i need some help please- need to uprade my pc, cos i love it

hostertlady

my pc is about 4-5-6?years old, i will post what it is:

hp pavilion
intel (r)
pentium 4 cpu 40 GHZ
2.40 GHZ
768 mb of RAM

Nvidia geforce 4
64mb dedicated
video memory

Basically, i went looking for a new PC as this one wont play Sims 3 and also a few other things are 'going on'

Anyway, i have been in a few shops and looked at some machines and a lot of them are quite flimsy, cheap looking towers!! mine is a good solid HP

So then i got to thinking that maybe I could take it somewhere and get mine upgraded, new graphics card, more this and that but as you can tell i have no idea what i am really talking about..
i was blinded by information while looking for a new PC, and also because mine has WORD and all my saved files are in word windows XP, i was told that the new PC ( with windows 7 on it) wouldn't be able to put them on..
(different formatt??)

I JUST WANT TO KEEP THIS COMPUTER AND MAKE IT BETTER.. ALL MY STUFF IS HERE AND IT JUST WOULD BE SCARY FOR ME TO GET NEW AND START ALL OVER.................

Marty_J

If you want a solid, well constructed computer, get yourself a Mac.

Otherwise, get yourself a new video card, more RAM, and perhaps a bigger HDD.

macman

Firstly, your Word files should be absolutely fine on a W7 machine once copied over.
But first thing I would do is upgrade the memory. 768MB RAM is just about OK for XP but some more could certainly help. Then upgrade your graphics card to suit the games you want to run.
Edit: SIMS 3 system requirements are quite modest, just sort out the RAM and a better graphics card. I would guess that £50 would cover both assuming a secondhand card.
PC Desktop - XP (Service Pack 2)
- Processor Pentium IV 2.0 GHz / Athlon XP 2000+
- Memory 1 GB
- Graphics GeForce FX 5900 / Radeon 9500
- Graphics Ram 128 MB
You can easily fit the new memory and change the graphics card youself, plenty of help on this board if needed.
To see your RAM options, go to crucial.com, and use the System Scanner to see your current config and your upgrade options.

hostertlady

qUOTE:
Otherwise, get yourself a new video card, more RAM, and perhaps a bigger HDD.

so if i go to any computer shop and ask for this lot, how much do you recon?? roughly and do i need a graphics card??

hostertlady

macman wrote: »

Firstly, your Word files should be absolutely fine on a W7 machine once copied over.
But first thing I would do is upgrade the memory. 768MB RAM is just about OK for XP but some more could certainly help. Then upgrade your graphics card to suit the games you want to run.
Edit: SIMS 3 system requirements are quite modest, just sort out the RAM and a better graphics card. I would guess that £50 would cover both assuming a secondhand card.
PC Desktop - XP (Service Pack 2)
- Processor Pentium IV 2.0 GHz / Athlon XP 2000+
- Memory 1 GB
- Graphics GeForce FX 5900 / Radeon 9500
- Graphics Ram 128 MB
You can easily fir the new memory and change the graphics card youself, plenty of help on this board if needed.

i dont think i would be able to do it myself!! i would be too scared.. i would love to be able to do it though

pompeyfaith

Rebuilding/upgrading a pc is not a hard task I have upgraded and built myself new ones.

I do this mainly because it is cheaper and I can build it to the spec I need.

For the parts I recommend http://www.novatech.co.uk

The reason sims 3 will not run is because your graphics card is not upto the job so thats the first thing to upgrade.

Your RAM is very low too I would take out what you have and replace with at least 2gb now this can be one 2gb stick or two 1gb but remember if you are using two they must be a pair.

Do you have Sisoft Sandra installed ? if not it will be worth you installing the free trial this will be you a good rundown of what is in your machine.

If you need anymore help just shout.

Regards

PF

GunJack

have a look for your local Cex store or even their website, they deal in second-hand but GUARANTEED computer bits, phones, etc. My local one has a couple of graphics cards that'd handle Sims3 for £20-odd. If you're lucky thay may have some RAM to suit too

macman

How do you know if you haven't tried? If you can use a screwdriver, you can add memory and expansion cards. These two items are maybe a 15 minute job.
If you advise the model no. (lots of different HP Pavilions, need the model no), someone can check the cost of the RAM upgrade.
Yes, you need a better graphics card to run SIMS 3.

GunJack

or, try CPU-Z to see what's in your system...

hostertlady

yes i can use a screwdriver, i can build a flatpack,LOL, but sometimes things you dont know can be quite scary.
anyway my HP is a pavilion 424.uk

EDIT:
i sometimes get a message when i put the computer on saying CPU fan failed- get a service, but it doesn't seem to be causing me any hassle, maybe later?

GunJack

hostertlady wrote: »

i sometimes get a message when i put the computer on saying CPU fan failed- get a service, but it seems to causing me no hassle, maybe later?

get the hoover on it when you've got the case open for the RAM and gfx card...it's probably just dusted-up