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Flat screen for old computer, are they all compatible?

loulou41
loulou41 Posts: 2,871 Forumite
I was given a 7 yrs old Siemens Futji computer but still works just fine for a second computer for back up. The only thing is the screen is huge and I'd like to get a flat screen that takes up less space. I don't care about brands.. How do I know if it's going to be compatible with my computer before I buy something? I am seen them selling on ebay. Also the memory is about 256 and I want to upgrade to 1 GB, any idea how much that cost? Just to have an idea whether it is worth spending money on it. Thanks

Comments

  • weegie.geek
    weegie.geek Posts: 3,432 Forumite
    Depends what type of memory it is, if it's 7 years old it could be SDR, DDR, RDRAM or DDR2, and probably a few flavours I've forgotten about.

    Most screens will do you. You'll be wanting one with a vga connector which is most of them really. Some newer ones will only have DVI so avoid those.
    They say it's genetic, they say he can't help it, they say you can catch it - but sometimes you're born with it
  • S0litaire
    S0litaire Posts: 3,535 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 1,000 Posts Combo Breaker
    all LCD Monitors should have a "VGA" socket, so they are compatible.

    As for the memory, do you know the exact make of the machine. then we can tell you the type of memory and the cost.
    Laters

    Sol

    "Have you found the secrets of the universe? Asked Zebade "I'm sure I left them here somewhere"
  • totalsolutions
    totalsolutions Posts: 3,110 Forumite
    Not all screens are compatible. Example a 22" flat panel with a resolution of say 1680 x 1050 be tax your video card maxing out at 1024 x 768. ie no screen output! Replace video card.

    The input needs to be 15pin D-sub vga. Not the best now.

    The ram is expensive, not made now as out of date and the motherboard might only take 256 or 512mb RAM

    Not worth it really.
  • Spank
    Spank Posts: 1,751 Forumite
    Tenth Anniversary 1,000 Posts Photogenic Name Dropper
    To find out what ram you have download a free program called CPU-Z and look for the information under SPD
  • loulou41
    loulou41 Posts: 2,871 Forumite
    S0litaire wrote: »
    all LCD Monitors should have a "VGA" socket, so they are compatible.

    As for the memory, do you know the exact make of the machine. then we can tell you the type of memory and the cost.

    It is a Fujitsu Siemen scenic d. Penthium 4 Processor at 2GHz. 128 MB SDRAM. 40GB. I guess, it is too old and not worth spending money on. Thanks
  • Quaint1
    Quaint1 Posts: 364 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 100 Posts Combo Breaker PPI Party Pooper
    Depends on which Scenic D you have - there were 5 different motherboards install in them things!
    Try looking at the Crucial Memory website and running their System Scanner Tool on the Fujitsu (you'll find the "Scan My System" button on their front page - it will prompt you to install something but it is safe to do so in this case!)
    This will tell you a) which type of memory tou can take and will quote prices, b) the maximum amount of memory you can take.
    Make a note of the memory type (PC2700, for example) and then look on eBay - the Crucial prices are probably a little higher than is worth bothering with for a system like that (though I do very well on a more-or-less equivalent PC!) If you look carefully on eBay you can find reliable sellers offering the same memory for a lot cheaper, at which point it might be worth a go.

    As for the monitor issue, as was posted above, how much benefit you'll get out of a flat screen depends on what graphics capability you have on the PC - if it has a reasonably decent stand alone graphics card (128Mb or above AGP) you should get a decent picture. If it's an onboard graphics chip using shared memory, you might want to consider buying a replacement graphics card (again from eBay) but as that starts t oadd onto the cost up upgrading you have to consider what use you'll get out of the thing and whether it's worth it to you.
    Au Res.,
    Paul
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