What to upgrade?

D

deerslayer1985

New Member
Hello all! I'm new here. Just wanted some of your opinions. I have a Compaq Presario Media Center SR2011WM. It still works really good. I have always did the updates, and cleaned, and defragged the computer. It isn't a power computer anymore, but it will still allow me to browse the internet flawlessly.....I have a new high end laptop I bought, but was wanting to upgrade my desktop so it will be good for a few more years. Kinda like buying an old car and fixing everything to make a good daily driver....lol I didn't know what you guys would recommend to do to it. Maybe more ram? Could someone point me in the right direction of what would be best. I didn't know if the processor is changeable in this or not? Or the video card. Here is a link with the specs of my desktop. Any tips or tricks to get the top performance out of this computer would be great. Thanks

http://h10025.www1.hp.com/ewfrf/wc/...74&lc=en&dlc=en&cc=us&product=3292424&lang=en
 
how tough is it to put a processor in it? I have heard some are a pain, but never actually messed with them myself. Also is some ram better than others? or will only one kind work in my computer?
 
I've done some research and it looks pretty easy to change the processor......Will going from a celeron single core to a pentium dual core gain a lot of performance? I was thinking of doing that, and putting the matched pair of 1 gb ram in it.....Will I notice an improvement with that? It will only be like 20 dollars total......lol
 
I would recommend just putting in some old 2 GB ram, that would make it better, and also install a video card, both are super easy to install
 
I am definitely getting two 1 gb sticks of ram.....I am more than likely going to upgrade the processor also....Why not for less than 10 bucks...... I was thinking of a video card upgrade also, but not sure which ones are compatible with my computer, and would I need a power supply upgrade with a new video card....? So If I did a new upgraded power supply, upgrade the video card, upgrade the ram, and a dual core processor......I should see a noticeable difference shouldn't I? Any reccomendations on video card for my computer, and a power supply?
 
Grab a Corsair CX 430M and a cheap PCI Express video card. Maybe a Radeon R7 240/250 or perhaps a GeForce GT 730/740 or something like that.

Personally I wouldn't bother upgrading a machine this old especially when you say have a nice laptop to hand but it's your money.
 
Well, I get what your saying, but its mainly for my daughter, and wife to browse the internet, and do school work on.....Just trying to make a bit more stable, and peppy for cheap.....Instead of spending $500 plus on a new desktop.....They use our laptop for playing games and stuff like that.....
 
Alright fair enough. Get a cheapo PCI Express graphics card and the Corsair CX 430M along with your RAM and CPU and call it done. :good:
 
Yeah, definitely upgrade the RAM that will make a huge difference. If any gaming is done, then a GTX750Ti is the best for your machine.

But if it were mine, id upgrade to Windows 7 if possible (fresh install) and add as much RAM you can to the motherboard. That would massively increase the 'peppiness'.
 
Ok found something out today.....My computer has been changed from 512 mb to a 1 gb stick of memory.....I pulled it out earlier to look at it, and see what it was. I was going to see if I could just get another stick of ram the same as the one that is in it....It is kingston kvr667d2/1gr.......It shows the specs that it is 667 mhz.....The mtherboard specs I linked on the first page show that my motherboard is only capabale of 400 or 533 mhz.......Here is a link to the ram I have in it, and the motherboard specs......Should I get what they recommend for the motherboard.....or just buy another stick of the same I have...? Thanks for any help.

Here is what I have in the computer................http://www.officedepot.com/a/products/453305/Kingston-KVR667D21GR-DDR2-Memory-Upgrade-For/


Here is the motherboard specs....................http://h10025.www1.hp.com/ewfrf/wc/...c=en&product=3292424&tmp_track_link=ot_search
 
667 mhz will work. If you already have a stick of 1gb 667mhz in there then just get another one.
 
Thanks for all the help guys. Another quick question to make sure the video I watched about installing the processor was correct.......I don't have to do anything special.....Just shut it down. Unplug it. get rid of the static.......Then pull old one out, and put new one in. Put the heat grease on it, and put everything back on. Plug in, and boot up......I got processor, and ram for 10 bucks! lol Will any video card be an upgrade for me? Since I have integrated graphics?
 
Pretty much any GPU will be an upgrade. GT 730/740 would be ideal for non-gaming use - or Radeon R7 240/250.

You may need to reactivate Windows because you changed the CPU. If you're using XP I'd advise upgrading to 7 or 8.
 
Ok, guys I have a problem.....I ordered a stick of kingston 1 gb ram that matches my other stick of it.....I put them both in, and the computer monitor won't come on.......I take that stick out, and put the 512 mb back in its place, and it turns on....? So with a 512 mb original, and a 1 gb stick the monitor comes on, but with 2 1 gb sticks the monitor wont turn on....? Any ideas?
 
Does it come on with just the new stick installed? If not, you have a bad stick of memory.
 
Ok, weird stuff going on.......I had the original 512 mb in the first slot, and the 1 gb kingston in the second slot......Everything worked fine since I have had the computer. So I bought a 1 gb stick of kingston that has the same numbers on the stick I already had. I took the 512 mb stick out, and put the new stick in. The computer turns on, but monitor will not show anything....? I decided to switch the 1 gb stick in different slots. I did, and it turned on, and the screen came on this time. The screen was all blurry though and had lines going side to side, and up and down. It let me go to the system setup screen, and I could see it said 2048 mb installed ram. I hit exit to go to the windows desktop, and it just sat there for a few minutes without doing anything, and then started rebooting up again, and then kept doing it over, and over......I pulled out my orginal stick of 1 gb, and put the 512mb back in with the new 1 gb I bought. It booted up fine, and It only shows I have 949 mb of installed ram....? Ths is suppose to be a 1 gb stick, and it showed 2048 with the other 1 gb stick in the setup menu....? I don't know what to try now.......
 
Sounds like you have a bad stick of ram. Download and create a memtest cd and boot to it and only test your new stick of ram, so remove all sticks except for your new one.

http://www.memtest86.com/downloads/memtest86-iso.zip

Download, unzip, use burning software that will work with iso images to write the image to a cd. Just don't copy the file to a cd as it won't work.
 
I can't get that thing you posted to work....It keeps bring up vlc player when I download it. I messed around switching the ram around a bit more......The new 1gb stick will work by itself in the first slot. If you use it with the 512mb stick it like cancels out the 512mb, because it doesn't show anymore memory....? It will show 959mb by itself, and 959mb with the 512mb stick in too. If you try to use it with the other 1gb stick it will not turn the monitor on....? I'm lost what to do.....? I can return the ram, but will another one just like it do the same thing? Should I just buy 2 new 1gb sticks that is recommended for my computer? Will any brand of ram work with my compaq presario sr2011wm?
 
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