Upgrading this Dinosaur of a computer.

[dachef26]

My first question is:

1. can you buy JUST towers or JUST computer (come complete with all the cards, hard drive, everything you need?

Next:

I don't know much about hardware of computers; however I did install my CD-RW drive on my own. Should I buy a new (what I want is) Athlon 1GHZ thunderbird, as well as a new harddrive? What's the best thing to do--I'm content with my moniter and soundsystem, but I would like a new tower if possible. I have an IBM aptiva AMD 350 mhz with 8G HD (not enough). The model # is 2153-e3u and serial Number is AF 1za5r. Please reply.

[big_block_buick]

seeings how you cant use much of your old pc.you might as well buy a completed tower.and sell your old one for as much as you can..i dont know if you would want to try the do it yourself approach,very expensive chip,board and ram,and unless you have a guru of some sort it could cost you..

[Ed_S]

First, this actually should be over in the general tech area. http://sysopt.earthweb.com/forum/wink.gif

You can buy one any way you want, really. From all separate parts to full system.

From what you've said you want, you'll need everything but the monitor and speakers, actually. I'd recommend transfering the CDRW as well. But that could be done later.

Almost any local shop would be willing to build whatever you want if you're not comfortable enough to do it yourself. Of course, if you DO choose to build it from scratch, lots of folks here would be happy to walk you through it! http://sysopt.earthweb.com/forum/smile.gif

[big_block_buick]

ed_s is right,doing it yourself will save you lots and this is the place to learn how to do it.

[GroundZero3]

you can buy barebones system look around at www.tigerdirect.com (http://www.tigerdirect.com) im not sure if they have one for the 1GHZ yet since no one really needs one and there still pretty expensive.

JaYsin

[Erap!]

If you're gonna spring for a 1 ghz t-bird, and the works, im assuming you do have the $ to so go ahead and buy a new everything and sell ur old system as a whole. I dont think it's justice to stick a 1 ghz CPU in an old casing. It's like sticking a porsche engine inside a taxi. http://sysopt.earthweb.com/forum/smile.gif

[Ygor]

I've seen too many horror stories about tiger direct. Maybe there's some good experiences, but 2 people calling themselves "tiger direct techs" really made a bad impression here a while back.(I would not let either within a mile of my computer!)

As was stated above, you can get almost any case and components you want if you build it yourself. You may be able to reuse your floppy as well as the cd-rw (and cd if you have another). These are among the least expensive parts.

It may seem scary to build a computer yourself, but the learning experience is great! You'll know what you have and how it's put together. You can learn to do your own troubleshooting and maintenance so you may never be at the mercy of tech support.

One thing about the Athlons is AMD has a list of approved power supplies for those. Some have used power supplies (usually comes with the case) not on that list, but if you have any problems, that's the first thing to look at. I'm just suggesting you use one of the approved supplies until you are more comfy with troubleshooting.

Please post back and I'm sure there will be lots of help available here!

Oh, and welcome to SysOpt! http://sysopt.earthweb.com/forum/smile.gif

[GroundZero3]

i had a good experinece except the time i called to ask some questions and i couldn't understand a **** word the guy was saying. another thing you can look at is www.pricewatch.com (http://www.pricewatch.com) and under systems click pc kits.

JaYsin

[dachef26]

Thanks for all the help. I talked to a friend and he is saying to just upgrade the 350 to an AMD 550--Then maybe I could OC it some...I'm not sure. Thanks for all the help.

[dachef26]

Thanks for all the help. I talked to a friend and he is saying to just upgrade the 350 to an AMD 550--Then maybe I could OC it some...I'm not sure. Thanks for all the help. You know i'll be back to find more answers..