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[*MAFIA* Beatlejuice]

Well i'm going to do a whole system restore and reset it to the way it was when I first opened it almost ten years ago, and then buy more RAM. Its only 35 bucks so if it doesn't help then i'm not out too much money. Then i'll worry about a graphics card.

Sounds good.  A majority of the problem might be that your computer is almost 10 years old. 

Go here - http://www.crucial.com/store/drammemory.aspx - and run a system scan of your computer.  Look at the results and it'll tell you which kind of RAM to get and then you can shop around.  Max out to the total amount, and make sure you only buy the same number of sticks as your slots.

You might want to just back everything up and format the hard drive instead of a system restore.  That plus your new RAM should provide a faster computer.  But like Malbert said, if it's still taking 20 minutes to boot after all that, you might want to be looking at a new computer.

[*MAFIA* BassSlappa]

Sounds good.  A majority of the problem might be that your computer is almost 10 years old. 

Go here - http://www.crucial.com/store/drammemory.aspx - and run a system scan of your computer.  Look at the results and it'll tell you which kind of RAM to get and then you can shop around.  Max out to the total amount, and make sure you only buy the same number of sticks as your slots.

You might want to just back everything up and format the hard drive instead of a system restore.  That plus your new RAM should provide a faster computer.  But like Malbert said, if it's still taking 20 minutes to boot after all that, you might want to be looking at a new computer.

I backed everything up a while back, so last night I formatted the hard drive and re-installed windows xp on it, now it boots up faster than my laptop.  The max amount of RAM it can handle is 4GB, so I bought 2GB of the right kind (I took Malbert's advice and opened up my case and looked at the actual ram I had installed, which was different than the crucial recommendation) so that i'll have 2.5 gigs of RAM now.  There's only four RAM slots so it'll be the two original 256MB sticks, plus the two 1GB sticks I ordered.  That should be enough for now, but if need be then I can always replace the originals too.  Next on the list is a graphics card, but I'm not sure what kind of graphics card I can get. I have one free PCI slot, (I have three total but one is for the network adapter (which I probably don't need since i just ordered a USB wireless network adapter) and one is for the sound card) and an AGP slot.  I might also need a new power supply, because the one it currently has supplies 250 watts max.  Anybody have any recommendation s for the graphics card? I doubt i'll be able to play battlefield 3 on this rig, but i'll take what I can get.

[Loaded]

The AGP slot is where you put the video card, look for the best Agp vid card that is still made (I assume there is still some on the market). Install the card, then you have to turn off the on board video, it will either be a jumper on the board or a setting in the BIOS. Your power supply will work fine at 250w (you just don't have power eating options in that box, even the video card wouldn't warrant a new psu), but it wouldn't hurt to go 500w if you want to change it out.

[*MAFIA* Beatlejuice]

The max amount of RAM it can handle is 4GB, so I bought 2GB of the right kind (I took Malbert's advice and opened up my case and looked at the actual ram I had installed, which was different than the crucial recommendation) so that i'll have 2.5 gigs of RAM now.

I have one free PCI slot, (I have three total but one is for the network adapter (which I probably don't need since i just ordered a USB wireless network adapter) and one is for the sound card) and an AGP slot....Anybod y have any recommendation s for the graphics card? I doubt i'll be able to play battlefield 3 on this rig, but i'll take what I can get.

Your original RAM might not have been as good or as fast as what crucial recommended.  What were the specs on each (original vs. crucial)?  Either way, you will notice a big difference moving from .5 to 2.5 gigs of RAM.  If it's still not where you want it to be, I'd definitely upgrade again to 4 gigs.  Your current power supply should be fine, but if it's your original one, it might die soon - usually those and hard drives are the first things to go.  I'd get the 500w, especially if you're getting a new card that might require more power, because it could overheat.  

Loaded is correct about the PCI vs. AGP slot.  PCI-e (express) is where the best cards and modern ones fit, but obviously you don't have one.  You can get next to nothing trying to upgrade to a regular PCI slot.  So that leaves AGP.  A search for one on Newegg will only leave you 10 results.  Of those 10, 6 of them are "low profile" cards, which means they're good for video but not games.  That leaves 4, and 2 are out of stock...which leaves 2, but neither one had good reviews for playing games.  Compare the specs and read the reviews here.  

Search for some on eBay, Amazon, or other websites.  Let us know some of the options you're looking at before you actually buy one.  Here are some results I've found on Amazon.  Just make sure when you go through them that it is AGP because some are PCI.  Here are some results I've found on TigerDirect.  That first card, the Radeon 4670, is probably the best one currently available.  If you scroll down to the specs, notice it requires a 400w power supply.  I think you should buy this card, but some of the others aren't bad either.

How long do you plan on keeping this computer until you get a new one?  It might make more sense to just save the money you're spending on RAM, video card, power supply, and possibly a new hard drive, and investing in a new computer.  And no, you will not be able to run BF3 because you need Windows 7, and whatever AGP card plus your processor are, it probably won't be enough to run BF3.  However, I would suggest getting BF2 if you're not wanting to play BF1942 anymore.  There are still some of us who play that.

