Desk top PC advice please...

[Pignut71]

Hi All,

PC help required.

My father in-law has an ageing Acer deck top PC, it's about 9 years old but gets very little use. He has complained that he thinks its running slow (he only uses it for web browsing) and says it takes too long to power up ready for use.

The spec is very basic, as follows:

80gb SATA memory
512mb DDR2 ram
AMD Sempron 3500+
Running windows Vista home basic

My question is simple really, is it worth me upgrading the RAM and changing the operating system to, for example, windows 7. Do you think he will see an improvement (remember, it's only web browsing required)? Or do we bin and and buy another box?

If the general consensus is to upgrade then is it simple??

Many thanks in advance.

Regards, Jon.

[dks]

It depends.

Most people still run XP for web browsing and are happy.
I run XP and 7, but 7 may not run on your PC. My main PC (XP) is a 2007 model with added memory and HD. It is a bit slow, compared to a 2012 model I am also using but still pretty useable. (I made sure it was well specified in 2007-room for easy upgrades, separate graphics card etc.)

The cheapest option will be to add 2 Gigabytes of memory, for quick improvement.
The problem may be finding the right memory for that, older, system and whether there is a place for it on the motherboard.
 
A new pc will be the best option but costly. Maybe a 2nd hand newer model...

Some of the experts will be here soon to help you more!! 

[enki_ck]

What OS are you running on it now? XP? I'd leave it. That setup is enough for browsing. Try cleaning it up a bit. Uninstall any unnecessary programs running in memory, check for suspiciously large files made by antivirus software and delete them. Some older Antivirus software can make dump files up to a GB. Also what browser are you using? The newer Firefox versions can be quite a memory hogs. Download an older version of it and disable the auto update or try a different browser like Chrome. Also remove any unnecesery addons to the browser. Adblock is necessary addon, it removes a lot of advertising stuff and loads the pages much faster.

[Pacu]

I'd save all your pics/docs and do a system restore, install chrome for browser for the most cost saving route.


also ddr2 1 gig sticks are still fairly easy to find -- doubling memory couldn't hurt.

[landwomble]

Bung 2gb ram in it and see how you go. Anything more than that isn't worth it. EBay for the ram as it's not current...

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[frugalscotty]

Before spending any money, some system clean up is in order. First thing is to empty the internet cache files. the easiest way is to download and install CCleaner. www.ccleaner.com This program will examine many places where junk might accumulate.

next I would uninstall any old anti virus programs that might have come with the PC and install Microsoft Security Essentials. This is a decent AV program that doesn't bog down your PC.

Once these have been done run Windows update and get the latest patches and services packs for your version of Windows. Make sure you get the service pack if it isn't installed.

next do a HD defrag. The built in defrag utility is fine or if you want something else, Defraggler by the same company the writes CCleaner works well.

The previous suggestion for using an alternate browser is also a good idea. Chrome or a Firefox offshoot like Palemoon would be helpful to speed up your browsing. www.palemoon.org Palemoon is specifically tuned to run faster on Windows than is Firefox. It is my browser of choice.

If all these steps don't provide enough improvement then comes the memory upgrade. As others have mentioned, increasing to two GB ram would be about right for your situation. Using the memory calculator at www.crucial.com may help in determining what slots and combination of modules are appropriate for your PC. You don't need to purchase from Crucial if you don't want to but their calculator will help.

I don't see any advantage to upgrading to Windows 7 or 8 in this situation. Vista Basic should be fine for simple web browsing.

[Pignut71]

Thanks All for the replies so far. I shall do as suggested with the clean up and browser etc and take it from there.

If I go down the upgraded ram route, could someone link me to what I'm looking for on eBay at all? Or isn't it that simple? (I'm a PC dummy, can you tell!).

Regards, Jon.

[Grant Lamontagne]

I am going to go against the grain here and suggest you head off to Staples and pick up a new computer.  A simple desktop can be had for $200-300 nowadays and will come with 7 installed on it.

Upgrading parts here and there is likely to end up costing more and at the end of the day he still has just an old PC and you never know when a major component (motherboard) is going to die and render pretty well all the upgrading you've done worthless.

Def

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[frugalscotty]

Thanks All for the replies so far. I shall do as suggested with the clean up and browser etc and take it from there.

If I go down the upgraded ram route, could someone link me to what I'm looking for on eBay at all? Or isn't it that simple? (I'm a PC dummy, can you tell!).

Regards, Jon.

We would need the exact make and model name/number to be certain of any recommndation.

Grant has some solid reasoning with his suggestion. My first thought was actually to dump the PC and purchase an inexpensive Android tablet for web browsing. But the steps I outlined up to the memory upgrade are free and if enough improvement is gained maybe you don't need to spend any money.

