What should i do?

[The Risky]

hello
I have this 3 Yr. old PC at my summerhome with my grandparents,and its VERY slow.These are the specs i could find out
RAM - 1.00 GB
Processor - AMD Athlon(tm) 64 Processor 3500+ 2.20 GHz
OS - Windows Vista OS 32-Bit Home Basic.
PSU - 350W
Videocard -Geforce 6100 nForce 405

Now...your first reactions may vary from "ROFL" to "dear lord...".Secondly,you'l notice that its a Vista machine and im on a Seven forum.Since i had a user here anyway,i though im not going to make another user for another forum just for one Post.

Now,my questions then.What can i do to improve it Software wise?Keep in mind,this is a computer i use maybe 3 to 5 times a year,but since im here atm. and im stuck using it for the news 2 and a half months,i might as well take the chance to upgrade it a bit.About the OS,i wont go so far as to downgrade it to a XP,but would Win7 work better with it,given that Vista eats ROM like a beast?About the hardware,i don't intent to mess with it too mutch but i have considered to buy another gig of ram.If you have anything else in mind i could add,them im willing to take into consideration, but keep in mind,i dont intend to make into a high end gaming PC,just a little something i could enjoy for the time being.

 

[Markmental]

I think you would either use the windows classic theme or upgrade your ram to at least 2gbs. 1gbs is just the MINIMUM for the aero theme.

 

[Mark Phelps]

Had a similar situation with a laptop running Vista -- really poor performance.

Solved that with two actions:
1) Upgraded the RAM from 512MB to 2GB (RAM was really cheap)
2) Replaced Vista with Windows 7.

Win7 runs significantly faster (and cooler) than did Vista.

But, if you can't afford the Win7 upgrade, then at least boost your RAM to 2GB.

 

[The Risky]

Actually i have a spare copy of Win7 at my dads,i belive its a 32-Bit Professional or Home Premium.

 

[The Risky]

Another question just popped up.I have a spare NVIDIA GeForce 9500 GT at my home,what will the effects be if i added sutch a card?Will the PSU hold on?

 

[Markmental]

i bet the only problem you will have is getting the drivers.

 

[LiquidSnak]

Drivers might be an issue, but upgrading the RAM is a great start. The PC should handle seven just fine.

 

[Wishmaster]

If you want the PC to be just for general use, and not gaming ..

I too agree with the others.

Upgrade the RAM to at least 2GB, and go with Win7.
I would also say stick with the 32bit version for that machine. It will run a smoother on that setup.