[*MAFIA* BassSlappa]

Crucial recommended a 2GB kit (1GBx2), 184-pin DIMM, DDR PC2700 333mhz memory module, but my original RAM was the same type but PC3200 400mhz. From what I understand, both would have worked but my actual RAM is slightly better than the recommendation? Whatever the case I went against the recommendation and bought 2 gigs of the PC3200 kind.  

As of right now, I really don't need this computer, it'd just be nice to have a desktop of my own for when I move out.  Plus I've always wanted to build my own computer, but just never knew enough. So upgrading an old one seems to be the next best thing.  And there's no way to upgrade the graphics card on my laptop, so maybe I could use this as a gaming rig if I upgrade all the parts.  But if I really need to get a new motherboard and power supply And CPU then maybe I should just drop this project and buy a new one.  I mean windows 7 alone will cost me over a hundred bucks.  I'll see how much all the parts would cost, and see if I save any money upgrading this thing rather than buying a whole new one.  My budget is around 300.  

Thanks for all the help though, I'll look around and report what I find.

[*MAFIA* Meeester]

holy shit 333mhz ram. That shit don't fly ANYWHERE.

If I was in your position with a $300 budget, I'd give up and just buy a netbook or save for a laptop. A pc build is upwards of $600 for the minimum.

[*MAFIA* Beatlejuice]

Crucial recommended a 2GB kit (1GBx2), 184-pin DIMM, DDR PC2700 333mhz memory module, but my original RAM was the same type but PC3200 400mhz. From what I understand, both would have worked but my actual RAM is slightly better than the recommendation? Whatever the case I went against the recommendation and bought 2 gigs of the PC3200 kind.  

As of right now, I really don't need this computer, it'd just be nice to have a desktop of my own for when I move out.  Plus I've always wanted to build my own computer, but just never knew enough. So upgrading an old one seems to be the next best thing.  And there's no way to upgrade the graphics card on my laptop, so maybe I could use this as a gaming rig if I upgrade all the parts.  But if I really need to get a new motherboard and power supply And CPU then maybe I should just drop this project and buy a new one.  I mean windows 7 alone will cost me over a hundred bucks.  I'll see how much all the parts would cost, and see if I save any money upgrading this thing rather than buying a whole new one.  My budget is around 300.  

Thanks for all the help though, I'll look around and report what I find.

Yes, the PC3200 + 400mhz is better.  Upgrading an old computer for gaming is fine, as long as you don't care about playing the newer, high-end games.  You don't need a new motherboard, but probably a new power supply if you're getting a good graphics card.  You should be able to get a 500w power supply for $60-$120.  How is your hard drive doing?  Is it the original or has it been replaced?  What's the space on it?  

If your budget is around $300, I'd spend that $115 on the graphics card (see my links in other post), and the rest on RAM and a power supply.  Plus there's shipping costs, unless you can find this stuff in local stores, although their prices might be higher.  If possible, get the graphics card & power supply from the same site.  So does this mean you'll be playing Battlefield with us again?

[*MAFIA* BassSlappa]

Yeah I'll be playing battlefield again haha, so long as I can figure out how to put the graphics card in.  Installing the RAM seems easy enough, but I'll need to run power to a graphics card, which is a little more complicated.  Speaking of which, I found two that will work.

http://www.amazon.com/HIS-Radeon-Native-Graphics-H467QS1GHA/dp/B003CYKCG8?SubscriptionId=AKIAIFXAG5UGJPMPWGGQ&tag=pathitta0027-20&linkCode=xm2&camp=2025&creative=165953&creativeASIN=B003CYKCG8
This is the one Beatle recommended.  As far as I can tell, itll work but a lot of people were saying it was a pain to find working drivers for it, even though it claims to have working drivers on the included cd.  It recommends a 400watt power supply, but I read a few reviews saying that the stock 250watt power supply worked fine.

http://www.amazon.com/Sapphire-Radeon-HD3850-512MB-Graphics/dp/B00145CQUC/ref=cm_cmu_pg__header
This one seems like it performs better, but it costs a lot more, and i'll probably need to get a new power supply since it looks like a 500watt power supply is recommended. People said it was easier to install though.

For these prices I could get a much better card if only I had PCI-e slots...

And as for the hard drive, it's still the original drive.  I've never had any problems with it other than its a little noisy sometimes.  It's a 150gb drive. Not a whole lot, but all im going to have on it is games for now. My music and pictures are all on the laptop. 

Also, I can't believe how much faster a drive wipe and a fresh install of xp made my computer.  It boots up in less than fifteen seconds.  So there's hope for it yet.

[*MAFIA* Scooby]

Honestly, you are wasting so much money trying to fix/upgrade a super old computer. You will never be able to play BF3 on that or any game right now. AGP technology is so old and useless now that you won't see updated drivers today, and drivers make a huge difference in the FPS of your games. Chances are the CPU is probably a Pentium D or similar, which will get owned by many games/softwares of today. If your harddrive is IDE and not SATA, that's another thing slowing down your computer.

If you put RAM of two different speeds in your pc, the computer will make the faster RAM run at the slower speed because the slower one can't run any faster.

