HI, I am looking for info on how or if i can upgrade our computer. I have the opportunity to work from home but need a computer with 768mb of memory. Our computer is at its limited of 256. I have looked around for P4 motherboards and the like and see that they are reasonably priced. However do we need to buy a certain kind? ie celeron or compaq or althon etc. Also from what i can tell it is basically remove the old motherboard and install the new one and install operating system and the like is this correct? Any help is greatly appreciated. , Thanks

You are going to need a complete overhaul. Your hardware is simply too old to just infuse it with some new parts and have it work good as new. "However do we need to buy a certain kind? ie celeron or compaq or althon etc" You're referring to a few different things there. Celeron is a (slow) Intel based processor, Compaq is a company that assembles computers, and Athlon is an AMD processor line. If I were you, I would start by selecting a new motherboard and processor (preferrably AMD-based) and build your computer around your needs. But since I don't know those, could you explain what you intend to use the computer for?

Hi, thank you for your response. I realize that this computer is very old!!! I will be using the computer for contract work as call centre agent and my husband will probably us it for gaming. The requirement that i am unable to meet for working at home is we do not have enough memory, we require 768mb of ram but currently we can only go to 256mb. My husband believes everything else is ok, but just to double check we have a GeForce4 Mx 440 video card, 2 hard drives giving us 20gb but we do have a 40 that we are replacing once we do all of this motherboard upgrades. I don't know what other things would need to be upgraded. Can you give us any suggestions on where to begin? Thanks

Hi again, ok i have just researched the Geforce video card, I think we do need to upgrade that to. ours only goes to 64mb and the newest ones go to 512mb huge difference for gaming purposes I am guessing?? As this is hubby's department I am hoping that won't affect upgrading the cpu so I can get more ram?

You shouldn't even consider upgrading what you have...it's simply not worth it. Either sell your old system or keep it as a backup, then buy a pre-built system or start completely from scratch. You already know you're gonna need a board, CPU, RAM, & video card...plus you're definitely gonna need a new power supply to run it all. You do NOT need a 512MB video card...256MB or even 128MB will be sufficient. It's the technology in the card that's important, not necessarily the amount of memory. That being said, a decent gaming card will cost you $150-200. And there's no guarantee that all this new stuff will work in your old case, so you may as well add a case to your shopping list too. And why run outdated/slow HDDs when you can pickup a 160GB Seagate for about $50 (after rebates)? Here's some rough numbers: case - $50 power supply - $50 nForce4 Ultra motherboard - $75-100 A64 3200+ CPU - $150 2 x 512MB PC3200 RAM - $80 GeForce 7600GT 256MB video - $150-175 160GB HDD - $50 So you're looking at about $650 for the "basics" & that doesn't included the floppy, optical drive(s), keyboard, mouse, monitor, speakers, etc, not to mention the operating system & other software

Mommabear, I'm guessing that you are going to be working for Callcast, correct? If so, your computer is far under specs. The RAM and vid card are the least of the problems at this point. A PII,466mhz processor will not cut it. You need a minimum of P4/AMD Athlon @1.5ghz or Celeron/AMD Duron at a minimum of 1.8ghz.

You're working from home and need to provide your own computer? I'd find another employer. LOL Seriously, don't bother upgrading your system. You can buy a Brand New Dell...REALLY good system for less than $600. If you're not on a budget, the sky's the limit of course. Life is more painless for those who are brainless.