Building PC's/Needing Help

**wipeout140** · July 10, 2006, 09:20 AM

Heres the Scernio got this PC given to me if you can call it that, from a neigrbour where i live and there know i am in to computers so they gave it to me as they going to throw it away. I thinking of doing it but this first time i will be building a PC so any tips or ideas and what hardware to get, i dont want to spend hundreds on it

450Mhz
128MB Ram
8Mb Grapchics Card
SIS Motherboard
17" CRT Monitor
Espon Printer
Twin Speakers
Keyboard and mouse

Thanks

wipeout140

**Hadrian** · July 10, 2006, 05:23 PM

Start by replacing the mainboard as it is the platform for all the other components, get new RAM and ditch the 128 dimm. Need more info on some of the other components....

**wipeout140** · July 10, 2006, 05:32 PM

Originally Posted by Hadrian

Start by replacing the mainboard as it is the platform for all the other components, get new RAM and ditch the 128 dimm. Need more info on some of the other components....

I know i going scratch it all and start fresh.

Possible

Celeron 336 2.8Ghz

512MB DDR 400MHz

Micro ATX

Intel Pentium 4

http://www.novatech.co.uk/novatech/s...mbb-c28512&P=1

And Possible a new grapchics card not great card

NVIDIA GeForce FX 5200

http://www.novatech.co.uk/novatech/s...tml?NOV-FX2128

Sort of like that keep it cheap but not bad

**krazykarl** · July 10, 2006, 07:13 PM

Just slapping in more RAM will make this a decent machine that runs windowsXP or some form of linux and can be used to surf the web. Past doing websurfing or wordprocessing in order to get it upto decent spec youd spend more then getting a new one would cost. But putting in 512mb of ram could keep it serviceable for a few more years. If the monitor is in good shape, ive seen 17" CRTs go for around $50, but it all depends on how worn out the phosphor layer is, and or if there is any physical damage.

**wipeout140** · July 11, 2006, 05:41 AM

Originally Posted by krazykarl

Just slapping in more RAM will make this a decent machine that runs windowsXP or some form of linux and can be used to surf the web. Past doing websurfing or wordprocessing in order to get it upto decent spec youd spend more then getting a new one would cost. But putting in 512mb of ram could keep it serviceable for a few more years. If the monitor is in good shape, ive seen 17" CRTs go for around $50, but it all depends on how worn out the phosphor layer is, and or if there is any physical damage.

I would just put more ram in it, but am been thinkin of selling it so putting in bit more money then selling it for a profit. The 17" is good conditon.

**Lee1026** · July 11, 2006, 05:49 AM

Don't like P4s much. Your electicity bills go up quite a bit.

**wipeout140** · July 11, 2006, 06:17 AM

Originally Posted by Lee1026

Don't like P4s much. Your electicity bills go up quite a bit.

Thanks i did not now that, Any ideas is worth putting some cash in and then selling it and making a profit

**Incinerate_IV** · July 11, 2006, 11:07 AM

There is NO way you can upgrade that. The components isn't even being made anymore so the prices is probably sky high. I'm pretty sure that ram isn't DDR, and the video card is probably PCI or the old version of AGP. The only thing you can keep is the hard drive/monitor/printer/speakers.... So you pretty much have to buy every internal components all over again, like building a new PC.

**wipeout140** · July 11, 2006, 02:48 PM

Originally Posted by Incinerate_IV

There is NO way you can upgrade that. The components isn't even being made anymore so the prices is probably sky high. I'm pretty sure that ram isn't DDR, and the video card is probably PCI or the old version of AGP. The only thing you can keep is the hard drive/monitor/printer/speakers.... So you pretty much have to buy every internal components all over again, like building a new PC.

Incinerate_IV i did say

Originally Posted by wipeout140

I know i going scratch it all and start fresh.

Possible

Celeron 336 2.8Ghz

512MB DDR 400MHz

Micro ATX

Intel Pentium 4

http://www.novatech.co.uk/novatech/s...mbb-c28512&P=1

And Possible a new grapchics card not great card

NVIDIA GeForce FX 5200

http://www.novatech.co.uk/novatech/s...tml?NOV-FX2128

Sort of like that keep it cheap but not bad

So may Just scratch the whole thing , build it in a new computer

**matereo** · July 11, 2006, 06:41 PM

I build 5 or 6 computers a day and all you should save and re use is the cd-rom but probably you want a dvd-r correct? The floppy can be reused to... I would keep it as it is and buy new components for an entirely new system.
On this old pc i would ad say a cheap radeon 9000 series with vivo and a handcontroll, id try to get an extra 128 mb ram and a big harddrive and use it as a mediacenter pc with tons of music and movies stashed in it. ohhh and what os? GeeXboX ofcourse, its great and its free...

Another option is to use it for playing vintage gameclassics that are programmed in dos.