A modest upgrade ?.

mima

Hi everybody, I’m new to this, so be gentle with me :P

Advise please on how I can best upgrade my Time 331J02GB2 PC.
Up to recently the memory module was 64MB and I was intending to upgrade this to 256MB (maximum this board supports) but a pal of mine had a 512MB module spare, which seems to be working perfectly OK.
Now, being an avid money saver and hating all waste, I would like to make a fuller use of this surplus memory as well as to boost the speed up a little.

Your advise, please, if this is possible, how I can best do so and which particular items of hardware etc. will I require.

The details of the motherboard (taken from the manual):
System Board: MICRO ATX AL 14 (dimension: 24.4cm x 24,5cm)
CPU: Socket 7 supports Intel Pentium processor with MMX technology.
Cyrix 6x86L/6x86MX/MII are supported.
AMD K6/K6-2/K6-III processors are supported.
Chipset: Aladdin 5 M1541/M1543C
FSB: 100MHz
Processor: AMD K6-2 (500MHz)
Main Memory: 168-pin unbuffered DIMM SDRAM
(supports a maximum memory size of 256MB)

Bios String: 51-1227-001169-00101111-071599-41E_43C-MS5591-T99-0

You will have gathered that my computer knowledge is exreamly limited so your patience will be much appreciated.

Ps:
Many thanks to you all, not least Martin, for the endless tips and advise!!!

Joe_Bloggs

According to Time the 331J02GB2  PC is documented here .
The documentation on the Time site is hazy as you have to know the motherboard model number to get the right drivers. I think the board came with an AMD K6-2 @ 500Mhz. This should be OK for web browsing/email and occasional home office use.  
I would not spend any more money on this machine as it likely it requires near obsolete components to make a minor change in it's performance. Save your money for a more up to date machine. This does not mean buy new but a second hand / refurbished machine.
J_B.
PS what operating system are you using ?
PPS does the Microstar (MSI) MS-5169 describe your motherboard ?

mima

Thanks, J_B

I'm using Windows XP pro
The board is ms-5191

For home use use only, no gaming or large downloads. Have been very happy with the machine but could use just a little more speed.
Seems a waste to scrap it ???

Best regards

hollie.weimeraner

It's no wonder your machine has been running slow - XP Pro requires a minimum of 128mb RAM (ideally 256) to run normally I would agree with the information provided already about not wasting money trying to upgrade your current machine.

You'd be better off saving your money for now and getting a new machine when you can afford it.

If your new memory works ok then this is the best upgrade you can make. It won't be of any benefit to upgrade the graphics card as the ATI 128 was about the most powerful at that time anyway, and the processor you have is just about the max supported (I think they actually went to 550mhz but you wouldn't gain anything from upgrading this).

mima

Hi, Hollie

I’m sure you are both right.
I was just hoping that maybe another motherboard, which would utilise the 512 RAM and support a faster processor, might do the job.

hollie.weimeraner

If you decide to change the motherboard you will also need to replace the processor, graphics card and possibly even the RAM as there are fewer motherboard suppliers now that support sdram whch your machine has.

You will probably need to spend about £50 - £70 on the motherboard and a similar amount on a processor - add in the RAM and also a graphics card and you are probably looking in the region of £200. It would also be a good investment to upgrade the hard drive if you havn't done so already as windows XP takes up loads of space.

Also add in the cost of labour to do this (£50 from local shop up to ?????? if somewhere like PC World do it!) and it just isn't viable. (I take it you don't intend to do this yourself by the way?

Have a look at the DELL website as there are some bargains to be had on there also, MESH are pretty good if you go down that road.

If you know anyone that is quite knowledgable you can pick up some second user bargains from you local papers.

mima

Thanks again to you both for your advise a tips.

Best regards