I assume this is most of my problem but my computer ddi work better once than it does now. This mght have something to do with the fact that I destroyed the virtual memory drive during a computer virus/spyware cleaning in which I was aiming to eliminate every place it could hide before I found out what the drive actually was.


Mainly looking to upgrade my system enough to play starcraft 2. I played Guild Wars on it but the loading was quite long and I assume this was due to lack of RAM.

Where would I go about purchasing RAM and how do I go about installing it? Are there any other things I can do to improve my computer's performance?

The system I have is a Medion. Any more info you guys need?

Format and re-install windows, makes any computer like-new.

Newegg for all hardware purchases.

Download CPU-Z and GPU-Z, get me screenshots of every tab in CPU-Z, make sure to crop them. Then get me a screen of the main GPU-Z tab. I'll recommend what you should upgrade, if anything.

Re-install windoze. Use a registry cleaner. Remove unnecessary programs, remove as many programs as possible from the startup list (plenty of tutorials on the internet). Check google for other ways.

As for RAM, make sure you don't have sticks with different frequencies. What RAM do you have currently, and how much?

CPU-Z will be much more complete and informative than any description he could give us.

have done the registry cleanning before and also removed startup programs although that is more hassle than anything I have done before lol.

Have reinstalled before the only problem with that method is my drivers don't update to what they are now. It takes months before I get anywhere near back to normal functionality for games. Idk why and I don't know which drivers they are because it has taken them so long to update I never remember to write down what they are.


Ok i can probably find these but what do you mean screen shots of every tab in cpu-z?

also NewEgg I assume is online and I don't have a credit card or pay pal is there anywhere in the real world that i could purchase this stuff??

CPU-Z has tabs, I need you to screenshot and crop each one. Put them all into the same image if you like, but I need to see all of them.

Buying from anywhere that isn't an online store is going to mean you pay up to 30% more than you would online. But its your money.

Compare with Amazon and Newegg for best price. Sometimes Newegg does not have free shipping but Amazon does for the same price.

Ask your parents for their credit card. In the real world, you can go to like computer stores. But yes you cannot get cheaper computer parts in the real world.

I don't have the luxury of a credit card becuase I don't have a job atm. I can't really burrow anyone's either I understand it will most likely cost more but there isn't much I can do about that.

If I had the knowledge to build a computer I would too but since I don't I generally buy them from stores. I've heard RAM is realatively easy to upgrade without screwing much about inside the computer which is why I'm trying to upgrade that vs buying a brand new computer which I don't have the money for right now.

So is there a way to find local stores that sell computer parts such as RAM and other internal/external attachment gear for computers?


Sorry about the mess Paint sure is an asspain to crop with
http://img195.imageshack.us/img195/6941/cpuzy.jpg

Anything not pictured you may assume is empty because it is. This includes entire Slot 1 of SPD

Not going to have time to do the other one yet will post when I am able.

DDR1 RAM is insanely expensive in price per GB when compared to newer DDR2/3 tech. I wouldn't recommend buying any. Save money, wait until you can buy a decent machine. You only need like 350$ to build a nice one anyway, and just for what a decent amount of DDR1 RAM is going to cost you, you'd regret the purchase of it. That machine really really really isn't worth upgrading, I can't stress it enough. Your GFX wouldn't allow you to play SC2, no matter how much RAM you crammed into it. When in the hell did you buy this thing and how long did you expect it to be able to keep up?

If you are mentally competent enough to assemble a 100 piece lego set, you have all the brainpower required to assemble a computer. You may need some advice, pointers, and tutorials, but you can in fact do it.

Post has been edited 2 time(s), last time on Mar 14 2010, 1:06 am by Sexcalibear.

If you plan on buying a new machine or hardware so that you can play SCII, but you still want to speed things up in the meantime, there are two software-management-related ways to speed your computer up.

Using msconfig. Run "msconfig" from the command line (or Start>Run), go to its "Startup" tab, and google the names of the programs you see. Disable any you don't need, and they won't run when you start your computer up.

Check your processes. Open Task Manager, and go to the Processes tab. Google every "Image Name" you see (unless you already know what it is), and simply end any processes that you don't need. For example: "explorer.exe" (the desktop and taskbar) is an important process; "jusched.exe" (an inefficient Java update check) is not.

David, he's running a GeForce 4200 Ti, he couldn't gfx his way out of a paper bag, and no amount of tweaks are going to fix that.

Make sure you check over your Windows services and disable stuff that you don't need. A lot of stuff is enabled and/or running by default that eats quite a bit of resources.

