Help a newbie out please

raygreenjr · 10-11-2009, 03:56 PM

i bought a like new dell xps 600 system for 75 bucks from a friend. i am aware that this is an older system but for the price it seemed right and it works very well. from the research i have done it seems like it is a pretty stock model with no modifications or updates except for the addition ov vista home. Sadly i am lost when it comes to pc hardware and stuff and would like some ideas on parts i can upgrade. i am positive that a new video card or 2 and more ram will have this thing running great for a bit. anyway i was wondering if anybody could give me any advice on some upgrades on a 300 dollar budget.
here are the specs please tell me if i need to post more. once again not real sure what to post.

windows vista home 32 bit
Intel® Pentium® D with Dual-Core Technology - Up to 840 (3.00GHz,800MHzFSB,2MBCache)
2GB Dual-Channel DDR2 SDRAM (667MHz
150 gb hard drive
256MB NVIDIA GeForce 6800
256MB NVIDIA GeForce 6800

also the video cards are sli and i run them both. but the question is that i only use this thing for internet and running world of warcraft. should i stick with the duo core or just go with one?
thanks guys

raygreenjr · 10-11-2009, 05:15 PM

sorry just realized what i said in the last part doesnt make sense. i mean should i just use 1 video card or get 2 sli videocards.

**emosun** · 10-11-2009, 05:53 PM

A big problem with that machine is it uses a proprietary dell power supply. The problem with that is dell packages some of the worst and cheapest power supplies in there systems. Not only that but this is a non atx power supply so it cannot be upgraded to a better aftermarket unit.

For 300$ , You can easily get a proper power supply to power the videocard and the machine , as well as a case to accommodate it. Since it's also stuck with the pentium D the best it could keep up with would be something like a 9600. Any high end cards will just be held back by the cpu.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814121324
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16811129066
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16817171036

10-11-2009, 03:56 PM	#1 (permalink)
raygreenjr Registered User Join Date: Oct 2009 Posts: 2 OS: vista 32	Help a newbie out please i bought a like new dell xps 600 system for 75 bucks from a friend. i am aware that this is an older system but for the price it seemed right and it works very well. from the research i have done it seems like it is a pretty stock model with no modifications or updates except for the addition ov vista home. Sadly i am lost when it comes to pc hardware and stuff and would like some ideas on parts i can upgrade. i am positive that a new video card or 2 and more ram will have this thing running great for a bit. anyway i was wondering if anybody could give me any advice on some upgrades on a 300 dollar budget. here are the specs please tell me if i need to post more. once again not real sure what to post. windows vista home 32 bit Intel® Pentium® D with Dual-Core Technology - Up to 840 (3.00GHz,800MHzFSB,2MBCache) 2GB Dual-Channel DDR2 SDRAM (667MHz 150 gb hard drive 256MB NVIDIA GeForce 6800 256MB NVIDIA GeForce 6800 also the video cards are sli and i run them both. but the question is that i only use this thing for internet and running world of warcraft. should i stick with the duo core or just go with one? thanks guys Last edited by raygreenjr; 10-11-2009 at 04:21 PM.

10-11-2009, 05:15 PM	#2 (permalink)
raygreenjr Registered User Join Date: Oct 2009 Posts: 2 OS: vista 32	Re: Help a newbie out please sorry just realized what i said in the last part doesnt make sense. i mean should i just use 1 video card or get 2 sli videocards.

10-11-2009, 05:53 PM	#3 (permalink)
emosun Moderator Hardware Team Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: usa Posts: 6,906 OS: xp pro sp2 My System	Re: Help a newbie out please A big problem with that machine is it uses a proprietary dell power supply. The problem with that is dell packages some of the worst and cheapest power supplies in there systems. Not only that but this is a non atx power supply so it cannot be upgraded to a better aftermarket unit. For 300$ , You can easily get a proper power supply to power the videocard and the machine , as well as a case to accommodate it. Since it's also stuck with the pentium D the best it could keep up with would be something like a 9600. Any high end cards will just be held back by the cpu. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814121324 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16811129066 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16817171036 __________________ Gpu Benchmarks Cpu-Z Power supply information and selection Gpu-Z Video card quick list Last edited by emosun; 10-11-2009 at 05:55 PM.