SonnieP
Yes, I agree that you should upgrade your ram to at least 1 Gig. You won't regret It. Just be carefull though with compatability Issues. The Dell 9300 ram Is compatabile with "PC2-4200 DDR2 SODIMM" memory modules. You may want to quote this upon purchase. Also, enquire as to the make and warranty of your ram purchase. As for the comparison between the benchmarking programs, I have yet to experience XP Bench, as different programs denote different outcomes In terms of performance ratings. Just to give you an Insight Sonnie, with 3D mark 2003, benchmarking my 9300 with the aforementioned configurations, I'd expect an overall rating of around 7000+.
I have yet to test It as such. The best way to benchmark your system Is to have as few programs running as possible. Even programs that start during boot-up, disable them by typing "msconfig" (without the quotation marks) in the run command and uncheck the "load start up Items" box. Once benchmarked, you can then enable your start-up programs again. Disable your Internet connection for the Interim and any other applications you have running In the background. Basically, what you're after Is a "true" performance rating without anything dragging your system down. Once I bencmark my 9300 with 3D Mark 2003 (Either today or tomorrow) I will post you the results......Good luck with your's Sonnie.....