Need help with an upgrade

Hey there... so here’s the situation. I have this desktop that I rebuilt a while back, but about two years ago, I did some minor tinkering with it. Ever since then, even the most basic stuff—just browsing the web or playing a game of chess—causes the screen to crash and everything just freezes up. Since then, the computer has just been sitting there turned off, untouched for over a year now...

I’m definitely not an expert on this kind of thing, so I could really use some advice on picking out parts to upgrade it. I’m aiming for used components—something cheap but functional that I can find on eBay or Craigslist, ideally somewhere local near Savannah so I can just pick them up in person...
I need a reliable processor and a graphics card; I haven't really decided on the rest yet (peripherals: I’ve already got a Dell LED monitor 19").

I’m rebuilding this for my dad, so it only needs to handle the essentials: web browsing, Microsoft Office, YouTube, maybe a little chess or card games...

Not every processor is compatible with every motherboard. To help you out, we’re going to need a lot more specifics—what exact motherboard model are you running, which power supply are you using, how much RAM is installed, and so on.

Also, regarding those crashes: we need to determine if the culprit is software-related, a hardware failure, or if the hardware is simply underpowered for the task at hand...

Just head over to http://forum.pcekspert.com/ and post the exact same question there.
There are a few veteran users based out in Savannah, so they’ll probably be happy to point you toward some reliable local repair guy in your neck of the woods.

Trying to DIY this via a forum is just asking for a headache, honestly, because there are way too many variables that can go sideways, and since you already admitted you aren't exactly a tech wizard...

gentlecyclist16 said:Just head over to http://www.pcmag.com/ and ask the same thing there.
We've got some seasoned pros on the forums based out of places like Savannah, so they'll probably be happy to point you toward a reliable local repair shop nearby.

Trying to handle this through a random forum thread is just asking for trouble. There are way too many variables that can go sideways, and if you're admitting you aren't exactly an expert... well, it's risky...

Thanks a lot, I'll give it a shot over there...

Timothy Kim60 said:Not every processor is compatible with every motherboard. You’re going to need to give us a lot more specifics if you want actual help—what exact motherboard are you running, what kind of power supply do you have, how much RAM is installed, and so on.

And then there's the crashing issue—we can't tell if it's a software glitch, a hardware failure, or if the hardware is just too weak to handle the load...

I finally fired up the computer after a long time away. It was doing that thing where the image on the monitor flickers, just like before (which I suspect is why it keeps crashing)... it hasn't crashed yet, but I haven't actually done anything besides checking the system properties. As for the power supply, I have no idea where to find those specs...
So, here is what I'm working with right now:

Intel Pentium 4 CPU 3.00GHz
2 GB RAM
Radeon X550 / X700 Series

I honestly don't know which parts are worth saving, or if the problem is strictly limited to the graphics card. Also, the machine is running incredibly loud, so I probably need to address that too...

Eric Taylor55 said:So I fired up the computer after a long time away, and it was just doing that thing where the image on the screen flickers like before (I think that's why it used to crash)... it hasn't crashed this time, but I haven't actually done anything besides checking the properties. I have no idea where to find the specs for the power supply...
Basically, here is what I'm running right now:

Intel Pentium 4 CPU 3.00GHz
2 GB RAM
Radeon X550 / X700 Series

I don't know which of this is worth keeping or if it's just an issue with the graphics card?

Man, that thing is basically a relic from fifteen years ago...
It might even be the monitor itself—try plugging it into another computer if you can manage that.
If I were you, I’d just scrap the whole thing and start over—case, power supply, motherboard, CPU, hard drive—because trying to salvage this is just asking for a headache. Your hard drive might even be using those old IDE connections, which won't even plug into a modern motherboard without some sketchy adapter. Not to mention, that drive could give up the ghost at any second. You don't really need a dedicated graphics card anymore anyway, since most modern motherboards come with decent integrated graphics built-in, and playing chess doesn't exactly require a high-end GPU.
Your keyboard and mouse probably use those old PS2 ports too, which you won't find on any new motherboards these days.
Since he needs Microsoft Office and chess, he’ll obviously need an OS. I'm assuming it's running Windows XP right now, which is a terrible idea if he's planning on doing anything like online banking. Either way, if he sticks with XP and goes online, he should just prepare to live in constant coexistence with whatever viruses decide to crawl in.

If you just want to play chess or browse the web, it’s still a decent machine. You've got 2GB of RAM, so you could run Windows 7 32-bit. Just find a lightweight version...

