I need help upgrading my 10-year old Gateway DX4822-01

[Diosoth]

I recall Newegg used to have a tool to enter a PC and find components for it, but I can't find it on their current-day website.

I have a Gateway DX4822-01 PC that's still nearly stock components save for 2 cooling fans put in afterwards. It's become inadequate and even gets laggy browsing the internet at times. A new PC or upgrading to Win10 isn't an option for me right now, I need to go in relatively cheap so I'll upgrade and keep this one going for a few more years. A new HDD and such aren't a trick, but I need to focus on 4 things-

* CPU
* RAM
* power supply
* video card

PC specs- Gateway DX4822-01 Specs - CNET
Motherboard specs- Acer EG43M Motherboard Specs

I still have the 6 GB of RAM, I can upgrade to 8GB max. I have the specs so this shouldn't be an issue finding a full 8GB set of RAM, provided current market stuff is fully backwards compatible.

PS will be next, aside from something more powerful to run a better video card, I also need something new in case this one fails from old age. So I need a recommendation on one to fit this case.

CPU, I don't need something new as of this year, I just need better & compatible. A few years old model would likely be much cheaper.

Video card... I want to run Skyrim on good settings, I'm not much concerned with newer stuff, so a semi-old model would be nice. HDMI maybe standard but I wouldn't mind VGA output too, as some older stuff I run tends to have odd issues with screen resolution stretching, of which the HDMI cable grays out certain monitor options that might fix that.

Realistically my budget is around $100-$125 total and being in the US my shopping options will mainly be Amazon, Newegg or eBay(if I go to the local PC parts shop their stock will be very limited and prices will be high- that's if they're even still in business, and I'm not pumping $20 into the gas tank to drive to another store the next state over).

 

[RoWin7]

I would trust MicroCenter more than Amazon, which uses tens of thousands of outside vendors. You can look up your computer's RAM at Crucial.com, then you can buy it from them, or find it cheaper elsewhere.

 

[Megahertz07]

There are very few things you can do on your old computer.
- You may buy a used LGA 775 CPU to replace the Pentium E5300
LGA775 CPU list for G43
- You may add a small SSD (120G) and install windows and programs on it and use the HDD for data only.
- You probably have (4+2)G of memory. You can replace the 2G sick with a 4G to have (4+4)G

My suggestion: Install a small SSD (120G) and do a Clean install.

Any new MoBo will require everything new (MoBo, CPU, Memory, PS and a Win 10 license)

 

[Diosoth]

I ordered 8GB(4x2GB) of new Kingston brand RAM, and going by that chart above, the Intel Core 2 Duo E8600 was the best CPU upgrade option and was cheap enough used/tested. Total $37 after sales tax.

The PSU is priority over the video card for the time being and I'd vastly prefer to go new/unused on that one.

edit- found the Enermax ETK500AWT Tomahawk for $40, which is said to be compatible going by online searching. It's 500W. I also saw one by Dream PC that's compatible, but was only 400W. Now just to find a good 1GB video card that's compatible with this motherboard.

 

[iko22]

To run Skyrim, you will need NVIDIA GeForce 7600 GT to GTX 260 or AMD X1800 to ATI HD4890,

Some of those cards are PCI-express 2.0 compatible. I note that your motherboard is only PCI-express 1.0 compatible. Something to bear in mind when hunting for a replacement card.

Some of the cards will be physically a bit on the large side for your case, so check the length of the card will fit in the case.

Some of the cards are 2 slots deep, so check there is space on the motherboard to accommodate a 2 slot graphics card.

 

[Diosoth]

I don't think space is much of an issue, I have plenty for a longer card



The GTX 260 and ATI HD4890 cards can be found secondhand/refurbished on eBay cheap, but they only have DVI outputs for video. My current monitor is HDMI & VGA only, and while I can get an HDMI-DVI cable, I'd prefer to use VGA due to certain screen resolution settings that HDMI grays out in options. I don't really NEED to run Skyrim, I have enough games, but something better than the onboard Intel chip would be nice. I'll probably get a Geforce GT 610. I'm just not sure if I need 1 long or 2 short PCIE brackets for this case.

 

[Megahertz07]

With a Core 2 Duo E8600 you may need a better heat sink and fan. Monitor the temperatures> ideal is to stay always below 80ºC.
A DVI to VGA converter

Don't forget the SSD. It will cost only US$25
Crucial BX500

 

[Diosoth]

Cooling isn't a current issue. Speccy shows everything stays at a good 33-37C average at all times(maybe in the 40C range if I'm running games). I bought a rear case fan when I got the PC(it wasn't stock equipment!) and worked a separate front fan into the case later by drilling holes in the front case cover and bolting it onto the inner frame. But while the CPU fan is large it's also as old as the PC, I just need to find one compatible with this case to replace it, and unfortunately CPU fans aren't necessarily universal.

 

[maxseven]

I can't begin to tell you how many times I've solved "laggy" computer problems by cleaning-up a hard drive. Deleting unused programs/updates/files, running Windows Disk Cleanup, defragmenting, cleaning-up unneeded Registry entiries, etc. etc. have done wonders on friends' and relatives' PCs that they were ready to throw in the trash.

Getting an SSD to replace that 5400rpm spinner is a good idea too.

 

[Diosoth]

Some of my issues do require better hardware, unfortunately. One MMO I play is so badly coded that the load times are horrible and it's prone to lag & crashes, and while even modern hardware doesn't fix that, a better CPU and GPU would help to some degree.

