Upgrading an old desktop...

[hudsonbrody]

Hey, so I recently come into the possession of a Dell Dimension C521. It's a somewhat old desktop. My question is, is it feasible and worth the effort to slowly upgrade it? I don't have the cash to sink into a new desktop all at once, so I was wondering if I could spend $150 or so on a motherboard and RAM, swap that in, then at some point grab a new processor, add a new video card later on, etc. Is that at all a good idea, or am I better off saving up and just getting an entirely new machine all at once?

 

[o1die]

I don't recommend you spend anything on your old dell; I can't find any specs or pics, which is a bad sign. C521 is listed. Main concern is the motherboard; if it's BTX format, then you won't find any new boards that will fit the case. BTX was discontinued about 5 years ago. You'll also need a new power supply, so starting over with a new atx case makes more sense.

 

[hudsonbrody]

Yeah, my bad, I is a C521, that was a typo. So I should scrap this and start over? The case is a whole lot thinner than I'm used to seeing, so that makes sense. Thank you!

 

[o1die]

http://us.yhs4.search.yahoo.com/yhs/search;_ylt=A0oG7qCRKv1QqncAIiRXNyoA;_ylc=X1MDMjc2NjY3OQRfcgMyBGFvA2FvBGNzcmNwdmlkA3VlcDBGa29HN3Z3S2dPN3JUcGNucFFEOVJ2MVU4RkQ5S3pJQUFDY1cEZnIyA3NidG4Ebl9ncHMDMQRvcmlnaW4Dc3JwBHBxc3RyA2RlbGwgYzUyMSBwaWNzBHF1ZXJ5A2RlbGwgYzUyMSBwaWNzBHNhbwMxBHRvU3RyaW5nA1tvYmplY3QgT2JqZWN0XQR2dGVzdGlkA0FDQlkwMw--?p=dell%20c521%20pics&fr2=sb-top&hspart=att&hsimp=yhs-att_001&type=att_lego_portal_home&type_param=att_lego_portal_home&pqstr=dell%20c521%20pics. If this is your case, then it's btx. Time to start over.

 

[lostgamer_03]

I agree. Don't bother upgrading that old desktop, just buy your own components whenever you can afford it and at last you will have all you need.

 

[jaideep1337]

yup no point in upgrading that old machine

 

[hudsonbrody]

Alrighty, I'll just save up for a new one. Thanks guys!

 

[hudsonbrody]

Best answer selected by hudsonbrody.