12/10/04 9:26
i'm presently using a celeron processor 1.8 ghz with a 256mb ram doing 2d cad and occasional graphic works -photoshop, illustrator.
i would like to install a 3d program -sketch up- to begin with and eventually viz.
any recommendations on the kind of specs i should be gunning for. money is an issue, so nothing over the top, just enough to meet the requirements of proposed installations.
btw can i upgrade from a celeron to pentium and how much more can i add to a 256mb in a dell dimension.
The cheapest option is to massively upgrade your RAM. 256 is very little, and it will slow down your comparitively fast processor. If you upgrade to 1 gig of RAM, and buy a good graphics card (256MB), you will be ok.
Upgrading RAM is very easy, you just need to know how many open DIMM slots you have. Each Ram card takes up one DIMM slot. You probably have 3 open DIMMs (assuming you 256 is all on one RAM card). You could either buy 2 512 RAM cards, or 4 256 RAM cards, whichever is cheaper.
If you are buying a completely new machine, look for a p4 or an amd chip that is 3 to 4 gigs. celerons are not very good. Look at 1 or 2 gigs of RAM, and a 256 graphics card.
the faster the processor, the faster the rendering time
the more RAM you have, the quicker programs will run big files
the faster the graphics card, the quicker you will be able to update views in 3d modeling software
make sure you get quality bus and motherboard (the faster the bus, the faster the different parts of the cpu "talk" to each other; the better the motherboard, the less crashing and errors you will have)
You should be able to buy this CPU for a grand. You can also save a little money by reusing your monitor, keyboard, and mouse.
yoiyoi, to find out how many free DIMM slots you have, you'll have to open up your machine. It's no that hard to do, you can probably find a step by step instruction guide on Dell's website, or on google somewhere.
You should be able to find out your graphics card specs and BUS on your device manager in Windows, or at least find out who made them, and then you can look up what their specs are.
You don't really need to know the BUS on your existing processor, it's not something you can change anyway. I think that info was more for future purchases, the higher the better.
If you are going to buy a new computer from a company like Dell, I would suggest purchasing one with the minimum RAM on the machine and buying additional RAM from a crucial or a kingston because Dell is going to charge you too much money for that RAM, and you can easily put it in yourself.
You can also find good computer deals at a deals site like ben's bargains or techbargains. I hope that helps some..
COMPUTER UPGRADE
Total Entries: 7
Total Comments: 5
12/10/04 9:26
i'm presently using a celeron processor 1.8 ghz with a 256mb ram doing 2d cad and occasional graphic works -photoshop, illustrator.
i would like to install a 3d program -sketch up- to begin with and eventually viz.
any recommendations on the kind of specs i should be gunning for. money is an issue, so nothing over the top, just enough to meet the requirements of proposed installations.
btw can i upgrade from a celeron to pentium and how much more can i add to a 256mb in a dell dimension.
thanks for your suggestions
forget your current configuration - no, to answer your question.
Look at www.delloutlet.com for the best deals.
The cheapest option is to massively upgrade your RAM. 256 is very little, and it will slow down your comparitively fast processor. If you upgrade to 1 gig of RAM, and buy a good graphics card (256MB), you will be ok.
Upgrading RAM is very easy, you just need to know how many open DIMM slots you have. Each Ram card takes up one DIMM slot. You probably have 3 open DIMMs (assuming you 256 is all on one RAM card). You could either buy 2 512 RAM cards, or 4 256 RAM cards, whichever is cheaper.
If you are buying a completely new machine, look for a p4 or an amd chip that is 3 to 4 gigs. celerons are not very good. Look at 1 or 2 gigs of RAM, and a 256 graphics card.
the faster the processor, the faster the rendering time
the more RAM you have, the quicker programs will run big files
the faster the graphics card, the quicker you will be able to update views in 3d modeling software
make sure you get quality bus and motherboard (the faster the bus, the faster the different parts of the cpu "talk" to each other; the better the motherboard, the less crashing and errors you will have)
You should be able to buy this CPU for a grand. You can also save a little money by reusing your monitor, keyboard, and mouse.
Good luck
thanks reedtimothy,
that was very helpful; just a few more questions if you don't mind
1. how do i know how many open DIMM Ram slots i have available on my cpu?
2. where do i find the specs of my graphics card and bus
thanks
this is what you should buy:
THE BIG TIMER
yoiyoi, to find out how many free DIMM slots you have, you'll have to open up your machine. It's no that hard to do, you can probably find a step by step instruction guide on Dell's website, or on google somewhere.
You should be able to find out your graphics card specs and BUS on your device manager in Windows, or at least find out who made them, and then you can look up what their specs are.
You don't really need to know the BUS on your existing processor, it's not something you can change anyway. I think that info was more for future purchases, the higher the better.
If you are going to buy a new computer from a company like Dell, I would suggest purchasing one with the minimum RAM on the machine and buying additional RAM from a crucial or a kingston because Dell is going to charge you too much money for that RAM, and you can easily put it in yourself.
You can also find good computer deals at a deals site like ben's bargains or techbargains. I hope that helps some..
thanks a bunch, pencrush
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