What can a poor Dell owner do?

[ghettobass]

System:
Dell Dimension 3000
P4 3.0 Ghz w/ Hyper Threading, 1MB L2 Cache
512 MB DDR400 PC3200 RAM
Integrated Intel Video/Audio
3 PCI only slots

It was a cheap $600 budget system for school, just to do basic work and internet with. I wanted to build my own but my father wouldn't let me, he paid for it and wanted something turnkey and reliable for me for school. I always knew it would be more flexible, upgradable, and powerful building it but I didn't get the chance so I have to work with what I have, which isn't much. I'm also on a budget and limited to PCI, wow huh?

Soon after buying it I added a 19" DVI LCD monitor, was barely a couple hundred after selling the 17" LCD it came with. Also got a cheap SB Audigy 2 7.1ch audio card and a Logitech X-530 5.1 surround set from newegg. With those I've started playing a few games and it's pretty fun, mainly NFS Most Wanted (lol), and I just ordered a Radeon 9250 256MB pci card, was only $45 after rebate and seems to be one of the fastest cards I can get for this crappy pci interface. http://www.newegg.com/product/product.asp?item=N82E16814103167
I've read it runs new games okay. Also picked up a 108Mbps wireless super G card for $8 after rebate, http://www.newegg.com/product/product.asp?item=N82E16833338015
and grabbed 1gig of ddr400 pc3200 RAM for $70 before rebate, forgot how much the rebate was. http://www.newegg.com/product/product.asp?item=N82E16820141212

I now realize my crappy Dell only has 2 RAM slots and they are both already full with the stock 256x2, and I ordered 512x2. I'm not sure if I should return this RAM to newegg and get a single stick of 1 gig for the same $70, and I would be able to run that in addition to my one remaining 256MB stick? Would this even work, and if so would it be better than only 1 gig from using the 512x2 I ordered? If so which one should I get for this price range?

Or is there any other better performing setup/configuration I could get for the same price?

I really need to know ASAP as its scheduled to arrive today and if I don't want it I must refuse the package to get a full refund including shipping.

Any other advice would be appreciated as well. I know you guys are the best at this. I hope to stick around, read, learn, and eventually build my own system.

Thanks!
-Imran

 

[philippmike]

Well I understand your situation.
However I'm going to give you some advice most others likely will.

Given your system, I highly recommend the ram you ordered seeing as how your system will be bottlenecking through the video card anyway.

When you have the money I recommend upgrading the motherboard to one that has an AGP slot on it, then you can buy an AGP card.
Since money is really tight I recommend upgrading in that fashion.
Just make sure the power supply is not preparatory & will work on a different motherboard, otherwise you’ll need to buy another one of those too.

But, if you are a patient person, I highly suggest to simply waiting until you can build a whole new 64bit system.

It really depends if you want to spend the money for a new motherboard and video card now (& possibly a new power supply) or wait for a new system.

I see it this way: $300-$500 for the above parts or $1000 for a new system.

Hope this helps

Mike

 

[Dreamstalker]

I don't think the Dell PSU's are proprietary, as I did get one to work with a non-Dell board.

 

[ghettobass]

Thanks for the quick replies guys. So your suggestion if I am keeping this system for now, is to keep the RAM that I ordered? I assume that also means it's not possible to run a 1 gig stick of RAM next to a 256MB stick? Sorry if that is a very noob question but I have no idea and was just curious.

I'm not that hardcore into games so I was thinking this setup would last me for a good while and I don't have much of a budget to upgrade now anyway.

But your suggestions bring another question from me though. Are you saying that I can simply get a new motherboard and graphics card (possibly needing a new power supply) and swap everything into my existing Dell hardware? If that is true I wonder if I would actually get better value along with the performance of buying a new motherboard and graphics card instead of this pci card and RAM? I hadn't thought of this and if true I may re-consider these card/RAM upgrade. Or, like you said, maybe I will just be patient and do with this for now and do a whole new system later on when I have the funds. I appreciate any suggestions.

Thanks for the help!
-Imran

 

[WarriorII]

You can run a 1 gig next to a 256, but why?

Sell your 2- 256's & keep the 512's.

money is tight, so do the upgrades patiently.

 

[Ebola]

I have a powercolor Radeon 9250 256 MB. Its not fast but it looks pretty good. I can run 1680x1050 no problem. I don't game much so its no biggie. I have a ps2 for that.

ram is configured by slots and banks. Banks are either one or two slots. I have a dell that is 4 banks of 1 meaning I can put whatever I want in the slots and I dont have to have matching pairs. On my other dell I have 3 banks of two so I have to use paired memory. If you go to crucial.com they will tell you what your motherboad can take and if you need paired memory.

