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Go to SolutionLooking for a new pc .. Help!
Hi:
(if I am asking in the wrong area, please let me know)
I am a fairly proficient user with minimal technical expertise.
My PC is about 4 ½ years old and seems to be in need of replacement .. and I don’t know what to look for. Any suggestions would be appreciated!
Speed is important to me, I use the internet a fair bit, some graphics software (photoshop, quark) as well as general MS office (word, excel, pp)
My current pc:
DELL DIMENSION 5150
XP
PENTIUM 4
160 GB HD
That said, it is my home pc so I don’t use it all the time and don’t want to spend a lot (I know that is subjective .. right now, though, I don’t know even the price range I would be looking at). I know I don’t want a clone as typically their support isn’t great and I know I will need support at least at the beginning.
Anyone?
Thanks
d
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Posted November 27th, 2010 10:00
Anyone?
What's wrong with it that you feel it needs to be replaced? I looked up the specifications and it seems to have aged well.
A new video card, 4GB RAM, and a faster hard drive would be much cheaper than a new PC. And, it may also help to reinstall the OS.
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Posted November 27th, 2010 10:00
Hi rdunnill .. thank you for responding
The pc is very slow (or seems so to me) and it is virtually impossible to open 2 applications at one time.
It hangs multiple times during any day, has quirky problems .. in this example, MS related, I can't retain changes to word set up (for instance paragraph markers will not stay on).
Yesterday, out of the blue, the monitor screen (contents) rotated 180 degree's.
I would have to admit that I don't know what a new video card would do - so don't understand what would change if I replaced it. I tried to look up how much RAM I currently have and couldn't find it and I thought a hard drive was space related not speed related? (and I have 84% free space so didn't see that as a problem)
In terms of reinstalling the OS, I wonder if XP might be part of the overall problem? Thought that a newer OS and version of Office might improve things.
I believe I don't know enough to judge the origins of my problems, thus understand, specifically what I might change in this pc to resolve them.
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Posted November 27th, 2010 11:00
Hi Fireberd:
Thank you for your suggestions...
I question Vista as an OS .. maybe I am just buying into propaganda, but I have not heard anything but bad reports on Vista ... Do you like it .. say better than System 7?
Home built is so not an option for me - I am pretty much a take it out of the box and plug it in type of person!
Your third suggestion .. I didn't really understand .. sorry .. very much an end user .. not technical!
d
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Posted November 27th, 2010 13:00
duffield
Yes, I enjoy using Windows 7, that's the reason for upgrading all our desktops to W-7 from XP and Vista, with one exception a old 1999 L Series using 98se
Windows 7 is way superior to Vista, especially the 64-bit version.
Bev.
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Posted November 27th, 2010 14:00
It may be that some rogue process, spyware, or malware is consuming your CPU cycles. Unfortunately, the easiest way to deal with this is to reinstall XP. It may also be that your CPU is overheating due to internal dust buildup (likely if you have never cleaned the internals) or a malfunction in its cooling system (unlikely but possible).Hi rdunnill .. thank you for responding
The pc is very slow (or seems so to me) and it is virtually impossible to open 2 applications at one time.
This is sounding more and more like spyware or malware.It hangs multiple times during any day, has quirky problems .. in this example, MS related, I can't retain changes to word set up (for instance paragraph markers will not stay on).
If malware is the problem, installing a newer OS will almost certainly fix it. I'd recommend Windows 7 (64-bit if you have a 64-bit CPU) as Vista has been deprecated. Vista is still a solid choice; although it was buggy in its early days, after two service packs it has become very solid, and Windows 7 is really Vista with a slightly different user interface.Yesterday, out of the blue, the monitor screen (contents) rotated 180 degree's.
I would have to admit that I don't know what a new video card would do - so don't understand what would change if I replaced it. I tried to look up how much RAM I currently have and couldn't find it and I thought a hard drive was space related not speed related? (and I have 84% free space so didn't see that as a problem)
In terms of reinstalling the OS, I wonder if XP might be part of the overall problem? Thought that a newer OS and version of Office might improve things.
I believe I don't know enough to judge the origins of my problems, thus understand, specifically what I might change in this pc to resolve them.
My suggestion for a new OS is Windows 7 Home Premium OEM, available for about $100 at online sellers like Newegg. There's no need to reformat the hard drive; the installer will safely archive your XP so that your data is still available. (You will need to reinstall your applications, like MS Office.) You will need 1gb of RAM for the 32-bit version and 2gb RAM for the 64-bit version. I think your video card is good enough for the enhanced (known as Aero) Windows 7 user interface. If not, you can buy one like the Sapphire 4650, available at Newegg for under $40 (before a $15 mail-in rebate).
A more modern video card can speed up video playback and other tasks by taking over processing from the CPU.
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Posted November 27th, 2010 17:00
Great information, thank you rdunnill ..
I will give Malwarebytes' Anti-Malware a try right now and move on from there!
d
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Posted November 27th, 2010 17:00
Thanks, Bev .. I will try
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Posted November 28th, 2010 15:00
LawrenceSoCal .. thank you ... you have given me a lot to think about.
I am, as I suspect you have guessed, out of my element in terms of reinstalling my OS.
I appreciate all of the info you provided
d
LawrenceSoCal
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Posted November 28th, 2010 14:00
Gerneral warning - be careful with what you install. Even legit commerical software can install junk in your startup (like Adobe Reader, GoToMyPC, etc). Don't install uneccessary browser helper object (toolbars), antivirus, etc. Use msconfig and check your startup for stuff not needed (like Adobe Reader, QuickTime, Office etc startup apps) that presume you always use their app so help you by pre-loading part of their app (and slow the whole computer down in the process). I've seen legit apps install AVG when the person installing wasn't paying attention. 2 real-time AV scanners can cause havoc. So there are lots of reasons your computer could be physically fine and running slow.
If you have all yoru apps, know how to backup your data, then a OS re-install (or upgrade) will give you the best results. Once you have a clean OS, do yourself a favor - Make sure you have a seperate admin account from your normal user account. do NOT web surf, check email (local app), etc using an Admin account. That way you are much, much less likely to get rogue processes (spyware, malware, trojans, etc).
beware - there are startup process that are needed - you will need to go through them and determine which are necessary and which are nuissance.
As for the system, I gave my 12 yr old son my old Dimension 8400 with a P4 630 4GB of RAM (chipset limit of 3.25GB usable). I installed Win7 Ultimate on it and the PC runs fine for non intense gaming. For my kids use, then don't notice much difference between a 3GHz P4 630 and a 2GHz Intel Core 2 Duo T7200 (on a Latitude D820). I've finally transitioned away from XP on my PCs (and VMs). I'm almost all Win7 now in my house.
As for system slowdown over time - gamers often reformat every 6 months or so. I've run XP systems for well over 5 years and they worked fine the whole time. The users weren't running as local admins, and app installs were only as needed and from confirmed/legit sources. So your mileage will vary depending on how you treat the OS.
With that said, if you are using Photoshop (full version, not the home user/lite version), you will notice a huge difference with mulit-core CPUs. Your 5150 may be 4 1/2 years old, but the technology in it is closer to 6+ yrs old (My Dimension 8400 was purchased Apr '05 and was a year old model at that point?). You don't mention how much RAM you have. Vista or Win7 realistically need 2GB, and preferably more. If you have 2GB already, then fine, otherwise, you may be better off spending the money on a new PC versus upgrading an older system (unless you have access to used parts at cheap prices).