The Computer Megathread

[KoopaScooper]

This actually happened to me once; my dad brought me some junk computers, two of which looked salvageable. One of them had the exact same symptoms as yours, and the other one seemed to work just fine. Later I found out that the latter had a wonky motherboard; the voltages were off, and floating-point operations would give math errors, plus it only had two memory slots.
I pulled out the other computer, which I thankfully had put aside instead of tossing, and it worked just fine once I swapped out the power supply (don't know why exactly I thought that components with the word 'eco' written on them would be even remotely functional lol). A good idea, since it had a much better motherboard.

Yeah, I keep around older computers too just in case I get one that requires older parts. I figured it was the board had issues as soon as I got it since it had a CNR slot, meaning it would have been issues from old age. The board (and likely entire computer) is from 11 years ago, and there was seriously no dust on the board or in the case when I got it. With the new power supply, it boots into XP and can run all of my programs perfectly fine. The GPU is a bit slow, which is expected for an integrated graphics chip from 11 years ago, but it's perfectly bearable when the resolution is 1024x768x24 instead of 1280x1024x32.

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[SpreadsPlague]

300 watts I think
http://support.gateway.com/s/PC/DX4200/1015576R/1015576Rsp3.shtml
Theres all about the computer model I have

you'll need a new PSU before you even think about upgrading. after that you need a new CPU and GPU because yours are awful, and you could use a bit more RAM too. really you should just buy a new computer.

[BubbaGum]

you'll need a new PSU before you even think about upgrading. after that you need a new CPU and GPU because yours are awful, and you could use a bit more RAM too. really you should just buy a new computer.

My father denies that there is anything wrong with the computer and that a new graphics card will solve all the problems. He said that anyone that says otherwise doesn' know what they're talking about. He promised two months ago if I went to school and did alright, he would buy me a new computer. He then added that it could be any one that I wanted. He now denies that he ever said such a thing and refuses to buy a new computer. At this point I am not really sure what to do.

[¥ola]

My father denies that there is anything wrong with the computer and that a new graphics card will solve all the problems. He said that anyone that says otherwise doesn' know what they're talking about. He promised two months ago if I went to school and did alright, he would buy me a new computer. He then added that it could be any one that I wanted. He now denies that he ever said such a thing and refuses to buy a new computer. At this point I am not really sure what to do.

Well you need more than a GPU, obviously.

You need a CPU, to allow the GPU to operate at it's full potential.
You need a PSU, to give your GPU ample power.
You need RAM to help your CPU, which helps your GPU
You need a Motherboard to support it all.
You need a case/fans to allow this all to not overheat.

tl;dr If it was as simple as replacing a video card to have a amazing computer, we would all have amazing computers.
This is all coming from a person who WORKS in the field of this stuff, I know what I'm talking about

[BubbaGum]

I understand that but if you didnt read what I said I explained that my dad denies that the computer is bad and that a graphics card is all it needs. It probably wont work as well after the graphics card and he'll just say too bad thats all you get . I'm pretty upset

[KoopaScooper]

Provided you get a previous-gen card (like a Radeon HD 5000 series or Geforce 400 series) your computer shouldn't bottleneck as much as it would with a more recent card.

[¥ola]

I understand that but if you didnt read what I said I explained that my dad denies that the computer is bad and that a graphics card is all it needs. It probably wont work as well after the graphics card and he'll just say too bad thats all you get . I'm pretty upset

I wasn't directing that directly at you, more-so empowering you with the knowledge to let your father know, a GPU will not, in fact, fix any computers problems

[Maxwell23461]

why is windows 8 so fast :o

[¥ola]

Provided you get a previous-gen card (like a Radeon HD 5000 series or Geforce 400 series) your computer shouldn't bottleneck as much as it would with a more recent card.

Most, to all, prebuilt computers will be built with a power supply to only power the current parts, usually almost to the exact mark.
In my prebuilt tower I had two years ago it had only a 350 W power supply it in, which leaves literally no room for a single improvement other than sticks of RAM

why is windows 8 so fast :o

It's not too much faster than Windows 7, actually.

[Maxwell23461]

I've noticed a big speed boost today when trying tit out on a 1gb PC

[BubbaGum]

I wasn't directing that directly at you, more-so empowering you with the knowledge to let your father know, a GPU will not, in fact, fix any computers problems

That's exactly what I told him; He told me I dont know what I'm talking about.

[KoopaScooper]

Most, to all, prebuilt computers will be built with a power supply to only power the current parts, usually almost to the exact mark.

No stuff? I never implied that she wouldn't need to replace the power supply.

[¥ola]

No stuff? I never implied that she wouldn't need to replace the power supply.

How are you going to get a PSU for a new card when your dad only allows getting a GPU?

Good job.

[SPooK]

finding the perfect mouse for me is a hopeless journey.

Steelseries Sensei

[SpreadsPlague]

My father denies that there is anything wrong with the computer and that a new graphics card will solve all the problems. He said that anyone that says otherwise doesn' know what they're talking about. He promised two months ago if I went to school and did alright, he would buy me a new computer. He then added that it could be any one that I wanted. He now denies that he ever said such a thing and refuses to buy a new computer. At this point I am not really sure what to do.

Your father is clearly inexperienced (no offense)... A new GPU won't magically solve the problems.

You need a new PSU first off to ensure the proper power output for the new components, unless you want an already outdated GPU as an "upgrade". If you want a new, recent GPU, you'll need more power - period.

After the PSU, yes, he's right about this, you'll need a new GPU. You'll also want a new CPU, so that no bottlenecking occurs. Because you'll need a new CPU, if you want one worth a damn, you'd need a motherboard upgrade, and at this point you may as well buy a new computer.

You could use a RAM upgrade, your specs say you have 6GB physical memory installed but it only reports 3GB available, either way you should consider upgrading to 2 x 4GB DDR3.

Sure, there's technically nothing "wrong" with your computer, but if you were to solely upgrade the GPU you run the risk of not having enough power, on top of that your other components would still be outdated and in the end you'd waste the GPUs potential due to the CPU being weak comparatively.




(yes I realize your dad is stubborn. yes I read your previous posts and am aware he thinks you have no idea what you're talking about. this post was aimed at educating *you* so you can take the steps to getting a better computer. try politely discussing it with him, or just google "bottlenecking" and show him that a new GPU isn't a magic fix-all solution)