Is this a real upgrade?

doctorhifi@hotma · 07-31-2007, 11:14 PM

Noob question.
My boss has given me an allowance towards a computer upgrade which is the only reason I'm thinking of doing it. Use it or lose it. This will still cost me some $$ out of my pocket so staying with what I have is definately an option. Otherwise it'd probably be a no brainer.

I don't do gaming. I use Pinnacle Studio 9 to create some videos occasionally and dump them to DVD. I do normal word processing stuff: Word, Excel, etc.
I occasionally use Photoshop CS and Illustrator and of course surf the web. I backup my digital camera photos and infrequently modify them.
I use Nero for various DVD/CD projects from time to time.

I currently have a Dell Dimension 4600 I bought around 2004:
2.8GHz Pentium 4
1536 Mb RAM
NVidia GeForce FX5500 256 Mb
Creative SoundBlaster Live! 5.1
80 Gb & 40Gb hard drives
DVD -ROM and CD/DVD burner with light scribe.
Windows XP SP2

I'm eyeing a new Dell Inspiron 531:
Athlon dual core 64 x 2 5600+ (2.8 GHz, 1Mx2)
2GB DDR2 SDRAM at 667MHz
NVidia GeForce 8600GT-DDR3, 256MB
Integrated audio
320Gb hard drive
DVD-Rom (I'll add the lightscribe DVD from my other machine)
Vista Home Premium

My questions:
-Is this a real upgrade? I mean on paper it looks like its twice the PC in some ways but will I really notice a difference?
-what kind of improvements will I see using the application I use?
-Moving from XP to Vista makes me nervous only because I don't trust Vista yet and I've been doing fine with XP. Any software issues I'm going to run into when I reinstall my apps on the new PC
-Anything pitfalls I should avoid?
-I am limited to buying a Dell (don't ask why, just accept that I won't be building my own to save some $$)

Thanks in advance and sorry if these are stupid questions. I'm a noobie so go easy on me.

ThatGuy16 · 07-31-2007, 11:22 PM

Yeah, that will be a pretty good upgrade. I dont think you would have any compatibility issues with vista, 95% of the apps that run on XP will on vista. You would be able to do a whole lot more multitasking with little to no lag, depends on how intense the programs are you use.

Kornowski · 08-01-2007, 01:00 AM

Yeah, that's a damn good upgrade! If it doesn't cost you that much, then, YEAH! Go for it, it'll be great!

Risingtide93 · 08-01-2007, 02:06 AM

Heck, are you going to throw that old computer away though?

Anyway, yeah that is a decent upgrade. Even enough to notice the difference probably.

lhoney2 · 08-01-2007, 10:12 AM

Quote:

-Is this a real upgrade? I mean on paper it looks like its twice the PC in some ways but will I really notice a difference?

It will probably feel like 10 times the computer. I recently made a similar leap with my PC and it was really awesome to use the new machine. Enjoy!

07-31-2007, 11:14 PM	#1 (permalink)
doctorhifi@hotma New Member Join Date: Jul 2007 Posts: 1	Is this a real upgrade? Noob question. My boss has given me an allowance towards a computer upgrade which is the only reason I'm thinking of doing it. Use it or lose it. This will still cost me some $$ out of my pocket so staying with what I have is definately an option. Otherwise it'd probably be a no brainer. I don't do gaming. I use Pinnacle Studio 9 to create some videos occasionally and dump them to DVD. I do normal word processing stuff: Word, Excel, etc. I occasionally use Photoshop CS and Illustrator and of course surf the web. I backup my digital camera photos and infrequently modify them. I use Nero for various DVD/CD projects from time to time. I currently have a Dell Dimension 4600 I bought around 2004: 2.8GHz Pentium 4 1536 Mb RAM NVidia GeForce FX5500 256 Mb Creative SoundBlaster Live! 5.1 80 Gb & 40Gb hard drives DVD -ROM and CD/DVD burner with light scribe. Windows XP SP2 I'm eyeing a new Dell Inspiron 531: Athlon dual core 64 x 2 5600+ (2.8 GHz, 1Mx2) 2GB DDR2 SDRAM at 667MHz NVidia GeForce 8600GT-DDR3, 256MB Integrated audio 320Gb hard drive DVD-Rom (I'll add the lightscribe DVD from my other machine) Vista Home Premium My questions: -Is this a real upgrade? I mean on paper it looks like its twice the PC in some ways but will I really notice a difference? -what kind of improvements will I see using the application I use? -Moving from XP to Vista makes me nervous only because I don't trust Vista yet and I've been doing fine with XP. Any software issues I'm going to run into when I reinstall my apps on the new PC -Anything pitfalls I should avoid? -I am limited to buying a Dell (don't ask why, just accept that I won't be building my own to save some $$) Thanks in advance and sorry if these are stupid questions. I'm a noobie so go easy on me.

