Hi.

I have a PC which I am now taking from my brother but I really want to give it a bit of a make-over. However I haven't actually had to upgrade a PC so ... intensely before and I was wondering if I could get some help on how to go about doing this. Here are my basic specs:

CPU Type: Intel Celeron, 800 MHz (8 x 100)
Motherboard Name: Abit VA6 (2 ISA, 5 PCI, 1 AGP, 3 DIMM, Audio)
Motherboard Chipset: VIA VT82C693A Apollo Pro133

I'd like to upgrade the processor, hard drive ( which is only 12gb ) and the video card. I tried to look through the site of my motherboard but I can't figure out how to check it's compatibility with the upgrades I want to get.
System Memory: 512 MB(SDRAM)
Video Adapter: ATI Technologies, Inc. 3D RAGE PRO AGP 2X (8 MB)
3D Accelerator: ATI 3D-Rage Pro

Not worth upgrading. The costs would be more than it would take to buy a new emachines t6212.
Roger

ASPIRE ATXB4KLW-AL Antec 400W
ASUS A8N-SLI Deluxe
AMD 3700+ San Diego
Corsair 1GB 2x512
eVGA 6600GT
250GB Hard Drive
Sound Blaster Audigy
Windows XP HOME W/SP2

Dang. I had a feel that would be the case. Thanks though.

Why do you want to upgrade it? What do you want to do that you can't now? While it isn't a rocket ship, it isn't terrible either.

i bet nasa would have put it in a rocket ship though.

if anything, try somehting like this. it will give you a big performance boost.
http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=1279020&Sku=MCM-KV7V-2900A

but you will still need to get a grafix card. i would go with a $20 or $30 pci card till i saved up money. then i would go get a x600 or something like that.

p4 3.0ghz @ 222X15=3330mhz
512mb pc3200 dual channel @222mhz
80gb wd hdd/40gb maxtor when on linux
8x agp geforce 6200 @ 530/585can't unlock extra pipes. plz help if you can
Audigy 2 ZS<b

pheonix991,

You sure like to push the X600...what's up with that? To the best of my knowledge, it only comes in PCI-E format, so it wouldn't work on her? board, or the one you recommended. And spending $20-30 on a PCI card is a complete waste of money.

While the KT600 is't a bad chipset, most boards based on it have limited overclocking options...she'd be much better off with an nForce2 board. And there are a lot of problems with the 2900+ CPU that Tigerdirect likes to offer in it's combo deals. It's an oddball OEM CPU & isn't even listed at the AMD website...many BIOS have trouble recognizing it because it's not an "offical" CPU.

Also, you neglected to mention that she'd need a new PSU & new RAM to go with the new board. So you're talking about a complete rebuild, & that's not what she's asking about.

Noreen,

repo man asks a good question..."What do you want to do that you can't now?" If you already have 512MB RAM, you have plenty...I see no reason to add more. A new video card would be helpful for gaming (older games), but since it appears you may only have AGP 2X, you'd have to choose carefully because of the voltage requirements (3.3v) of the AGP slot. Even so, the Celeron isn't a performance CPU. If you could scrounge up a cheap Pentium 3 (& maybe overclock it) plus add a cheap 64MB AGP video card (GF2 MX400?), you'd have a reasonable system.

http://www.overclockers.com.au/techstuff/r_abit_va6/

http://www.kickassgear.com/Reviews/AbitVA6.htm

Asus A7N8X-X
1800+ @ 8.5 x 200MHz
768MB PC3200
Asus A9550 128MB/128-bit
Gamer Edition
WinME/WinXP Pro

Well the situation is that I just want to buy a brand new PC altogether but if this PC here is going to be collecting dust, then I was wondering if it would be possible to turn it into a better machine.

I am a graphic designer so I need a computer that will handle large files and such but at the same time I'm a frequent gamer especially with the newer ones out there like world of warcraft, etc. So if it would be easier to customize this PC than to buy a whole new one I was just trying to see what my options were. Right now the PC is alright for general use and things liek that. the graphic card mainly and the processor I was hoping to upgrade but I'm worried that the motherboard woudl be too old to do so.

Because of the 2X/3.3v AGP slot, your video card choices are limited...at least for modern gaming cards.

Asus A7N8X-X
1800+ @ 8.5 x 200MHz
768MB PC3200
Asus A9550 128MB/128-bit
Gamer Edition
WinME/WinXP Pro

Probably the best bet for a video card to work with that board would be a 4X Ti4200. But you'd have to be careful, I don't think the 8x versions are backwards compatible to 2X, and those are the most commonly available ones these days.

A new computer would probably be best for your stated goals. But that has to be balanced against your budget. If you can do the work yourself, careful shopping can give you a performance boost for a relatively low amount of money. Though you can use a slocket to run a faster P3 or Celeron, the fastest versions of these are rare, and still command a good price.

An upgrade to Socket A has already been mentioned. Now that Socket A is on its way out, there are many bargains to be had. You could probably pick up a good older SDRAM Socket A motherboard and CPU on Ebay. Then use your present memory, buy a PSU, and eventually a newer video card.

Next up would be a DDR RAM Socket A. Bargains galore. An Abit KD7 for $37.50! Combine that with even a $50.00 Sempron or Duron, some basic DDR memory, basic 350 watt power supply, and you'll have a great basic system. You could do it in steps.

Or if you have the cash you could just take the plunge for an entirely new system.

Outpost.com has a KT333 motherboard w/2500+ Sempron (retail) combo deal for $75:

http://shop4.outpost.com/product/4202624

Asus A7N8X-X
1800+ @ 8.5 x 200MHz
768MB PC3200
Asus A9550 128MB/128-bit
Gamer Edition
WinME/WinXP Pro