Help on keeping a old system going a little longer

[humble]

I wouldnt put 50 cents into an AMD dual core

I'm not entirely sure I agree with that type of generalization. While there is no question that $ for $ Intel has ruled the roost for quite awhile now AMD is making a solid inroad into the lower end of the market. I'm still digesting what I'm reading at Toms and other places but my very limited 1st hand experience isn't bad. If we look at the various CPU scores at Toms AMD has a number of CPUs that equal or outperform more expensive Intel offerings...in effect you either get an intel i7-920 or you step down to AMD. Totally senseless IMO to buy anything less in intel although you can make an argument for the 8400-8600.

However if you look at the numbers an overclocked X3 710/720 can generate I'm not sure that holds up anymore. The 550 I grabbed for my wife is far behind the slightly more expensive 720 and can run AH at default hi res reasonably well with onboard ATI 3300 GPU. So for a guy (or gal) on a budget the ability to get CPU/MB/Mem/GPU for the price of an intel CPU of roughly equal performance is a potentially compelling argument.

I easily unlocked all 4 cores of my 550 (unstable under win7 however) so it should benchmark (using toms recent article as a guide) to roughly a 940/955 chip. For broad based use I think thats a very competitive CPU for roughly $100.

[TilDeath]

It was a local store called Mike's Computer Shop. The owner was appearently trying to make fun of "Mikes hard lemonade" and he failed on that score. His real name was Douglas John, and said everyone called him DJ.

Got a location for this place or a phone number.  He maybe the only one in the US doing any type of soldering a board other then capacitors

[Nemisis]

phone number, just stared. As for adress, I will have to check. He is just starting out and might not make it. I will get back to you. I just went in and asked if he could and he said yes. So I brought my machine in and when I got it back, it ran great...for how old it was. It is like 9yrs old. He only charged my 50$ including the new chip if that is what he did. As I said, he may have done something different.

[Motherland]

phone number, just stared. As for adress, I will have to check. He is just starting out and might not make it. I will get back to you. I just went in and asked if he could and he said yes. So I brought my machine in and when I got it back, it ran great...for how old it was. It is like 9yrs old. He only charged my 50$ including the new chip if that is what he did. As I said, he may have done something different.

So, basically what you're saying is, you have no clue what he did, but you're telling everyone he changed the integrated graphics chip, even though you have basically no clue what it is nor how difficult that would be to do?

[Fulmar]

So, basically what you're saying is, you have no clue what he did, but you're telling everyone he changed the integrated graphics chip, even though you have basically no clue what it is nor how difficult that would be to do?

Sound about right.  I'm sure mechanics love him.

[Nemisis]

So, basically what you're saying is, you have no clue what he did, but you're telling everyone he changed the integrated graphics chip, even though you have basically no clue what it is nor how difficult that would be to do?

No, what I am saying is I asked him if he could swap out the chip for a better one and once he worked on it, it runs better. So either he swapped out the chip or did something to make the old one run better. All i know is that the a cover on the bottom of my machine is now dark grey instead of black. It's hard to argue with results though.

[RipChord929]

Holy smokes Nemesis!!!   You're diggin a latrine, but worse than that, you are making the double mistake of standing in it, waitin for the "Fallout"!!!

Last year I asked for some advice on a new game machine, they definately gave me the good info...
My game machine kicks ass!!!  My wifes new laptop Kicks too!!!  Last yr, I didn't know doodly squat!!!
I still don't know alot, but MUCH more than before!!!

I've learned alot  about PC's from the guys on here!!   You should read more, and ask a few questions.. You'll pick up some good info too... But, whatever ya do, stop diggin !!!!

RC

[Nemisis]

But I wana reach china. One of my dollars could by one of those alienware computers over there.

[guncrasher]

back in the mid 90's,  I was traveling in mexico when my truck started to overheat.   I made it to the nearest town,  and they referred me to the local mechanic  I had to wail till he came back from working on the fields.  anyway he looked at the truck told me that one of the sensors was bad and needed to get fixed.  there's no such thing as replaced when the nearest auto store is 3 or 4 hrs away.  anyway I sat there drinking a beer while he removed the part, cracked it open almost literally and worked on it, cleaned this added that, soldered this with what I will always swear was a nail.  anyway  when he finished it looked nothing like the original part but he installed it on my truck and it didnt overheat no more.  I sold the truck a couple of years later but that part or whatever he created never got replaced.  when I tell mechanics that sensors can be fixed fixed they always laugh tell me the same thing u guys say.  costs too much, no equipment, or whatever excuse you can thing of.  I am not trying to criticize you guys, but there's a few people out there that will fix things that others cant, or say that it cant be done.  so if nemesis says somebody replaced the part on his puter maybe it did happen.

semp

[humble]

I know for a fact that it can be done with significantly less problem then many think since I know people who modify or scratch build circuitry boards. No different then thousands of people write or modify drivers all the time. Building system and building a component are 2 different things. 25+ years ago I bowled with a fellow who worked for rocketdyne in LA, he was a senior lathe operator whose primary assignment was in hand tooling parts for the space shuttle program. There were parts with such specific tolerances that the computer controlled machines couldnt produce them within spec...but he could.