First thing, blow all that dust out of the case. That's probably why it's being so loud. Grab a vacuum and a paintbrush...

Next, if you feel up to it—but be careful not to snap anything. Pull the cards and the memory sticks out and clean the contacts with some alcohol or an eraser to get rid of any oxidation or grime. If you aren't feeling confident about it, just don't do it.

Swap out the power supply. A 15-year-old unit is definitely on its last legs. Pick up a 400W unit from EVGA around $100 http://www.fsplifestyle.com/PROP161000101/. Also, the monitor might be dead, so you might need to grab a new one or something used...

Once you install Windows 7 and the right drivers, you'll finally see what you're working with.

Maybe upgrade the RAM later. If you hit 3GB total, then 32-bit Windows is fine. If you go higher than that, you'll need a 64-bit OS, but the question is whether your Pentium 4 even supports 64-bit. It probably doesn't. If it doesn't, you're stuck with a 32-bit system no matter what.

Honestly, they’d be better off just grabbing the 32-bit version of W10. I mean, the system requirements are basically identical anyway.

w10

Processor: 1 gigahertz (GHz) or faster processor or SoC
RAM: 1 gigabyte (GB) for 32-bit or 2 GB for 64-bit
Hard disk space: 16 GB for 32-bit OS 20 GB for 64-bit OS
Graphics card: DirectX 9 or later with WDDM 1.0 driver
Display: 800x600

w7

1 gigahertz (GHz) or faster 32-bit (x86) or 64-bit (x64) processor*

1 gigabyte (GB) RAM (32-bit) or 2 GB RAM (64-bit)

16 GB available hard disk space (32-bit) or 20 GB (64-bit)

DirectX 9 graphics device with WDDM 1.0 or higher driver

Honestly, he might as well just grab a whole new rig, whether it's brand new or used. It doesn't make any sense to waste time or cash on an upgrade like this. Any decent webpage is probably going to murder that processor, let alone trying to run YouTube or anything similar. Plus, there aren't even official drivers for that GPU for Windows 7 or 10 anymore.

fadedorca66 said:Honestly, they should just grab a whole new setup, whether it's brand new or some decent used rig, because trying to patch this up is just a fool's errand. It’s a waste of both time and cash. Any decent webpage today is going to absolutely murder that processor, and don't even get me started on trying to run YouTube or anything similar. Plus, there aren't even any official drivers out there for that graphics card that work with Windows 7 or 10.

+1

That’s exactly my point—in my book, trying to upgrade or fix a fifteen-year-old computer is just an agonizing waste of resources, like trying to whip a dead horse back to life.

I hope I’m not offending anyone here, but people usually end up putting together a much better configuration than what's being discussed when they actually decide to upgrade. I'm certain someone out there has a perfectly functional LGA 775 Core 2 duo sitting in their garage right now that they'd trade for a six-pack of beer, and compared to a Pentium 4, that thing is basically a starship. You might want to try asking over on the PCMag forums.

What about something like this?

Eric Taylor55 said:I just fired up the computer after a long time, and the screen was flickering just like before (I think that's what caused the crashes)... it hasn't crashed yet, but I haven't actually done anything besides checking the properties. I have no idea where to find the power supply specs...
So, here is my current setup:

Intel Pentium 4 CPU 3.00GHz
2 GB RAM
Radeon X550 / X700 Series

I'm not sure what parts are worth keeping or if the issue is strictly with the graphics card. Also, the PC is running pretty loud, so that probably needs addressing too...

Honestly, your best bet is to just overhaul the whole thing. You might want to check whether your hard drive uses SATA or IDE first—click

If it's SATA, you can keep it, though I'd bet the capacity is tiny (maybe 80 or 160GB max) if it's from that era.

You could potentially reuse the case and the power supply, provided they are still functioning properly.

A build like this would be a massive upgrade—g4560, H110, 4GB DDR4, 120GB SSD. The integrated graphics on the processor alone would outperform that old card by a mile.

Alright, thanks for all the input, everyone. I think I'll just leave it alone and stop digging into it for now... might as well let it sit for a while longer 😁

Eric Taylor55 said:Alright, thanks for the input everyone. I won't dig any deeper into this... I'll just let it sit for a while. 😁

Yeah, it's tough to just scrap it and move on to something else 😢 especially when you consider $0.00

and checking where you might actually find some drivers for that PC/OS