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Computer not performing as expected
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Posted by: Arunan
Close to 1 year back I had built a computer with the following features.- Pentium 4 - 2.8 gHZ
- 512 PC3200 DDR 400 Ram
- Asus PS800 Deluxe Motherboard
- 30 GB Primary Maxtor 7200 RPM Harddrive
- 80 GB Western Digital w/ 8mb cache 7200 RPM Secondar Harddrive
- GeForce FX5600 with 256 MB Memory
I am using Windows XP optimized for the best performance I can get out of it (according to many tutorials and articles that I have found on the net). I am still seeing the speed increase or the promised difference. I am not a certified builder and built the computer with the help of the manual. I am beginning to think that there are some BIOS settings that may have to be set or the hardware is not connected properly.
Can someone please advise how I can get better performance, and what may be causing this knowing my current situation (of being a newbie builder)
Posted by: redwench
youre not saying whats wrong with it. in general, all the xp tweak guides will do a good job if there are issues related to them, but they dont work miracles.
what speed increase and or performance difference are you looking for?
Posted by: SKYHN
Just a suggestion, make the WD 80gb drive your primary and the 30gb your secondary. That 80gb is a faster drive by at least 25%.
Posted by: Arunan
 Quote:
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Originally Posted by redwench
youre not saying whats wrong with it. in general, all the xp tweak guides will do a good job if there are issues related to them, but they dont work miracles.
what speed increase and or performance difference are you looking for?
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Well I am willing to invest in more ram if thats what it will need, but I wish to optimize for graphics design. Will be running Photoshop, CorelDraw and maybe another equally intensive program at the same time.
Posted by: redwench
oh, for graphics design, you certainly need much more ram that that. 1gb at least. 512 is basically the new minimum standard, doesnt hold up well for intensive use.
Posted by: Arunan
Quote:
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Originally Posted by redwench
oh, for graphics design, you certainly need much more ram that that. 1gb at least. 512 is basically the new minimum standard, doesnt hold up well for intensive use.
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Do you kno anywhere I can buy sticks of 512 DDR PC2700 or PC3200 in bulk?
Posted by: madman55
compusa;or your local computer store. depends where you live.
Posted by: Arunan
I live in CANADA, and the local super chain electronic store (Futureshop) charges about 140$ CAD for RAM.
Posted by: madman55
hmm... try compusa online then, or tech depot online
Posted by: redwench
check if newegg and zipzoomfly ship to canada. they should, but i dont know how much you would save, if anything after the import tax.
Posted by: Mr.Sandman
The price of $140 Cdn at Futureshop is good! London Drugs computer dept. is selling it at $150! 
Posted by: smeltzer1
Hi: I use pshop all the time on a similar system to yours and it zooms right along - usually with Illustrator open, etc. The only major difference is that your secondary hd is my primary and I have a gig of RAM. Which pshop version are you using? You might try allocating more that the recommended memory to your pshop - I had to go way up on a Mac that I also use.
Don't know about getting RAM to CA, but you might check with tech depot and also with CDW.
Have a good one...
Posted by: Arunan
Well I started to upgrade all my computers today including mine. I installed 512 MB ram of the same type for another computer which is 2.4 ghz HP Workstation and it seems to be working better, so I am going to go ahead and install 512 ram on all my other computers.
I got the ram for $120.00, and I know this store inside Pacific Mall (a chinese store) that gives it for 110$ Canadian so it seems like a great deal rather than Futureshop.
Posted by: Arunan
If I was to overclock my 2.8 to a 3.06 what hardware upgrades would I require?
Posted by: redwench
generally speaking, better heatsink and fan, and 3600 speed ram.
Posted by: SKYHN
The performance gain from 2.8 to 3.06 would be insignificant, maybe 3%. Dont risk damaging your hardware just for that very tiny gain.
Posted by: Arunan
Umm what other things can I do hardware wise to increase performance?
Posted by: redwench
if youre seriously into heavy graphics stuff, either work or gaming, tons of ram and a high end video card (which you have) will get the most benefits for you. your cpu is more than adequate. if you notice any particular occurances when it gets slow, use that to troubleshoot, or decide on upgrades.
Posted by: Arunan
Will a better CPU fan and heatsing increase performance?
Posted by: redwench
not unless its underclocking due to overheating.
Posted by: valis
Why not overclock? If done properly, there is virtually no risk- it's free performance. Depending on your cooling situation, you might be able to OC 300-400 mHz with air. I had my p4 2.4c on a MSI 848P Neo MB going 2.7-2.8 on stock intel air cooling. Of course that has changed now that I stuck in the water, its running at 3.1 comfortably cool and stable. You can use a free utility called speedfan to monitor your temps in windows. Intel recommends below 64C, but i wouldnt go past 60C (mine caps out under load at 48).... Besides, overclocking nowadays involves bumping up the FSB, which also overclocks your memory, AGP, and PCI.
What is your Frontside Bus currently set to?
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