I need everyones help:

1. Memory, my dell 8100 uses pc800 rambus memory, i want to increase by adding 2 sticks of 512mb to equal 1gb, but i have not found anywhere cheap to buy, most are over 350 and over for 2 sticks. so my questions is, since my system is pretty much outdated should i just get a new board that uses different kind of memory?

2. i've also been doing some reading on how to overclock cpus. i've yet to find anywhere that guides you step by step on how to do it. would you recommend that i even try it on my pentium 4 1.3mhz system? or should this be one more reason to just upgrade my mobo and cpu.

3. i know that i can get up to 2.0mhz in my systems, which will cost about $120 from new egg (http://www.newegg.com/app/viewProductDesc.asp?description=19-116-132&depa=1) but i'm not 100% sure that this will fit my board, because i don't know how to tell what socket i have.

3. i still have a 32mb nvidia card, which i recently upgrade to a 4x/8x ati 9600xt, i know i can't use the 8x with my mobo.

would you people recommend that i just try to build a new system?
or should i shell out $300+ for my 1gig memory that i want.

can you tell me why rambus memory is so expensive compared to other momory types out there.

do you recommend i get the cpu from newegg or just try to overclock it? if so, where can i get a guide on how to overclock?
thanks.

I am not sure if this utility will yield the info you need but I think it will. Download Everest Home Edition to find the MB details along with many other useful things. The reason why RAMBUS memory is so expensive is because it isn't a commodity product like DDR. RAMBUS was always expensive anyway. You may be able to find used stuff around though. Read my reply to post #30638 concerning upgrading.

thanks, if i do decide to upgrade, should i stick with itel or go with the competition

I run AMD exclusively. There are very few Apps that really need the increased bandwidth you can get with the 800FSB on Intel. I look at the best bang for the buck. You need to have a realistic budget and taylor the hardware to that. I see many folks here state they are going to get by with a piece of hardware that is going to hold back the rest of the system and then some time later are still running that same way. What is your budget?

since i'll be using the same video card and monitor, i would say about $700 to $800. the maing thing im looking for is more memory.

I have never bought from Ebay but know folks who deal there frequently. You may want to check there for used memory. I don't know much about your memory type but check pricewatch.com also.

ive checked ebay also, people are not really selling their pc800 512x2 sticks. and the few that are, are asking way too much, so im thinking that it might be better to get a mobo that uses different kind of memory, (inexpensive memory- at least not as

expensive as pc800 rambus rdram memory)
ive looked at pricewatch for memory, but no luck there, also crucial, and froggle.

What is it you run that requires the increase in memory? The answer would help determine what processor/MB combo might suit you best.

hmmm nothing special, i was gonna get into half life 2 and doom 3 and need 4 speed underground 2, i occasionnaly do some photoshop editing, and sometimes some video editing.

P4/Rambus system's are outdated...especially if it's a socket 423 system.

With all the holiday sales coming up, especially tomorrow & Black Friday, you'll be able to get a stick of 512mb PC2700 for about $30 after rebate. (check tomorrow's CompUSA 6-hour sale)

If you wanna build on a budget, you can get a decent nForce2 board (Abit, Asus, Shuttle) for about $75 & an AMD Barton 333FSB CPU for about $100.

Of course, if you wanna go Intel or Athlon 64, the cost would be more.

Asus A7N8X-X
1800+ @8x210mhz
512mb PC3200
Ti4200/8X 128mb
WDC 60GB

Being a DELL, you're going to have to upgrade the case, the power supply along with the cpu ,motherboard and memory...you can salvage the hard drive, floppy and the optical drives ( cd-rom, cd-rw, dvd-rom )

Abit AS8 LGA775 2.8 Prescott
2 x 512 OCZ Platinum PC3200 dual channel
128 meg Radeon 9800 Pro
DUAL 36 GIG WD Raptors Raid 0
DUAL 21 in. 19.8 viewable Sony Trinitrons
3+ Mbps cable con

i'm laughing reading your problems because i have all of them as well
it's a dimension 8100
i recently got the 9600 too
i forked out for 768 of rambus a while ago
i have halflife 2 (haven't played it)
doom3 three is a runs awesome
and n4s under 2 the only 3 games i've bought in a while
n4s is a real pig it defaults me to 640x480 ouch!
i was looking into overclocking as well (i've never done it)
it sounds like the same old story ---get a entirely new system again
i think i'll hold off a while. doom3 great and i bet halflife 2 will run well
rambus is a bust
funny who similar our boat is