamXtremeRc]

make a custom lexan case while your at it, $20 :P

[Audiokid]

With RAM it's always better to put a matched set in (brand more than size as I recall). I don't remember why that is, but I do remember that it's true. Also, if your looking for 1.5gigs, then try to do it with three 512mb sticks, if you have that many slots. It will perform better than one 1gig and one 512mb stick.

Yeah, it is unfortunate I only have 2 slots. I'm going to try the gig + the 512, and if it's acceptable, I won't worry about it. If not, looks like I might be getting another stick :). But I have heard that alot about the brands of ram, ESPECIALLY when trying to run dual channel. That's why I'm buying a brand that isn't "value" (they send you what brand they have on hand at the time..)

[guitardrumr123]

Yeah, it is unfortunate I only have 2 slots. I'm going to try the gig + the 512, and if it's acceptable, I won't worry about it. If not, looks like I might be getting another stick :). But I have heard that alot about the brands of ram, ESPECIALLY when trying to run dual channel. That's why I'm buying a brand that isn't "value" (they send you what brand they have on hand at the time..)

I wish I could remember that damn class...I don't know exactly why it is matched sets work better, but I do know why more smaller sticks works better. If you have one 1gig stick, then in order to access that 1gig of RAM, it has to pass through the...damn I can't remember the right word, I wanna say bus, which can bottle neck. It basically makes it so that it can't make full use of that 1gig of RAM. Now, with two 512 sticks, you still have a gig of RAM, but it can essentially be accessed twice as fast.

You should be perfectly fine with a 1gig and a 512, unless you run some major resource hogs (video editing, gaming, high def photo editing [large pictures and file sizes] and so on). Other than that, you shouldn't be able to see a "seat of the pants" difference.

As far as the brands...I'd say stick with name brand. There are a few place that you can skimp when upgrading, but RAM really isn't one of them. The way I see it, if the computer HAS to have it to even boot, then I wouldn't skimp on it. I'd say the same for hard drives, but your milage may vary.

[Audiokid]

Hey, thanks for the input guys, I decided to go with:

LeadTek 7600GT
Buffalo 1GB DDR RAM

They are in right now and I'm very impressed :) thanks for the help :D.