Upgrading Older PC - help please

bn1515

Honorable
Jul 14, 2013
1
0
10,510
Okay so I just bought a computer from a friend really cheap because he never uses it and i am looking to upgrade the CPU, ram, and possibly the graphics card. Ive already figured out the RAM i want (just 4gb) and im looking into the CPU's. I want to post on here to make sure I am doing the right thing here.

So I want to upgrade the CPU but idk if it is a bad idea to or if it would even work. Im not sure about the whole am3 processors fitting in the am2 slots or how that works either. I could also use suggestions of what to upgrade to ( doesnt need to be too expensive or powerful. Around $100 would be great.

Thank you for your time in helping me out, i dont want to get myself into a mess i cant fix on my own.

Here is my current MB:

Newegg.com


Here are my specs:


Processors Information
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Processor 1 ID = 0
Number of cores 2 (max 2)
Number of threads 2 (max 2)
Name AMD Athlon 64 X2 4200+
Codename Windsor
Specification AMD Athlon(tm) 64 X2 Dual Core Processor 4200+
Package Socket AM2 (940)
CPUID F.B.2
Extended CPUID F.4B
Brand ID 4
Core Stepping BH-F2
Technology 90 nm
Core Speed 2199.9 MHz
Multiplier x Bus Speed 11.0 x 200.0 MHz
HT Link speed 1000.0 MHz
Stock frequency 2200 MHz
Chipset
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Northbridge NVIDIA GeForce 6150 rev. A2
Southbridge NVIDIA nForce 410/430 MCP rev. A3
Graphic Interface PCI-Express
PCI-E Link Width x16
PCI-E Max Link Width x16
Memory Type DDR2
Memory Size 2 GBytes
Channels Dual
Memory Frequency 244.4 MHz (CPU/9)
CAS# latency (CL) 4.0
RAS# to CAS# delay (tRCD) 4
RAS# Precharge (tRP) 4
Cycle Time (tRAS) 12
Bank Cycle Time (tRC) 17
Command Rate (CR) 1T

Memory SPD
-------------------------------------------------------------------------

DIMM # 1
SMBus address 0x50
Memory type DDR2
Module format Regular UDIMM
Manufacturer (ID) AENEON (7F7F7F7F7F570000)
Size 1024 MBytes
Max bandwidth PC2-4300 (266 MHz)
Part number AET760UD00-370A98X
Serial number 08031610
Manufacturing date Week 29/Year 06
Number of banks 2
Data width 64 bits
Correction None
Nominal Voltage 1.80 Volts

-----------------------------------------
Mainboard Model NF-M2 nView(C51PVMCP51) (0x0000064F - 0x37D95110)


Graphics
-------------------------------------------------------------------------

Number of adapters 1

Graphic APIs
-------------------------------------------------------------------------

API ATI I/O

Display Adapters
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Display adapter 0
Name Radeon HD 4650
Codename RV730
Technology 55 nm
Memory size 1024 MB
Memory bus width 128 bits
PCI device bus 3 (0x3), device 0 (0x0), function 0 (0x0)
Vendor ID 0x1002 (0x1787)
Model ID 0x9498 (0x2269)
Performance Level 0

Win32_VideoController AdapterRAM = 0x40000000 (1073741824)
Win32_VideoController DriverVersion = 6.14.10.7093
Win32_VideoController DriverDate = 05/27/2010

Software
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Windows Version Microsoft Windows XP Professional Service Pack 3 (Build 2600)
DirectX Version 9.0c
 

rjackowens

Honorable
Jul 27, 2012
237
0
10,710


Umm, I don't know if updating is a good idea.... That PC is really OLD! Usually it is not worth upgrading an older PC. All of the hardware is outdated, you would be wasting money by putting money into an obsolete rig.

However, if all you want is to gain more overall speed for general use, a SSD drive will be the best thing you could get! It will make programs open up lightning fast even on an old PC. (SSD's won't affect gaming/render times though). All you would need to do is replace the old Hard Drive, and swap it with a SSD and it will definitely make a HUGE difference!