I want my PC to be quicker

kiawill91

kiawill91

kiawill91

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17 Aug 2014
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In general, when loading programmes etc.

I only really use my PC for browsing websites, listening to music, editing videos and pictures.

What can I buy?


I am currently running......


Windows 7 Ultimate
AMD Athlon 2 X2 215 Processor 2.70 GHz
2.00GB RAM
64 bit operating system

Regards
 
An SSD will work wonders.

Even if you dont have SATAIII ports and are stuck with SATAII, then the difference a good SSD can make to an old rig is shocking.

What motherboard do you have? if you can find out maybe RAM is still available for it.
 
stulid said:
An SSD will work wonders.

Even if you dont have SATAIII ports and are stuck with SATAII, then the difference a good SSD can make to an old rig is shocking.

What motherboard do you have? if you can find out maybe RAM is still available for it.
Click to expand...



Thanks

How do I find out? Without opening the tower
 
2GB of RAM won't be helping if your using several different software packages at once.

On my everyday Windows 7 system IIRC there is about 2.7GB RAM used once I have firefox open, spotify running, fire up a few image editing packages, etc.
 
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That does not tell much about the board.

But it does say SATA support so thats good.

And apparently it is DDR3 (but the cpu supports both DDR2+DDR3 so its not quite clear cut).

But, take the side of the case and tell me what the board is.
 
Assuming you quoted the model number correctly earlier and the link Implosiveturnip is for the right machine, then the specs are a little confusing. It says it has two RAM slots and can accept 4GB sticks but has a maximum memory of 4GB. I guess this means you're either looking at 2 x 2GB sticks for your maximum supported RAM (something like this: http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=MY-330-CS) or a single 4GB stick (such as http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=MY-023-TG). Using 2 sticks will enable you to run the memory in dual channel mode, but I'm not sure whether this will make a noticeable difference these days.

I would say it's definitely worth upgrading to an SSD too. They make everything so much snappier and PCs running mechanical drives just feel really lethargic after using an SSD for a while. Most people go for an SSD for the C: drive (usually 240GB or a 120GB) and a larger HDD for files and games (1TB-4TB depending on your needs) as large SSDs are still pricey. The Kingston HyperX (http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=HD-073-KS) and MX100 (http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=HD-036-CR) are great SSDs for the price if you can stretch to a 240GB drive.

Processor wise, looks like your board only supports CPUs that are no longer sold brand new. The best you can get is a Phenom II X4 9xx/9xxe/8xx so maybe keep an eye out on eBay to see if one pops up cheap enough to get. This should be double the performance of your current CPU, more or less, and is the quickest you can go without buying a new motherboard too.
 
Crucial say that it will take a maximum of 8 GB - 2x 4GB DDR3-PC12800 - £54 on OCUK.

HP's website says that it will take a maximum of 4 GB. Perhaps a BIOS upgrade is required for 8 GB or the CPU is limited to 4 GB? It also specified DDR3-1066 and DDR3-1333.

The SATA ports appear to be plain SATA, not the superspeed ones, but a SSD will make an immense difference.
 
A friend of mine was using an athlon x2 for photo editing (photoshop) and 2GB of ram. I upgraded him to a phenom x3 and 4GB and it made a big difference.

Dont know if you want to upgrade the cpu but the ram and an SSD will improve things.

a 240/256GB SSD will be a secure upgrade and can be reused in later rigs.
 
I built my missus a similar spec for uni work (basic office stuff) and it's pretty rapid for what it does.

get another 2gb stick of ddr3 but make sure it's the same fequency and voltage. That should allow them to run in dual channel mode, which'll be faster. And most importantly get an SSD! as stullid said, even on sata II it'll make a huge difference.

The athlon can be overclocked easily with the base clock. Mine (x2 250) did 3.75 with ease. Phenom IIs (X4 or x6) can be bought cheaply and would be a decent upgrade.
 
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