Looking to upgrade my old rig (purchased in 2005)

[J_landry]

so, here's what my system looks like, keep in mind I have VERY LIMITED FUNDS for my upgrade.

Basic Dell XPS 400

Memory: 1GB Ram (non-integrated)
CPU: Intel Pentium 4 3.2Ghz Hyper-threading
Video: 256 Mb Nvidia GeForce 6800
Hard Drive (the only thing I've actually upgraded): 500 Gb capacity

tell me if there's anything else I should post about my rig

 

[subtle_turtle]

Well, from what I can find, you do have a PCI-E x16 slot, which makes that part easy. Best bang for your buck is going to be a new Graphics Card. I saw a post somewhere in the forums about a 8800GT 256 for $69.99 at newegg.com. That would be a HUGE step up from that 6800. One possible problem with this is that the cheap PSU that Dell puts in their comps may or may not provide enough juice for it, so if you do get a better GPU, I would upgrade the PSU too!
I also see that your motherboard can support up to 4gb of RAM. I wouldn't bother going up to 4gb (unless you have a 64 bit OS, but a couple sticks of 1gb DDR2 would help (your Mobo won't do DDR3, unfortunately). Go up to at least 2gb, though. That will help.
The last and most unsolvable problem is that Pentium 4 processor. Looking around, it looks like your 945G chipset will work with Core 2 Duo processors, but I don't know enough about intel processors to know what to recommend.

 

[bakerthree]

can you give an idea of how much you are looking to spend.
the only thing better than spending your own money is spending someone else money lol.

 

[trykael]

you may find that upgrading this machine is just tossing money into a black hole. while adding some RAM and a new video card will help temporarily, really this machine is too old and outdated to consider tossing too much money into. one of your biggest problems is going to be your power supply. as you upgrade to a new video card, etc, you're going to probable need to get a new power supply to handle everything. Most dell's (until the last 6 months or so) use proprietary power supplies, so you'll have to purchase one from them (at a pretty high price) or find a knockoff online somewhere.

to be honest, your most cost-efficient option is going to be to save your money and either purchase or build a new machine in the next 6 months to a year.

if, however, you really want to keep this machine, i would suggest upgrading your RAM first, and then your video card. RAM is ridiculously cheap right now, and 1 gig just isn't enough to run much of anything smoothly. Double your RAM to two gigs, and then consider upgrading your video card after that.

 

[Macaroni]

so, here's what my system looks like, keep in mind I have VERY LIMITED FUNDS for my upgrade.

Basic Dell XPS 400

Memory: 1GB Ram (non-integrated)
CPU: Intel Pentium 4 3.2Ghz Hyper-threading
Video: 256 Mb Nvidia GeForce 6800
Hard Drive (the only thing I've actually upgraded): 500 Gb capacity

tell me if there's anything else I should post about my rig

Did you use the words Dell and Upgrade in the same post???
Dell parts cost anywhere from 1.5-3 times as much as you can get them for on Newegg. You can build a really good gaming rig for under $500 now.
I would love to help you, but how limited are your funds?

 

[J_landry]

Well, i think after reading your posts I'll just tough out my old XPS until I can find a job, then work on getting a new rig. Thanks for your input, it's very highly appreciated