Trying to upgrade my Compaq(probably pointlessly)

J

Jassie

New Member
So about a year ago my dad gave me an old Compaq Presario(front of it says SR1103WM). He didn't know if all of it was original and I'm personally incompetent with computers. So finding out what parts I need to get is a massive challenge for me.

A few things I plan on upgrading ASAP is my memory(currently only have 512MB of DDR. Just ordered a 1GB stick. Still not great apparently. But better than 512), my Video Card, and I need to get a new side panel thingy(whatever its called) for it.

The memory I just got figured out($30.00 for 1GB so if someone knows a site cheaper than Newegg for DDR PC2700 memory that would be great as well since I still have to upgrade again). I just need to know how I can find out where my video card is.

I tried Googling to see where it was at on a Compaq Presario SR1103WM but I got nothing. I'm not even sure if that is what I should be searching for. I think when I first got it I found that it may be attached to the motherboard? Which I wasn't sure was possible since I'm fairly certain that would make it harder to replace.

If someone could tell me how to find my video card and find out what type it is that would be amazing. After I find that out though I need to find a video card that is cheap but not outdated. My eventual goal is to get my computer to run Call of Duty 4. So I don't think it needs to really be a top of the line video card.

If anyone needs anymore info then please let me know. I may have to ask you how to get the required information.

I may also be able to get a couple pictures of the inside of the computer if needed.

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

And sorry if this is the wrong section. I looked at every section and I figured since I may need help with other things as well I would post it here.
 
Lack of funds are gonna be keeping me from getting a new computer for quite some time(probably a couple years). That just isn't an option.
 
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You really can't do anything with this system.

You can only get 2 x 512mb memory sticks as your max memory is only 1gb. You don't even have an agp slot for video, you would be limited to a pci graphics card. Again, this has a celeron processor and they were quite slow. So again, save money and get a better system and just use what you have for right now.
 
While what Johnb35 said is true, if you don't have the money, you have to be inventive and see if the effort is worthwhile. Bear in mind you can get a refurbished PC of far better performance for $250.

The items that really need to be changed are the memory, hard drive and graphics card.
Memory - already addressed by Johnb35 and is a must. Ensure the memory upgrade works OK before spending any more money.
Graphics card - your main problem here is power consumption. You would need to get hold of an old fanless PCI graphics card with at least 64MB memory - about $35 refurbished (TigerDirect)
Hard drive - Needs to be larger and faster 7200rpm IDE $50-90 new

The graphics card and hard drive you could try and get second-hand. Not much demand for those these days so you may find something locally. There have to be loads going into your local recycling depot. See if they or a local PC repair store sell them. The upgrades will make the PC a lot more usable for ordinary tasks.
 
There is actually a recycling plant about 10 minutes away from me that I know gets a lot of computers and such thrown into it. I'm just not entirely sure what I would be looking for since I don't even know what a graphics card looks like. When I said I'm incompetent I meant it. No clue what the other stuff looks like either.

And I also don't know if the hard drive and processor are original. I don't know where my dad got it from. So there may be a slight chance that the owner before him may have changed a couple things.

Is there any way to check without actually taking anything apart?
 
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I suppose true incompetence may make the refurbish an uphill battle! You could find out the current details fairly easily. For basic system info (without taking the side off the PC) I use System Spec which requires no installation. Download and run.

Memory installed listed in "Memory (RAM)"
The graphics will be listed in "Graphics Adapter"
The hard drive size will be in "Hard Disks"

The presence of a graphics card should be fairly obvious. Onboard connections are generally on the left side of the back where the motherboard is. If the monitor plugs into a card that runs right across the back, you have a graphics card. Otherwise, onboard.

The problem you may encounter with the memory is that some motherboards are fussy about what is installed. You may need an exact match to the installed memory. That may necessitate removing the existing memory and replacing with two new sticks. It's probably worth taking a $30 gamble and buying one new stick and see if that works. If it does not then you have to decide whether to risk another $30 or scrap the project. It's not going to run very well on 512MB of memory although if you can get a graphics card and hard drive really cheap you can try it and see.

Other issues I can think of:
XP support by MS runs out in a few years
You will probably have a lot of Windows updates to install
You will only be able to update IE to IE8. Not a big deal if you only use for Win updates.
 
Hello Jassie,

The members of this Forum has already provided you with excellent feedback. I just want to confirm that this desktop was introduced by HP in 2004 and reached its end of life in 2007. You may want to consider the total cost of getting the recommended components. Will they total $299? One member indicated you could get a good refurbished computer for $250. You can also get a new HP desktop beginning at $299.

https://salescenter.shopping.hp.com...ng=desktops&a1=Category&v1=Everyday computing

Let me know if I can assist further.

Regards,

Priscilla,
HP Social Media Ambassador

The views expressed in my contributions are my own and do not necessarily reflect the views and strategy of HP.
 
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