[invalid URL removed]Newegg has it

But I also agreee with hardware, the only time you need more then a gig of RAM is for a graphic intensive game, such as Battlefield 2 or Far Cry where you can see the difference. Otherwise, I think 1 gig is fine.

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Redish --

Thanks anyway for the link to the 512MB Rambus. Even Gateway doesn't offer it as an upgrade. You're right -- it's way too rich for my blood.

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What do you use it for anyway?

Just reinstall Windows XP (that is what u are using aren't u?)
install the latest drivers.. Motherboard, graphics card, etc and it will be quicker and more stable than it is now

any problems, just shout

- - Some one is watching over you

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I had 2* 256Mb RAM (or was it 512Mb dam i cant remember lol)
and i put in 2* 1Gb making it a whole 2Gb!

windows is now faster overal, it loads faster, applications load faster, and best of all Half life 2 and FEAR dont need to load from hard drive every 2 seconds! so its muuuuuuuch smoother!

- - Some one is watching over you

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Its cost prohibitive to think about paying almost $1000 to get to 2 gig of RAM when a new system would be more beneficial.

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- - Some one is watching over you

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I regularly run the following programs:

Microsoft Word, Outlook, Excel, Adobe Acrobat (reading and creating documents), Photo Shop, Final Draft, Roxio Media Creator, DivX Video Converter, Windows Media Player, Real Player, CD and DVD Label Creator.

My original reason for wanting to upgrade was that my computer was too slow and was freezing up with annoying regularity. Now that I've up-graded to 1 GB of RAM, have cleaned up my registry, and use Crap Cleaner (thanks, Hardware!) regularly, these problems have almost vanished.

I've also replaced a CD-RW drive with a DVD+RW drive, added a 350GB external hard drive for back-up and storage, and added additional ports for USB 2.0 and Firewire 400 connections.

I'm still considering a re-installation of Windows XP SP2.

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Edited by - bob on 10/2/2006 1:55:46 PM

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Now I'm thinking about my internal hard drive. It's a 40GB Western Digital. There are two more available slots for hard drives in my tower. So here are my current hard-drive questions:

1. Is a 40GB internal hard drive sufficient if I have a 350GB external hard drive? Right now, I think about 50% of the internal drive is available. Would programs run better if I had a larger internal hard drive?

2. If the answer to #1 is "Yes", should I:

(a) Add at least one additional hard drive and move certain things from the C drive to the other internal hard drive in order to free up the C drive to improve performance?

(b) Use the external drive for the above purposes (as opposed to just for back-up and storing things like photo, audio, and video files that I don't access regularly)?

(c) Purchase a new, larger, internal hard drive, copy the contents of my 40GB internal drive onto my external drive, install the new internal hard drive, and copy the contents back onto it?

Or none of the above?

And instead . . . ?

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Edited by - bob on 10/2/2006 2:21:00 PM

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Bob, if the internal is working properly now, and the freezes have disappeared, then I would not bother replacing it. The external can be used to keep files from the internal, like you said, audio, pics, movies, whatever. I would make a backup of all files to the external just in case.

I would recomend a reinstall only if problems surface.

If you install and remove lots of files repeatedly, then I would suggest a re-install. windows gets rather bloated in a short amount of time. If you do this, make sure ALL of your drivers are backed up. you will need them after the wipe. I would recommend this, but I play games and constantly add and subtract files.

Lots of little strings to get lost in the bloat.

Edited by - redish on 10/2/2006 3:22:50 PM

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brand name hard drives should come with a program to help transfer the contents of the old drive to the new drive (as well as format it, use NTFS format).

If you bought an OEM drive that doesn't come with a CD go to the drive manufacturer's site and look for a free download. For example Maxtor has MaxBlast that only works with their drives.

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Seriously -- maverick stuff always holds an attraction for me, and Macs are no exception. But because I use my computer primarily for business, I literally cannot afford to deal with compatibility issues.

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Bob, I would either (1) leave the existing internal drive alone, and use a program like Norton Ghost ([invalid URL removed]discussed here) to periodically make disc images and store them on the external, in case the internal craps out before you eventually replace the computer; or (2) buy a new internal drive, use the included/available manufacturer's software to copy the old drive onto it, use the new drive in place of the old one, and put the old one in a drawer.

Edited by - Harri Patel on 10/4/2006 4:20:49 AM

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Over the last ten years, we've introduced several dozen people, who work in a variety of fields, to Macintosh computers. As far as I know, none of them has ever gone back to Windows machines.

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Just wanted to report back. I went ahead and bought a Seagate 250GB internal hard drive the other day and installed it today. I decided to use the new drive as a "slave" to store all the files that were on my C-drive other than files involving the operating system and other programs.

So I've now cleaned up my C-drive, recaptured a lot of disc space, and reorganzied all my old files on the new G-drive. That only used up about 7 GB of the G-drive's storage capacity, so I have plenty of room for stuff.

I'll probably install the Seagate external drive and the back-up software next week.

My computer is functioning really well, and I'm a very happy camper. Thanks again to everyone for your advice and help!

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This thread helped me decide that I'd be better off for the time being just tweaking my existing computer. I've gotten a lot of bang for my buck and saved myself the greater expense and hassle entailed in getting a new machine before I really need one. When the time DOES come for me to buy something new, Ms. Bob (who doesn't use computers much) will be delighted to inherit this one.

In a couple of years, I may well be picking your brains about the Mac -- but for now I'm good with my PC.

BTW, I couldn't really use the large Mac display as I don't watch videos from my computer. However, the image of Loraine MacK-ing off in front of a large LDC display is a very pleasant one, for which I thank you sincerely.

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Speaking of. Mrs.C just ordered one of those 24" iMac. Working on the CineKink poster on her old machine was making her bat shit!

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It, too, appears to be speeding up my computer noticeably.

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Edited by - bob on 10/9/2006 6:15:12 PM

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After all, if you find it pleasurable, . . .

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You don't actually need to buy Ghost if you just want to clone the old drive onto a new drive; most, if not all, of the drive manufacturers either include, or make available on their websites, programs that do that. E.g., I think Seagate's is called SeaTools.

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Thanks again for your advice on this issue, Harri!

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Generally, I buy the cheapest thing I can find. I don't do anything special with my computer. Just picture viewing, web browsing and watching DVDs. You don't need a Ferrari for that. I've got an Emachines that I've had for right around 3 years now. Bought it new for less than $400 and haven't had the first problem with it.

I just don't think it's worth buying the best and the fastest unless you really need it (for gaming or something). It'll probably be pretty close to obsolete in a few months anyway. I guess if you can afford to spend a couple grand on a PC that's cool though.

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