HOW TO SPICE UP THAT OLD SYSTEM

The Bottom Line

Here's a little summary of the stuff you have and need, with a bow to PC Accelerator.

WHAT YOU HAVE---> p75-166, 16mb ram, 2-8x cdrom, no hardware acceleration, 1-2gig hard drive

WHAT YOU NEED---> Start over again. Keep the simple stuff- keyboard, floppy drive, hard drive. It probably be the most cost effective just to get a whole new computer though. You can get a nice Celeron-based system for less than $800. Overclock it and you're in business. You could add more ram and a bigger hard-drive to your system but you've still got that clunky old processor.

Estimated Cost---> $800-$2000 for a new system

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WHAT YOU HAVE---> P200-266, 32mb ram, 8/16x cdrom, 3-4gb hard drive, 2d-video card and Voodoo1

WHAT YOU NEED--> You could still justify getting a whole new computer with this setup, but I recommend getting your hands dirty. Pull out the processor and put in a new K6 or get a new motherboard and get an overclockable Celeron. Get at least 64mb of RAM and another 3-4 gig hard drive. Then get a new video card. If you have the money, get a TNT2- otherwise, value shop. I went this route with a p200. It's now a screamin' 464mhz machine!

Estimated Cost---> You can easily get this stuff for less than $500.

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WHAT YOU HAVE---> PII 300-450, 64mb RAM, 6-8gb hard drive, TNT or V2.

WHAT YOU NEED---> Not much. You might get more RAM or a TNT2. If you've just got a PII 300 you might think about a Celeron 366 (overclock), a Celeron 500, or a Pentium III.

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WHAT YOU HAVE---> PIII 550, 128mb RAM, 52x CD-ROM, 18gb Hard drive, Voodoo3 3500 & Ultra TNT2

WHAT YOU NEED---> A good friend. Give you stuff to a good cause- [email protected]