Computer won’t start

arciere

mikeopvc wrote: »

I was just browsing and catching up with stuff online, a few tabs open and one site I was on had ads all over it, It started to get a bit laggy and slow in response, is this the sort of thing I might need another graphics card for alongside the inbuilt one?

I think i might buy one and fit it while I still have the computer open especially if they are as cheap as you say.

Is there a certain type that I need for my computer or will any graphics card fit?

Any suggestions please?

Should I just throw the old one in the bin?

Sorry I didn't read all 7 pages, I apologies if this has been answered already.
For browsing, you don't need any graphics card. If you have tons of tabs open simultaneously, you need RAM and, in some cases CPU. Graphics card only comes into play on rare occasions, if for example you are streaming HD or 4K content

Trains

mikeopvc wrote: »

I was just browsing and catching up with stuff online, a few tabs open and one site I was on had ads all over it, It started to get a bit laggy and slow in response, is this the sort of thing I might need another graphics card for alongside the inbuilt one?

I think i might buy one and fit it while I still have the computer open especially if they are as cheap as you say.

Is there a certain type that I need for my computer or will any graphics card fit?

Any suggestions please?

Should I just throw the old one in the bin?

Try using uBlock Origin adblocker in your browser.

EveryWhere

mikeopvc wrote: »

I was just browsing and catching up with stuff online, a few tabs open and one site I was on had ads all over it, It started to get a bit laggy and slow in response, is this the sort of thing I might need another graphics card for alongside the inbuilt one?

I think i might buy one and fit it while I still have the computer open especially if they are as cheap as you say.

Is there a certain type that I need for my computer or will any graphics card fit?

Any suggestions please?

Should I just throw the old one in the bin?

As above, uBlock Origin or use a Browser with a built in adblocker, Opera for instance.

https://www.opera.com Though you need to go into Settings to enable the built in Blockers

If you prefer one that needs no set up, try EPIC; https://www.epicbrowser.com

mikeopvc

arciere wrote: »

Sorry I didn't read all 7 pages, I apologies if this has been answered already.
For browsing, you don't need any graphics card. If you have tons of tabs open simultaneously, you need RAM and, in some cases CPU. Graphics card only comes into play on rare occasions, if for example you are streaming HD or 4K content

How do I add RAM and CPU please?

Also I would like to add a graphics card before I close up the computer so can you recommend one and advise if any fits all or do I need a certain type?

EveryWhere

mikeopvc wrote: »

How do I add RAM and CPU please?

Also I would like to add a graphics card before I close up the computer so can you recommend one and advise if any fits all or do I need a certain type?

You don't need more RAM if you already have 8 GB on board.

You don't need to change the CPU;



What problems are you having? The spec of your device, far exceeds what most people on this forum are running. Almost certainly, your device is running faster than it did when new.

You can run https://www.userbenchmark.com to test if your components are performing as expected.
In fact, you can see here; https://www.userbenchmark.com/System/Dell-Studio-XPS-7100/3566 what graphics cards others have installed.

Reluctant to recommend a GC at this stage, as I don't know if you will have further issues when fitting one, especially when you may not need it anyway.

The BIOS hasn't been updated since 2011, so I would be reluctant to fit a modern card unless I could get a refund if it didn't work. So that rules out second hand on eBay.
Personally, I wouldn't want to spend more than £20, preferably less.
Here's an example of one that should fit;https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Sapphire-Radeon-HD5670-PCI-E-512Mb-GDDR5-graphics-card/192960858905

But...if the problem is with the power supply...

mikeopvc

EveryWhere wrote: »

You don't need more RAM if you already have 8 GB on board.

You don't need to change the CPU;



What problems are you having? The spec of your device, far exceeds what most people on this forum are running. Almost certainly, your device is running faster than it did when new.

You can run https://www.userbenchmark.com to test if your components are performing as expected.
In fact, you can see here; https://www.userbenchmark.com/System/Dell-Studio-XPS-7100/3566 what graphics cards others have installed.

Reluctant to recommend a GC at this stage, as I don't know if you will have further issues when fitting one, especially when you may not need it anyway.

The BIOS hasn't been updated since 2011, so I would be reluctant to fit a modern card unless I could get a refund if it didn't work. So that rules out second hand on eBay.
Personally, I wouldn't want to spend more than £20, preferably less.
Here's an example of one that should fit;https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Sapphire-Radeon-HD5670-PCI-E-512Mb-GDDR5-graphics-card/192960858905

But...if the problem is with the power supply...

Thanks, I did the benchmark test, here are the results:

UserBenchmarks: Game 11%, Desk 38%, Work 24%
CPU: AMD Phenom II X6 1090T - 41.5%
GPU: ATI Radeon HD 4200 - 0.6%
SSD: Crucial MX500 1TB - 66.1%
HDD: Seagate Expansion Desk 4TB - 14.7%
RAM: Hynix HMT325U6BFR8C-H9 4x2GB - 30.5%
MBD: Dell Studio XPS 7100

mikeopvc

mikeopvc

mikeopvc

Not sure what's going on with the expansion drive, it has just started today to give an error notification saying there is a problem with it.

poppellerant

It seems that your graphic card is the weak point in your PC right now. Although I expect Windows 10 to have installed drivers, have you checked in Device Manager to see what display adapter is installed? With such a low score, I am wondering if the driver is installed and how it is.

In the Start Menu type in Device Manager and click on it when it appears. Next double click on Display adapters to expand it. What is listed directly under Display adapters after you expand it? It should hopefully say something along the lines of ATI Radeon HD 4200.

Next double click the ATI device to open the properties window and click on the Driver tab. What is the Driver Date shown as?

I am not saying updating or installing the driver will give you the performance you are looking for. But if a generic driver is being used, installing the correct ATI driver should only improve things.

As as rightly been said previously, a new GPU is what is needed for what ought to be a respectably performing computer.