07-31-2007, 11:22 PM	#2 (permalink)
ThatGuy16 Diamond Member Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: USA Posts: 5,282	Yeah, that will be a pretty good upgrade. I dont think you would have any compatibility issues with vista, 95% of the apps that run on XP will on vista. You would be able to do a whole lot more multitasking with little to no lag, depends on how intense the programs are you use. __________________ CPU: C2D E8400 @ 4Ghz 1.24v HSF: Apogee GTX MB: Gigabyte X38-DS4 Ram: 2x2GB G. Skill DDR2-1068 HDD: 320GB Seagate PSU: OCZ GameXStream 700w OS: Vista Home Premium 64bit GFX: 2x HD4850 Crossfire LCD: LG 22" L226WTQ 3DMark06: 20826

08-01-2007, 01:00 AM	#3 (permalink)
Kornowski VIP - Graphics Guru Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Liverpool, UK Age: 18 Posts: 12,634	Yeah, that's a damn good upgrade! If it doesn't cost you that much, then, YEAH! Go for it, it'll be great! __________________ Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600 EVGA 750i SLI FTW 4GB Crucial Ballistix @ 800MHz PNY 8800GTS G92 @ 800/2000/1000 Corsair HX520W Windows Vista Home Premium Seagate Barracuda 500GB 7200.11 SATA II Tuniq Tower LED OCZ XTC RAM Cooler Antec 900 (Modded)

08-01-2007, 02:06 AM	#4 (permalink)
Risingtide93 Silver Member Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Anywhere cozy. US. Posts: 161	Heck, are you going to throw that old computer away though? Anyway, yeah that is a decent upgrade. Even enough to notice the difference probably. __________________ Case: NZXT Zero with 120mm(x7) 80mm(x1) PSU: Xion PowerReal 600W with Blue LED CPU: Intel Core2Duo E6320 @ 2.7Ghz Cooling: Arctic Freezer 7 Pro with Arctic Silver 5 Applied RAM: 2GB Corsair XMS2 4-4-4-12 @ 810Mhz Mobo: Asus P5N-E SLI GPU: XFX 7600GT XXX @ 650Mhz Core, 1.6Ghz RAM HD: Seagate 250GB 7,500RPM 16mb Cache http://i158.photobucket.com/albums/t.../_IMG_0819.jpg http://i158.photobucket.com/albums/t.../_IMG_0817.jpg

Thread Tools
Show Printable Version Email this Page
Display Modes
Linear Mode Switch to Hybrid Mode Switch to Threaded Mode

Similar Threads
Thread	Thread Starter	Forum	Replies	Last Post
Cooler Master Extends Real Power PSU Warranty to Five Years	The_Beast	Computer Cases, Power Supplies and Cooling	1	08-02-2007 08:42 AM
Windows Vista Ultimate Upgrade Noob Question	Chenggyboy	Desktop Computers	5	07-28-2007 01:39 PM
To upgrade or not to Upgrade... That is the question (939 socket CPU)	Clandestine	CPUs and Overclocking	1	07-12-2007 11:32 PM
What to upgrade first? HP	1579518	Desktop Computers	10	06-10-2007 03:41 AM
Alrighty, is it worth the upgrade.	TheJcode	Motherboards	4	06-03-2005 05:02 AM