My university was going through away a P3 500mhz Gateway computer. I opted to take it home and am in the stages of buying missing parts and upgrading it and stuff. Currently, it is missing a CD-Rom drive, RAM, Floppy Drive, Hard Drive and a Monitor.
Here are its specs:
Pentium III 500mhz
200W Powersupply
ATI Rage 128 16mb 2x AGP
Creative Labs PCI64 Sound Card
Jabil Tabor Pentium II BX Motherboard
I plan on turning this computer into a music/movie center for my mother. She doesn't know jack about computers. However, I do want this computer to be running optimally when it comes to playing DVDs and music. Here is a list of my proposed upgrades:
- Since Gateway's website states this machine's original memory ran at 100mhz, I'm assuming I can only use PC100 memory. So I'll upgrade it to either 256mb or 512mb depending on my budget.
- I want fast boot times so I'm jumping for any hot 7200rpm deal within the next month.
- Get a combo DVD/CD-RW Drive so my mother can burn her mixes with.
- I plan on waiting for Staples to have the EN-775e monitor from Envision to be on sale again and jump on that deal.
I have a couple questions first though, based on my proposed upgrades.
A) How well will WindowsXP run on such a machine if I were to include either 256 or 512mb of RAM?
B) How well will DVDs play on this P3 500 256mbOR512mb system ? (Using a software decoder)
C) For a Music system, is the Creative Labs PCI64 sufficient? I plan on buying her decent quality 2.1 speakers ($50 - $100 range) so she can listen to her classical and oldies without hisses or scratches.
D) Will the ATI Rage 128 16mb be good for DVDs? (Meaning no framerate hiccups)
E) Should I upgrade the powersupply too? 200W is pretty damn low...gotta love Gateway machines.
F) Does anyone know what the fastest processor this baby can handle? 500mhz is a bit low....
Here are its specs:
Pentium III 500mhz
200W Powersupply
ATI Rage 128 16mb 2x AGP
Creative Labs PCI64 Sound Card
Jabil Tabor Pentium II BX Motherboard
I plan on turning this computer into a music/movie center for my mother. She doesn't know jack about computers. However, I do want this computer to be running optimally when it comes to playing DVDs and music. Here is a list of my proposed upgrades:
- Since Gateway's website states this machine's original memory ran at 100mhz, I'm assuming I can only use PC100 memory. So I'll upgrade it to either 256mb or 512mb depending on my budget.
- I want fast boot times so I'm jumping for any hot 7200rpm deal within the next month.
- Get a combo DVD/CD-RW Drive so my mother can burn her mixes with.
- I plan on waiting for Staples to have the EN-775e monitor from Envision to be on sale again and jump on that deal.
I have a couple questions first though, based on my proposed upgrades.
A) How well will WindowsXP run on such a machine if I were to include either 256 or 512mb of RAM?
B) How well will DVDs play on this P3 500 256mbOR512mb system ? (Using a software decoder)
C) For a Music system, is the Creative Labs PCI64 sufficient? I plan on buying her decent quality 2.1 speakers ($50 - $100 range) so she can listen to her classical and oldies without hisses or scratches.
D) Will the ATI Rage 128 16mb be good for DVDs? (Meaning no framerate hiccups)
E) Should I upgrade the powersupply too? 200W is pretty damn low...gotta love Gateway machines.
F) Does anyone know what the fastest processor this baby can handle? 500mhz is a bit low....