what is my next improvement???

[Music Guy123]

Hi there,

My WEI is below, i want to try and improve my computer, what is my next step??? I have two HDD bays and so i was contemplating an ssd, do you guys think that may be a good idea??? I thought about overclocking ram or cpu, however I don't know how to do this!!! Also, how come my base score is a lot lower than the rest? is there anyway in which i could improve it???

Anyway, here is my WEI:

 

[BugMeister]

what GFX card do you have..?

- that's what's holding down your WEI scores..

 

[Layback Bear]

Please update your computer specs. Lower left of your post.

 

[paulpicks21]

Yeah we need to know what cpu , graphics card and memory you have before we can even comment on upgrades.

 

[Bare Foot Kid]

If you need help sorting the computer specs, have a look at the tutorial linked below.

How to See Your System Specs with "System Info"

​

 

[JaidynM]

I'm guessing you are using integrated graphics. A new graphics card should boost your score up to somewhere in the fives, as would an SSD. The thing is, you won't boost your score without upgrading all of the different components as the WEI takes your lowest score.

 

[Music Guy123]

I am sorry this is late, have been out all day. I don't really want better graphics, however, when watching hd movies on my TV through HDMI cable, the video is stilted. Is this the cpu, graphics card, HDD or a mixture??? Also, I have updated my scores with no effect. Anyway, here is my hardware:

CPU:
AMD Turion II M500, 2200 MHz (11x200)

Graphics Card (I think this is it!!!):
ATI Mobility Radeon HD (RS880M)
It is clocked at 494 MHz and it is integrated (if that makes sense!!!)

Memory:
Unganged Dual DDR2 SDRAM
(2 x 2GB DDR2 in English!!!)

I think that is all that is needed, tell me if I need more!!!

Thank you very much for the help - much appreciated.

 

[severedsolo]

I am sorry this is late, have been out all day. I don't really want better graphics, however, when watching hd movies on my TV through HDMI cable, the video is stilted. Is this the cpu, graphics card, HDD or a mixture??? Also, I have updated my scores with no effect. Anyway, here is my hardware:

It's your graphics card. Or rather, your lack of one.

An integrated Graphics chip, isn't really a graphics card per se. It utilizes your CPU to render the graphics, wheras a dedicated GPU does it all by itself. This is what is known as "hardware accelleration" or "using the graphics card to do the grunt work" in laymans terms. Even a very basic graphics card is capable of running HD video. Nvidia claim (although I haven't tested this) that their GPU's can run HD even on a 1.8Ghz Atom processor.

As your graphics chip has "M" at the end, I'm going to go ahead and assume that you have a laptop, I'm not sure whether it would be possible to get a GPU for your Laptop, I don't really know alot about that to be honest, although I am aware that there are Laptop Graphic cards.

 

[Music Guy123]

Yeah, it is a laptop, I am not sure that I will be able to put a graphics card in though

 

[marsmimar]

If you're considering upgrading your laptop's graphics card, you might want to look through this article from PCWorld. To quote from them:

If the upgrade is possible at all for your laptop, it can be a time-consuming operation that involves disassembling virtually your entire notebook, so don't enter into this process unless you are willing to accept the risk of doing serious harm to your machine.

Source: Upgrading Your Laptop's Graphics Card | PCWorld

 

[Music Guy123]

Yeah, I don't think that I want to really change the card, anything else I could change SSD???

 

[marsmimar]

Personally, I don't place too much emphasis on the WEI score. Some of these suggestions may help you speed up and improve performance. To me, that's more important than the WEI.

http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/11728-optimize-windows-7-a.html

 

[smarteyeball]

Yeah, I don't think that I want to really change the card, anything else I could change SSD???

Sure you could , but it's going to do bugger all for your video issues.

 

[Music Guy123]

Yeah, it is rare that I use HD video, I have only done it once. I think I will get a ssd, I have seen the general performance boost on a friends computer. I have a budget of 80 uk pounds and so far I have found a mushkin Callisto deluxe. Is it any good, does anyone else have a recommendation for a cheapp ssd???

 

[smarteyeball]

Cheap SSD?

Intel X25-V 40GB 2.5-inch SATA II Internal MLC Solid State Drive (includes free game voucher): Amazon.co.uk: Computers & Accessories

OCZ Vertex 2 60GB SATA II 2.5-inch Internal Solid State Drive: Amazon.co.uk: Computers & Accessories

Kingston SSD V100 64GB SATA2 2.5inch Hard Drive: Amazon.co.uk: Computers & Accessories

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Kingston-96...RLTY/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1313300099&sr=8-3

Select size vs price accordingly. You don't have to worry about Sata III. I'm not sure if your chipset even supports ICH10R, so you probably wouldn't even get full speeds from a sata II SSD.

Regardless, it will still be a noticeable improvement over a HDD and will give your PC a healthy kick in the bum.

 

[Wishmaster]

Where to focus upgrades to increase perfomance really depends on what you want out of your PC.

For example, if a gamer, the graphics card will be important.
If you do lots of rendering, CPU may be more important.

But being as this is a laptop, you will be somewhat limited in what you can do.

The best possible upgrade, across the board will be a SSD. (Aside from gaming, wont help much here. this is more GPU dependant)
In fact, the results will be far greater,overall, than anything gained from a Overclock.


And I agree, don't put too much into those scores. They just give a rough idea.
And as many have mentioned, the graphics are whats keeping the score down.

But the thing is, if you are not a gamer, this really will not have much impact on your experience using the machine.
So it could easily be overlooked.

 

[Music Guy123]

I am a software developer so I am not really concerned about graphics, I think I will get an SSD, it should make a lot of difference, my processor is already running at about 70 degrees centigrade when running something like eclipse. Therefore an overclock may be risky. Thank you very much for all the help everyone, it really us much appreciated! My next step is to decide my SSD! will have a look at the links and see!

 

[Wishmaster]

With 70C load temps, you're OK, but I wouldnt let it get much warmer than that.
So yes, Ocing would probably be a bad idea.

Even so, perhaps look into a good cooling pad? Cooler the better, although I do not think your in any danger at that temp.


Good luck with your upgrade. Lots of good ones to choose from out there.
You will not be dissappointed.

 

[Music Guy123]

Thanks, have almost decided the ssd, it is between my mushkin Callisto deluxe and the ocZ vertex 2. Which is better???also about cooling, it does get a lot hotter but I have built a custom stand that will bring the temp from 80 down to 50 which really isn't bad!!!

 

[BugMeister]

I'm running a couple of OCZ's (- separately, not in RAID..)
- they're pretty amazing, very fast..



- and reliable, too..