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#1 Feb 10 2008 at 12:56 PM Rating: Good
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Ok, I was going to have a new computer built with my tax check, but I didn't get as much back as I thought I was going to.

I need to fix/upgrade my current computer instead now.

I know I need a CPU fan, I want to go up to 2 gigs of RAM (I have 1 now), and I probably should replace the power supply just in case.

Where can I go in my computer to make sure I buy compatible RAM, fan, and power supply?
#2 Feb 10 2008 at 2:32 PM Rating: Good
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Your best bet is to open the side of the case and look at hats written on your mortheboard you will likely see a brand and a model number written on it.

From there you or we will be able to help you know whats needed.

As for a power supply almost any will do, but check whats written on it, there will be wattage written on it. (ie 350w, 400w, etc)

That will help us or help you find out more.
#3 Feb 10 2008 at 7:24 PM Rating: Good
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Is there any way to find this out without opening up the case?

I tried to open the case recently and am embarassed to say I couldn't figure out how to do it.

I can try again, but if that doesn't work is there anywhere I can get that info?
#4 Feb 11 2008 at 1:33 PM Rating: Excellent
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I tried to open the case recently and am embarassed to say I couldn't figure out how to do it.


You're probably going to want to figure that out before the components get there.

http://www.cpuid.com/download/cpuz_144.zip will tell you anything you want to know about your current setup. Good luck.



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#5 Feb 12 2008 at 10:08 AM Rating: Good
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Somebody else is installing the components, so I won't have to worry about that lol.

And actually, I found the box for my motherboard. It should be an Asus A8N-E, if that helps you any. I'll check out that website as well.

Edit: Ran the CPUID program, thanks sooooo much for that. Here is what I think is all of the relevant info.

Processor: AMD Athlon 64 X2 3800+ (isn't that AMD's version of the Celeron?)
Mainboard: ASUSTek A8N-E
Memory: It's telling me I have 2 gigs of DDR, but not giving any specific info.


Edited, Feb 12th 2008 12:12pm by Bigdaddyjug
#6 Feb 12 2008 at 12:09 PM Rating: Excellent
No, it's more or less AMD's version of the Pentium. Sempron is more comparable to the Celeron.

Athlon history: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amd_athlon
#7 Feb 12 2008 at 2:29 PM Rating: Good
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Processor: AMD Athlon 64 X2 3800+ (isn't that AMD's version of the Celeron?)
Mainboard: ASUSTek A8N-E
Memory: It's telling me I have 2 gigs of DDR, but not giving any specific info.


Ok.

There's some good news/bad news here.

Good news: You don't need a CPU fan unless yours is going to explode.

Bad News: Your board is compatible only with DDR RAM, which through an odd quirk of economics is both slower than AND more expensive than the more current DDR-2 standard.

Good news: Your board is on the PCI-E graphics bus standard which means you can upgrade the video card.

You haven't listed what your current video card is, but, and this is important, if you play games, UPGRADING YOUR VIDEO CARD IS THE SINGLE THING THAT WILL BENEFIT YOUR ACTUAL EXPERIENCE THE MOST

It's important. You're not CPU bound in any games with your current setup with the exception of some very intensive sims or the odd strategy game. Your probably not going to see a noticeable increase in performance by adding ram, either honestly. The jump from 1gb to 2gb in XP isn't that big ofd a deal. The jump from 512 to 1gb is huge by comparison. It won't hurt, and might give you a bump in some newer games, it's not nearly as important as the video card.

Think about upgrading that first, and then worry about the other stuff.
____________________________
Disclaimer:

To make a long story short, I don't take any responsibility for anything I post here. It's not news, it's not truth, it's not serious. It's parody. It's satire. It's bitter. It's angsty. Your mother's a *****. You like to jack off dogs. That's right, you heard me. You like to grab that dog by the bone and rub it like a ski pole. Your dad? Gay. Your priest? Straight. **** off and let me post. It's not true, it's all in good fun. Now go away.

#8 Feb 12 2008 at 6:49 PM Rating: Good
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I DO need a new fan, because my computer is giving me an error whenever it boots up saying my processor fan failed or its speed is to low.

THAT is what started me on my original upgrade kick.

The video card is also an ASUS. Something like a 660o extreme.

Now that I see I have 2 gigs of RAM I don't need more RAM.

I basically just want to change the fan out and make sure I buy one compatible with my chip and anything else it needs to be compatible with.

Edited, Feb 12th 2008 8:50pm by Bigdaddyjug
#9 Feb 13 2008 at 2:08 PM Rating: Decent
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I DO need a new fan, because my computer is giving me an error whenever it boots up saying my processor fan failed or its speed is to low.


This is almost always just a lose/disconnected fan header/power lead.

Have your buddy check that before you buy a new fan. Unless you just want a shiny new one or something.

____________________________
Disclaimer:

To make a long story short, I don't take any responsibility for anything I post here. It's not news, it's not truth, it's not serious. It's parody. It's satire. It's bitter. It's angsty. Your mother's a *****. You like to jack off dogs. That's right, you heard me. You like to grab that dog by the bone and rub it like a ski pole. Your dad? Gay. Your priest? Straight. **** off and let me post. It's not true, it's all in good fun. Now go away.

#10 Feb 13 2008 at 6:52 PM Rating: Good
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2,826 posts
On a 2 year old PC is it still more likely to be a lose connection, or is the fan most likely burnt out?
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