Re: Hardware upgrades
- From: "Ken Blake, MVP" <kblake@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Mon, 18 Dec 2006 09:08:03 -0700
KK wrote:
Thanks,
I have no problem running business or photo graphics software.
The underlying reason for improving my hardware is to run the latest
MS flight simulator (Flight Sim X). I am advised by its user group
that it needs a very high spec pc.
Most programs that need "a very high spec pc" don't necessarly need higher
specs for all hardware components. Some may be very demanding of the video
subsytem, others may need a lot of RAM, etc. I don't know anything about
this particular program and what it needs, but if I were in your shoes, the
first thing I would do before upgrading *anything* is to run the program and
see how it does on the hardware you already have.
*If* you are unhappy with its performance (and you may not be) then look
into where your performance issues are and find out *what* you need to
upgrade. I would then make upgrades one at a time and see if that made the
performance acceptable before adding another upgrade. Don't just blindly
upgrade everything.
Thanks again
You're welcome. Glad to help.
--
Ken Blake - Microsoft MVP Windows: Shell/User
Please reply to the newsgroup
"Ken Blake, MVP" <kblake@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote in message
news:uujkEXgIHHA.3424@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
KK wrote:
I have a Compaq Presario about 3 yrs old, Pentium 4 (2.5 Ghz), 512Mb
DDR, 80Gb hard disk, and 'Integrated Graphics, up to 64 Mb shared
video memory'.
I'm thinking of upgrading the hardware.
Why? Are you unhappy with the computer's performance? Has the poor
performance always been there or is it something new? If the latter,
it is very likely attributable to something other than hardware, and
upgrading may not help you at all.
I assume I can install a
faster processor
Maybe, maybe not. It depends on what your motherboard can support.
& more RAM.
Again, maybe or maybe not; it too depends on what you motherboard can
support.
Over and above that, what makes you thing more RAM will improve
anything? You often see advice telling you the more RAM the better,
but that is *not* accurate.
The issue is with the page file. If you don't have enough RAM, the
operating system will use the page file to supplement your RAM, and
the page file exists on your harddrive. Reading and wring from the
page file on the hard drive is a mechanical process, unlike the
electronic one of reading and writing to RAM, and is many times
slower. So if you don't have enough RAM to keep you from using the
page file, the extra hard drive access slows the system down. If you
are in that situation, more RAM will improve performance.
But do not assume you are in that situation. In fact, with 512MB,
most people will *not* be in that situation. Most people running a
typical range of business applications find that somewhere around
256-384MB works well, others need 512MB. Almost anyone will see poor
performance with less than 256MB. Some people, particularly those
doing things like editing large photographic images, can see a
performance boost by adding even more than 512MB--sometimes much
more. If you are currently using the page file significantly, more memory
will decrease or eliminate that usage, and improve your performance.
If you are not using the page file significantly, more memory will
do nothing for you. Go to
http://billsway.com/notes%5Fpublic/winxp%5Ftweaks/ and download
WinXP-2K_Pagefile.zip and monitor your pagefile usage. That should
give you a good idea of whether more memory can help, and if so, how
much more.
I don't need a bigger disk.
But what is meant by 'Integrated Graphics, up to 64 Mb shared video
memory',
It means that you don't have a separate video card, but that your
motherboard has video-card-like circuitry built into it. It also
means that, since you don't have a separate video card, there is no
separate video memory, and 64MB of your 512MB is "stolen" for that
purpose, So effectively, you don't have 512MB of RAM, but only 448MB. But
even
448MB is enough for most people who don't run especially demanding
apps.
and can this be upgraded ?
Not directly, but you can buy a separate video card, install it and
disable the motherboard video support. But again, do not assume that
doing this will make any perceptible performance improvement.
Unless you run demanding graphic apps (many games fall into this
category), it probably will not.
Not all upgrades result in real performance improvements, and in many
cases are just wastes of money. You can take the stock engine out of
your Ford and replace it it with some souped-up racing engine, but
it won't make a bit of difference if all you do is drive it on a
road where you can never go faster than 60 MPH.
For more advice, tell us more about what performance problems you are
experiencing, and how long you've had them. Also tell us what apps
you run.
--
Ken Blake - Microsoft MVP Windows: Shell/User
Please reply to the newsgroup
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- References:
- Hardware upgrades
- From: KK
- Re: Hardware upgrades
- From: Ken Blake, MVP
- Re: Hardware upgrades
- From: KK
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