I finished my research into what my system will and will not support for upgrades, and I'm curious as to how much faster my system will be with the upgraded configuration vs. the stock configuration.

Stock:
- Dell Optiplex GX150 in small desktop case
- P3 @ 1.13Ghz, 256KB L2 Cache
- 1x256MB PC133 SDRAM w/ CAS Latency of 3
- Intel(R) 82815 Graphics Controller (32MB VRAM)

Upgraded:
- Dell Optiplex GX150 in small desktop case
- P3 @ 1.40Ghz, 512KB L2 Cache
- 2x256MB PC133 SDRAM w/ CAS Latency of 2
- BIOSTAR VP5200SL16 GeForce FX 5200 128MB 64-bit DDR AGP 4X/8X Low Profile Ready Video Card (Operating in 4x Mode)

Also, does anyone know of some freely available definitive benchmarks that I can run to quantify the speed increase?

Thanks!

Why would you spend money on a PC worth £40 $80 ??? on a good day....... and is the 1.4 CPU even compatable ???

Why?

1) I'm on a fixed income living in an expensive city, so my budget is highly limited.
2) If I can wring more out of this system for $100 USD (NewEgg), then it's worth it, especially if I can delay having to buy a new system.
3) I can put the money I saved towards other wants, like a nice recliner or some games.

And yes, as far as I can determine, the 1.4Ghz CPU is pin and voltage compatible. The latest BIOS on this system allowed me to recognize HD's above 137GB, so I'm betting it will support the III-S w/ 512KB of L2 Cache as well.

I agree with WebsWonder.

Have a look on ebay.

http://listings.ebay.com/_W0QQsocmd...

Before posting try google. Backup. Use anti virus software.

Looking for crunchers - eh?

I just tried QPI-QuickPi v4.5 on the Vista part of this 1.5GB E4300 machine & below are the results of the 1M & 10M calculation @ stock (1.8GHz) & @ overclocked 3.2GHz....

1M @ 1.8GHz

o Intel(R) Core(TM)2 CPU 4300 @ 1.80GHz detected
o Processor speed measured at 1.80 GHz
o Single processor with dual cores
o 827.7 MB of memory available
o Using default training data

Computation of Pi to 1,000,000 digits
Method used : Chudnovsky
Started : Sat Jan 26 17:35:50 2008

Series size : 70514 (1,000,004 digits)
Series processing time : 1.19
Final value time : 0.20

Total time : 1.39 seconds
Total memory used : 12,285,829 (11.72 MB)

Processor utilization : 107.82%

1M @ 3.2GHz

o Intel(R) Core(TM)2 CPU 4300 @ 1.80GHz detected
o Processor speed measured at 3.20 GHz
o Single processor with dual cores
o 862.3 MB of memory available
o Using default training data

Computation of Pi to 1,000,000 digits
Method used : Chudnovsky
Started : Sat Jan 26 17:42:24 2008

Series size : 70514 (1,000,004 digits)
Series processing time : 0.72
Final value time : 0.14

Total time : 0.86 seconds
Total memory used : 12,285,829 (11.72 MB)

Processor utilization : 105.46%

10M @ 1.8GHz

o Intel(R) Core(TM)2 CPU 4300 @ 1.80GHz detected
o Processor speed measured at 1.80 GHz
o Single processor with dual cores
o 845.6 MB of memory available
o Using default training data

Computation of Pi to 10,000,000 digits
Method used : Chudnovsky
Started : Sat Jan 26 17:34:28 2008

Series size : 705137 (10,000,004 digits)
Series processing time : 19.03
Final value time : 2.28

Total time : 21.31 seconds
Total memory used : 123,686,131 (117.96 MB)

Processor utilization : 118.23%

10M @ 3.2GHz

o Intel(R) Core(TM)2 CPU 4300 @ 1.80GHz detected
o Processor speed measured at 3.20 GHz
o Single processor with dual cores
o 880.8 MB of memory available
o Using default training data

Computation of Pi to 10,000,000 digits
Method used : Chudnovsky
Started : Sat Jan 26 17:43:32 2008

Series size : 705137 (10,000,004 digits)
Series processing time : 11.89
Final value time : 1.65

Total time : 13.54 seconds
Total memory used : 123,686,131 (117.96 MB)

Processor utilization : 122.93%

This is just to give you an idea ;-)

Good luck!

I agree with the Webswonder and Clive Pierce. You would probably be much better served by saving up a little more and getting a better system.
But I think a good question would be, 'why do you feel you need a faster system'. Is there something that you cannot do with it now? The answer to that question would make a difference on wether your planned upgrade would help.

I considering buying a secondhand (but more powerful) machine along with the option of upgrading. Secondhand machines can be full of problems, my current machine is not. Secondhand machines can cost a LOT to ship - Do you know how much some of those machines weigh? - Which pushes the purchase price up higher. I'd do a local pick-up, but being confined to a wheelchair makes that much more difficult than it should be.

I stand by my original assessment that upgrading this machine was the proper course of action, given the alternatives and the state of my budget.

Now, aside from posters questioning my upgrade choices, can someone please point me to some freely available and reliable (as in reproducible across multiple runs) benchmarking software, please?

Also, any anecdotal figures you have for the variations in performance between my current and upgraded configurations would be appreciated.

aegis said:

I agree with the Webswonder and Clive Pierce. You would probably be much better served by saving up a little more and getting a better system.
But I think a good question would be, 'why do you feel you need a faster system'. Is there something that you cannot do with it now? The answer to that question would make a difference on wether your planned upgrade would help.

Currently, I use the system to surf the Internet, listen to music, run office software, and play games. Several of my games are either running slowly - "Star Trek: Bridge Commander" comes to mind - Or are refusing to run at all because I am just shy of meeting the system requirements, such as "Need For Speed: Underground".

I realize that these upgrades will not turn this machine into a screaming fireball. If however, they will allow me to milk an extra 6 months or year out of the system before running up against a resource barrier, then it's worth it, to me. In 6 months or a year, technology will have advanced further, and my savings will buy more computing power.

Open Box > Video Cards @ Newegg

Is your present CPU a Coppermine or Tualtin Core, that is why I queried wether the latter would fit, pin compatable does not mean it will work par-se, the latter has a lower Voltage requirement:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pentium_3

Webs - It is a Tualatin core. As far as I know, the only variable left is whether the BIOS will accept the 512KB of cache.

SweetBearCub

Is this anyuse?

http://www.passmark.com/products/pt...

Before posting try google. Backup. Use anti virus software.

He's gonna do it anyway regardless of the advice given, so just humor him.