Save up some money and you can buy a cheap computer around $500-600 that will give you a better life. Seriously, do not spend any money upgrading this. You will regret it.

[*MAFIA* Beatlejuice]

Honestly, you are wasting so much money trying to fix/upgrade a super old computer. You will never be able to play BF3 on that or any game right now.....Save up some money and you can buy a cheap computer around $500-600 that will give you a better life. Seriously, do not spend any money upgrading this. You will regret it.

I agree, it might be better to save money and get a better computer in the long run.  But he would need to double his budget for a "cheap" $600 computer.  However, I don't think he'll regret it.  I upgraded my super old computer in 2008 and it still runs fine.  I only got a new computer to run BF3 and for Windows 7.  If he only wants to use this solely as a gaming computer, and doesn't mind just playing 1942 and BF2, then it'll be fine.  Any new games though and you're right, it'll be tough.   Have you looked at those cards though?  They're not bad for AGP.

[*MAFIA* BassSlappa]

Honestly, you are wasting so much money trying to fix/upgrade a super old computer. You will never be able to play BF3 on that or any game right now. AGP technology is so old and useless now that you won't see updated drivers today, and drivers make a huge difference in the FPS of your games. Chances are the CPU is probably a Pentium D or similar, which will get owned by many games/softwares of today. If your harddrive is IDE and not SATA, that's another thing slowing down your computer.

If you put RAM of two different speeds in your pc, the computer will make the faster RAM run at the slower speed because the slower one can't run any faster.

Save up some money and you can buy a cheap computer around $500-600 that will give you a better life. Seriously, do not spend any money upgrading this. You will regret it.

The RAM I put in isn't a different speed, just different capacities.  Although maybe that's what you mean.  If need be, then I can just buy two more 1GB sticks of ram for another thirty bucks.  And the processor is a Pentium 4 2.8GHz processor. That's not that bad is it? Its more GHz than my laptop... I really haven't spent any money.  just thirty on the RAM, and ten on a wireless adapter.  The only big money i'll spend on this thing is the graphics card for $100.  I've read like 100+ reviews on it, and have heard lots of people say they have almost the exact same rig as me, same processor and everything, and they were able to play games like Left for Dead 2, Assassin's Creed, and GTA IV.  In the long run, yeah i'll get a new computer but if i can use this one to play low to mid range games with a hundred dollar graphics card then why not? I'm doing this to learn more about computers too, and so far i've learned a lot.

This is the graphics card I think i'm going to get: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003CYKCG8/ref=ox_sc_act_title_1?ie=UTF8&m=AD6R847RRI5VX

[*MAFIA* Beatlejuice]

This is the graphics card I think i'm going to get: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003CYKCG8/ref=ox_sc_act_title_1?ie=UTF8&m=AD6R847RRI5VX

Are you going to get the used one for $95?  It's one of the best AGP cards still available.  Your computer won't be great, but it'll help you play games through college, and then you can pwn all of us a get a new computer after college.

[*MAFIA* Scooby]

Have you looked at those cards though?  They're not bad for AGP.

Yea those specs are fine.....for like 8 years ago. Buying it now is a mega huge waste of money. You can get great PCI-e cards for around the same price with better specs.

And the processor is a Pentium 4 2.8GHz processor. That's not that bad is it? Its more GHz than my laptop.

I have a Pentium D 3.0ghz dual core with Nvidia 8600GT (PCI-e). You can not play BF BC2 or anything newer. BF1942 used to lag on Berlin a lot. Anything older than 2006 runs fine. Anything newer gets owned.

I guess if you want just a temp computer until you get a main one, then go for it. But my advice is hold off on spending any money on anything, save up money, and build something in the $800+ range and you'll be set for many many years.

[*MAFIA* BassSlappa]

Are you going to get the used one for $95?  It's one of the best AGP cards still available.  Your computer won't be great, but it'll help you play games through college, and then you can pwn all of us a get a new computer after college.

I was going to get the used one until I noticed this:


Now i'll have to look elsewhere.  Also, I still don't know about the power supply. It recommends a 400watt power supply, but I saw reviews of people saying their stock 250watt psu worked fine.  Should I take a gamble on it?  I really don't have anything in this computer that's hogging a lot of power.
EDIT:

I have a Pentium D 3.0ghz dual core with Nvidia 8600GT (PCI-e). You can not play BF BC2 or anything newer. BF1942 used to lag on Berlin a lot. Anything older than 2006 runs fine. Anything newer gets owned.

This computer has a pentium 4 2.8GHz single core, with an intel 82865G Graphics Controller, worse specs than yours and I never lagged on Berlin.  And that was with no fog, while running hacks, ventrilo, xfire, anti-virus, and usually an internet browser too.  Plus there are YouTube videos of people using this graphics card playing midrange games like I mentioned before.

[*MAFIA* Beatlejuice]

I actually think I have an old AGP graphics card I can send you if you want.  As long as you are willing to pay the cost of shipping and daring enough to PM me your address (or someone else's you can get it at).  That can save you some more money to put towards a power supply, RAM, and/or hard drive.  Let me know and I'll see if I can find it...