Looking over the GTX 260 and ATI HD4890 better, I do fear maybe they're all too long to fit, they would come extremely close to the SATA ports even if they are just short enough. One card I got a measurement on is 9.5", which, after checking, would put it over the SATA plugs so it's far too long.

 

[Diosoth]

I'll have the RAM, PSU and CPU this week, but I need to wait on a new tube of thermal paste as well. The unopened tube I'd been saving was as solid as a rock, unfortunately. I'll be putting everything in when I have it all together, as the CPU and RAM will be much less hassle with the PSU out anyway and I can clean the case and fans.

I'm still looking around for a video card before I settle on one, in case I find a better model than the current option that will also fit. HDD/SSD stuff will wait a bit as well.

 

[Diosoth]

This is the "brand new" RAM I ordered. The pins have marks from previous use and 3 of them have bad scratches. I would not put these in my computer as I doubt they would work. I've already filed against the seller.

 

[Diosoth]

I got the last of my parts today- I ordered this RAM

Robot Check

Amazon's RAM selection of this type is slim, mostly brands I haven't heard of. I got the best-rate done even though it cost $7 more. And a compatible Thermaltake heatsink/fan(while the old one works, it has been going for 10 years). I have to yank the fan to even get the PSU out so I may as well.

PSU went in okay and works. The new CPU works. The heatsink fit, but the odd little bracket it came with seems useless, nor did it have instructions, nor could I even get it on so I went without. It didn't seem to be necessary either. The fan is running.

RAM however... long beep. I had to switch back to the old RAM. Either it's DOA or somehow incompatible despite the correct specs. I'll have to return it. I took photos of the current RAM, I'll see if I can get 2 2GB sticks of that just to be sure.

Temps are a bit higher than normal, but dropping. The thermal paste needs time to melt still and I had the AC off so the room itself got hotter. I'll monitor them anyway and get beefier fans put in if I have to.

--------

1 hour later, temps are down some. Installing Speedfan may have helped a bit to keep settings at 100%.

 

[Diosoth]

I found a listing on eBay for 2X 2GB RAM sticks that match what's in the PC and bought those for about $12 shipped. They work fine. I wasn't going to gamble on getting another brand that may or may not work. I also have an EVGA GeForce GTX 750 Ti SC 2GB and PCI slot cooler coming to upgrade the GPU. I'll likely get a 1TB drive and SSD next month.

 

[Megahertz07]

I'll likely get a 1TB drive and SSD next month.

You can buy a small SSD (120G - US$25) for Windows and programs and transfer the C:\users to D:\users (HDD).
It's a way to have the speed of a SSD and the space of a HDD at low cost. I've moved C:\users (SSD) to D:\Users (HDD) in six computers (Desktops and laptops)

 

[Diosoth]

Looking at hard drive options as well as a lot of my installed games & programs, I'm wondering if a fresh install would be too much to deal with. Assuming I get an SSD & a 1TB HDD, clone the current HDD over(drive is 10+ years old) I still foresee problems with games & such not liking it if I suddenly set that to the E: drive with the SSD being on C: as they will no doubt be looking for specific folders that no longer reside where they're expected. Some things I no longer have installers on hand for and I do not buy games on Steam or other DRM services so I don't have the convenience of a new download. It's also not something I want to spend a hideous amount of time setting up.

I'll probably just get a Western Digital Black 1TB new and clone the current drive, then replace it with the cloned drive. It won't be as fast but it will be faster than the Green drive. Then I'll put a WD Blue 500GB I have sitting around in as a second storage drive as it's still not been used aside from an initial test when I got it(it arrived during winter, I wanted to see if condensation from cold weather had damaged it)- that's hoping the drive hasn't developed some issues just sitting around for about 5-6 years in a box.

I will also get another 4mm case fan and rig into the front beside the other 4mm fan I screwed into place to increase cooling intake. Once that's in I'll be done with the upgrades.

 

[iko22]

You probably mean a 40mm case fan, as 4mm fan a bit small measurement.

 

[Diosoth]

Yes. There's not much space in the front of the case and no slots, the best I could do was drill holes in the front panel and bolt in a 40mm case fan under the HDD bay onto the front of the case. But there's room to add 2 in there beside each other which I should have done long ago but had a shortage of molex connectors at the time. Adding that front inner air flow, even 40mm, did drop temps a few degrees but with a stronger CPU and now a GPU I'm running about 5-7 C hotter on average than before the upgrades.

 

[Diosoth]

Total cost to keep the PC going for a few more years-

500W PSU $43
2 2GB RAM sticks $12
3.33 GHz CPU $11
heatsink/fan $12
GTX 750 Ti SC $70
PCI slot blower $13
PCI covers with screws $6
HDD & DVD mount screws(am at a shortage of these) $8
40mm case fan $5
SATA cable $2
WD Black 1 TB HDD $63

$245, roughly(I didn't add exact prices). Well over my initial planned budget, but the 750 is miles better than the 730 I was considering and I'm not taking chances on the current HDD surviving indefinitely. The biggest bottlenecks though are the PCIe 1.0 slot and CPU as they are reducing the effectiveness of the 750. I could have gone with a better CPU but it was $60 and I'm not sure it was 6X better to warrant 6X the price.

If(when) I go for another PC in the future it will likely be a custom built with intention of easily upgrading it down the road.