[gyrene81]

No, what I am saying is I asked him if he could swap out the chip for a better one and once he worked on it, it runs better. So either he swapped out the chip or did something to make the old one run better. All i know is that the a cover on the bottom of my machine is now dark grey instead of black. It's hard to argue with results though.

Nemesis, for the record (17 yrs computer tech)...the guy did not replace the video chip on your motherboard...he replaced the entire motherboard, and if he told you that he did replace the chip, he lied to you. Integrated video chips and sound chips can be replaced but it is neither easy in any sense...there is a distinct reason they are soldered to the motherboard and it's not so they can be replaced. The risks are greater than the benefits too...it's very easy to blow the entire motherboard when replacing an onboard chip...especially if you're talking about upgrading the chips...mismatched pins...wrong voltage...improper bus frequency...etc... Not only that, there is no way for anyone but a motherboard manufacturer to buy individual onboard chips unless you're buying used motherboards and removing the chips...which is a major waste of time and money considering the fact that all onboard video chips stink when it comes to gaming.

I know for a fact that it can be done with significantly less problem then many think since I know people who modify or scratch build circuitry boards. No different then thousands of people write or modify drivers all the time. Building system and building a component are 2 different things. 25+ years ago I bowled with a fellow who worked for rocketdyne in LA, he was a senior lathe operator whose primary assignment was in hand tooling parts for the space shuttle program. There were parts with such specific tolerances that the computer controlled machines couldnt produce them within spec...but he could.

Humble, there is a huge difference between building or modding "circuit boards" and replacing an integrated chip on a pc motherboard...I've done both. Few circuit boards are multi-layered/multi-frequency/multi-microprocessor. You're not just going to put a soldering iron to it and hope the Walmart solder you bought is the right kind unless you're just building or fixing your grampa's old ham radio.

As far as the machining ability of your bowling buddy...25 years ago it wasn't that difficult to beat the old computerized machining systems. Any man worth his weight in salt back then took a lot of pride in being able to out perform a computerized system...and job security depended on it.

[gyrene81]

As for Jag34's original question...you have a decent system right now, if you want to keep it running, a simple upgrade of that video card would suffice.

For optimal performance I would start with a complete reload of a barebones Windows install...that will ensure you don't have a bloated registry full of old information, and when your totally done, the drivers will be single instance fresh installs (takes the guess work out of technical issues).

If your AGP slot is 8x then when you buy a new video card, go big... http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102730...only a few dollars more than that low end card you were looking at and better specs.


Putting a laptop cpu on a desktop mobo can be done...but there is a lot that can go wrong...biggest issue is cpu voltage...as long as the laptop cpu voltage, socket type, and cpu heatsink/cooler fit...then it will work. You might want to research your motherboard specs before attempting.

[humble]

I'm not talking about the guy in the garage. I'm talking about the guys capable of both hardware bypass hacking and code manipulation and recompiling. There is actually a pretty big subset out there. I lived in Phoenix until recently in a community with a lot of upper end techies from both motorola and intel. Over a dozen were running "customized" rigs for fun. All these guys got 1 free system a year seperate from whatever work required they tinker with. Far beyond my understanding and no question they had knowledge and equipment beyond the norm. I've got minimal interest in the topic and for them it was just ubbergeek fun....but its a pretty big community overall....probably as big as the hard core OC commmunity. "We" are limited by the hardware options were given, these guys will envision and then create what they want/need (basically recreating what they do for work). As an example one of the intel guys has his Fridge and pantry hooked up to his net. All food products get one of those little tracking tags so he knows everything in the house and the system maintians a running shopping list. In additions he has a huge collection of recipes and they match against whats in the house. So he can see what he can prepare with whats on hand or what he needs for a specific recipe....he's had this for about 3 yrs btw...

[batch]

sounds like what he's had for 3 years is too much time on his hands

[gyrene81]

I'm not talking about the guy in the garage. I'm talking about the guys capable of both hardware bypass hacking and code manipulation and recompiling. There is actually a pretty big subset out there. I lived in Phoenix until recently in a community with a lot of upper end techies from both motorola and intel. Over a dozen were running "customized" rigs for fun. All these guys got 1 free system a year seperate from whatever work required they tinker with. Far beyond my understanding and no question they had knowledge and equipment beyond the norm. I've got minimal interest in the topic and for them it was just ubbergeek fun....but its a pretty big community overall....probably as big as the hard core OC commmunity. "We" are limited by the hardware options were given, these guys will envision and then create what they want/need (basically recreating what they do for work). As an example one of the intel guys has his Fridge and pantry hooked up to his net. All food products get one of those little tracking tags so he knows everything in the house and the system maintians a running shopping list. In additions he has a huge collection of recipes and they match against whats in the house. So he can see what he can prepare with whats on hand or what he needs for a specific recipe....he's had this for about 3 yrs btw...

Well geezuz Humble...you're talking the MIT grads who ain't running their own little computer repair shop down the street, nor are they wasting their time with overclocking rigs for gaming. Those guys have patents on a lot of what we take for granted...and the equipment to do stuff like micro surgery on processors. Stuff that neither Best Buy, Computer Rennaisance or any other run of the mill computer shop isn't going to have the knowledge or access to.