 

[ghettobass]

Crucial tells me this:

http://www.crucial.com/store/listpa...=Dell&tabid=AM&model=Dimension+3000&submit=Go

So I believe I have one bank with 2 slots and can run either way?

True I could run the two 512's and sell the two 256's, but if one 1024 with a 256 will perform noticably better for me I would do that as all I would lose would be what I could sell one 256 for, which I don't think is much........

What do you guys think?
Thanks again.

 

[philippmike]

Crucial tells me this:

http://www.crucial.com/store/listpa...=Dell&tabid=AM&model=Dimension+3000&submit=Go

So I believe I have one bank with 2 slots and can run either way?

True I could run the two 512's and sell the two 256's, but if one 1024 with a 256 will perform noticably better for me I would do that as all I would lose would be what I could sell one 256 for, which I don't think is much........

What do you guys think?
Thanks again.

Doing it just to add an extra 256megs will not yield any noticeable differences in performance.
You motherboard can still run with just the single stick.
I'm assuming your doing this so you can put the 1Gig in your next system later?
I'm doing a similar thing with my socket A setup.
I'm buying 2gigs and putting them on my board for now, and then later I can put it in my 64bit system.

I believe using sticks that are not the same size can cause a performance hit with some motherboards. IMO its better for the RAM buffer size to be equally recognized in all your DIMM slots.

Try both configurations and see if you notice a change, you never know until you try.

Also, I highly recommend a new motherboard and video card.
Even games that are two years old will suffer a major frame rate hit with a PCI card, the bus just cant handle it IMO.
Likely you can get a motherboard for around $50-$70 & a acceptable video card for $150-$200.

Mike

 

[Josh_K]

get a gig of ram and the best PCI video card is a geforce 5700 (i think maybe a 5750 or ultra but not sure)

pretty good card since i play f.e.a.r. on a 5500 PCI at 30-65fps (of course with 640x480 and antialiasing 4x on, everything else is on or maximum except shadows and lighting.)

 

[Echo_]

why did you get a laptop wireless card for your desktop?

 

[Kevin007]

Is it even possible for the Dell motherboard to support more than 1 gig? I remember reading on mine that it only supports 1 gig. (mine is a dimension 2400).

 

[eskimochaos]

why did you get a laptop wireless card for your desktop?

WOW that is really funny.

 

[eskimochaos]

You know what else is funny...i dont know how to use quotes.

 

[ghettobass]

Sorry I must have gave the wrong link, I got wireless cards for both my desktop and my laptop, same card, both about the same price of $7-8 or so after rebate.

Seems like my Dell motherboard supports upto 2GB.

I actually was wanting the 1gig plus 256MB thinking the increased memory would be better for the system but now that you mention it, I guess it would be useful to have a 1 gig stick later on if I build a better system rather than some 512MB sticks. But who knows if at that time I would still want to use DDR400 PC3200 RAM?

 

[schnikies79]

Dell power supplies used to be propritary, but they aren't anymore and haven't been for a little while. Brother has a Dim 2400 bought in Dec '04 that is regular ATX.

 

[ghettobass]

Wait.........I can just get a new motherboard and graphics card and use them with my existing Dell hardware? My cpu and everything else will all work with it too? Motherboards aren't even that expensive, why do people get "stuck" with pci cards then? If I can just do that I may re-consider this video card/RAM purchase then..............I can probably get a better performing setup going with a new mobo/graphics card instead of this RAM/graphics card I bought for not too much of a difference in price right?

 

[castroman]

Well yeah I would also say that you should, save to get your self a complete new system or a really prominent upgrade.

Plus your own personal Techsupport will e better that what they can give you.
And I qoute "sir are you sure that your computer is plugged in, or if it is plugged in that you turned it on?"

 

[Bullnettles]

I'd say new mobo, new graphics, and the 2 sticks of 512 if you don't seriously game. I say the two sticks for dual channel, becuz I regretted buying one stick, then ordering another and not sure if they would work in dual. The bandwidth is is worth it. I dunno, that's my thought process on the matter. Good luck on the upgrades.

 

[Kevin007]

Maybe you could sell that dell...how much do you think it is worth? You'd probely want a better power supply.

 

[K15]

Well yeah I would also say that you should, save to get your self a complete new system or a really prominent upgrade.

Plus your own personal Techsupport will e better that what they can give you.
And I qoute "sir are you sure that your computer is plugged in, or if it is plugged in that you turned it on?"

Buwahahahaha