[Medic82]

I agree with Grant, get a new one. 9 years is really old for a computer and if you are running XP remember that Microsoft soon will stop with updates for it and Vista should be a big no go. Get a new one with Win7 on it.

Sent from my Galaxy S3

[Sazabi]

I'll agree with Grant.  For DDR or DDR2 RAM, you'd be better off just upgrading and getting a "low rung" $300-$400 desktop that'll still run circles around the one your father has currently.

[Pacu]

if it doesn't have to be a desktop....netbook or laptop?  I've seen i3s and i5s on the cheap as of late.

[Grant Lamontagne]

Wow... people agreeing with me. I'm not sure how to deal with that....

Def

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[Whoey]

According to OP it's already running Vista. A ram upgrade will do wonders, 512mb is nothing these days... find out what the max the system board will take and load it up, I'm guessing it will have 2 slots, so 2x 1GB might be the best you can do. A cleanup as some have already mentioned will help a lot. So would a rollback of the OS to factory default, be sure to backup any important files first! and then re-apply patches and updates, etc. Taking too long to power up may be fans on CPU, GPU or power units. Pop off the lid and have a look for dust buildup on the fans, cycle the power and see if any of the fans are slow/stopped while the system is running.

If you tell us the exact model we can help you a bit further as to if it's worthwhile doing upgrades and what to.

Replacing the machine with a new low end system is definitely the quickest and easiest option. There are tools built in to most versions of windows to help transfer files and settings between different versions. Be wary that most new boxes will be running Win 8 which may take some getting used to. With any luck you can find something with Win 7 and a free Win 8 upgrade (which you can not bother installing if you think win8 will be confusing)

[sir_mike]

Definately, do the ram upgrade to 2gigs minimum but make sure you do the upgrade in pairs.  If only two slots, go with 2x1gig sticks.  If you have four ram slots, you could go 4x512mb sticks.  It will help with vista alot.

The ram should be pretty cheap nowadays and if it is still slow after that, put linux on it and get a new one anyway!

[GNandGS]

Vista likes more mem than XP.... 

If all he is doing and browsing AND if you are in the position to "need" input on this then IT techie net stuff isn't the priority for you guys.

If he is just a CONSUMER of info from the net then a large tablet from any of the branded vendors might do quite nicely.  Galaxy, ipad etc.  Ditto for simple PC's!

The down side to buying some crap starter system is that they are often slow and not usually upgradable - and probably will not get the 9 years his last one did.  Just go in with eyes wide open.  New is not the same as fast.

My vote?  System cleanup.  If not by you then some buddy or pal.  You might be pleasantly surprised at the improvement given the no costs bit.  I do NOT think buying any hardware for that system is a good use of cash.

[mvyrmnd]

Replace it. The HDD has probably done 20,000 hours and the MTBF is only 30,000.

Adding more ram is cheap, and a cleanup is free, but complete and catastrophic data loss is priceless.

Buy a new system, and enjoy your warranty. Any system you can buy today will run rings around an old Sempron, which was already the slowest and cheapest option when it was new.

Just make sure the new one has at least 4GB RAM and all will be well.

[ironraven]

Another in the replace it camp. Depending on how you do your math, 9 computer years is the equivalent to 120+ human years. A desktop, a laptop, even a *shudder* tablet.

Baring that, the big question I'd ask is do you have the factory restore disks. If so, salvage the key files, format and add the RAM. Reinstall. Spend the next week updating it. Discover there is some critical picture that is missing and all the heart ache that involves. Better might be to find a smallish harddrive and installing to that fresh.

And honestly, I wouldn't wish Vista on anyone I liked.

[Pignut71]

Hi All,

Just thought I would report back and bring this thread to a conclusion.

Decided to buy a new machine, intel pentium processor, 8GB ram, 750GB hard drive and running windows 7.

Have just set it up for the old fella and its running brilliantly, really quick so a result. Thanks to everyone who responded and gave their advice.

Regards, Jon.

[ironraven]

Good. Once you have a word processing app and a antivirus installed, just leave it like it is. It should be good for another 6-9 years with this usage pattern and by then Windows 8 will have put down like the sick dog it is and buried in the back 40.

[Millhouse]

Good. Once you have a word processing app and a antivirus installed, just leave it like it is. It should be good for another 6-9 years with this usage pattern and by then Windows 8 will have put down like the sick dog it is and buried in the back 40.

In 9 years time, there is every chance that Windows 11 will be just as bad.

[landwomble]

Nothing wrong with 8...

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[Grant Lamontagne]

Its trendy to badmouth Microsoft. They could come out with a program that produced solid gold super models for the user's amusement and someone would complain that theirs had a mole. Then millions would jump on the bandwagon claiming major deformities and that it is the worst mess ever made. 

As for the computer, excellent choice there!  That should keep you going for a good ling while.

Def

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