Wait... So he can't run SCII with a GeForce 4200 Ti, and I have this piece of shit, which is even worse...

This is indeed a distinctly dreadful discovery.

Would you happen to know what the cheapest card capable of running SCII is? Or could you perhaps direct me to somewhere I can find this information?

Yea I'm quite disappointed to see that my graphics isn't enough for starcraft2 considering it was some of the best arround when I purchased it. The turnover rate on computers is absolutely insane.

Granted this is an older machine but I don't need to buy a new tv or even gaming system every 5 years and it seems when it comes to playing games you need to purchase a new computer every 3-5years if you want to have a chance in hell in playing the latest games and that isn't even at top performance.

This is my only gripe with computers. You aren't able to purchase a machine and have everygame you could possibly install on it run at top quality until it is obsolete. With computers every game that comes out has higher requirements because of the time and the older your computer is when you get the machine the worse off you are.



So I take it I don't need to run the other thing you suggested. So since it isn't worth it to buy actually memory is there a way to recreate a virtual memory drive like my original computer came with? I use to run diablo with no problems at all but now with big boss groups I have the display issue.

Also regardless of all this how do I reclaim my drive? I partitioned during a complete reboot two drives and I really don't see the point of having the second drive and would like to have my C drive contain its original drive size, which is double what it currently is, since my current C drive is about 2/3rds full.

If you had built your own, you could upgrade it in more ways than just RAM or just any one part. Since it wouldn't be by a proprietary OEM, you could keep it up to date.

Generally speaking, a chipset platform in a custom build system has a livespan of 6-8 years of being useful/upgradable, while a proprietary machine which cannot really be upgraded is only up to date for a couple of years at most. Quite frankly, if you think dropping 450$ every 5 years for a competent computer is too much, you need your head examined. Of course, a competent pre-built is going to cost you much more.

OEMs cut corners. Personal system builders don't.

David, if you have a PCI-E x16 slot, pick up a cheap DDR3-based 9500GT http://www.provantage.com/xfx-pvt95gyaj2~7PINE0J9.htm Killer's system doesn't have the slot required, so its not like he could drop one in. To find out, use CPU-Z, and check the graphics tab. If you have AGP, you're screwed.

It'll run it, but it isn't going to do ultra/set any records while doing it. I imagine your CPU/RAM/HDD would hold you back long before the card would.



And guys, I'd just like to put this in perspective for you.
We're on the 7th generation of game consoles. Keep this in mind.
Lets say your cards, being Geforce 4, are 4th gen Geforce hardware. We surpassed Geforce 9 and are now on Geforce 3xx/4xx now after doing 2xx.
So we're talking your card being about 7 generations behind.
By contrast, 1st gen consoles are things like the Magnavox Odyssey, Nintendo Color TV Game, and Coleco Telstar, those consoles are 6 generations old.
You wouldn't complain about your Magnavox Odyssey not being up to date would you?

Do you see what I'm getting at? Don't blame the tech for advancing, as advancement is better for everyone, and further, don't try to cast blame when you have the lowest end hardware that generation offered. An 8800GT is 3 generations old, but still keeps up just fine, and it wasn't low end hardware to start with, which is why. Something that didn't have any power to begin with is only going to get that much worse over time. A Geforce 4 MX, a Geforce 4200 Ti, these are some of the lowest power cards the Geforce 4 series had to offer, they were barely current when you bought them. Are you only seeing their shortcomings now?

Post has been edited 3 time(s), last time on Mar 14 2010, 5:48 am by Sexcalibear.

Yeah, Ex knows what he's talking about. If you personally build your own corner you get the entire thing cheaper, and plus you can much more easily upgrade separate pieces when need be. Instead of upgrading the entire computer every 2-3 years, you can just upgrade a part or two ever year or so, if need be.

You just have to do your homework and research when it comes to hardware, otherwise you pay for others' knowledge to benefit you (buying a pre-built).

Certainly true, but how much extra power do these newer cards really give? I'm wary that they're just rebrands, and when you look at some of the specs of them on sites like Tech ARP, the newer ones don't really seem all that much more powerful. Maybe a Geforce 4 won't be able to keep up, granted. But when it comes to something like an 8800, it doesn't look all that different from a 9800, you know?

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Post has been edited 1 time(s), last time on Jul 3 2018, 5:37 am by DavidJCobb.

Ok lets compare since you like to compare. lets look at PS3 vs Current computer tech.
-The PS3 is able like a computer to run many all of its lower generation applications and every game created for it is playable by both itself and its upgrade whenever that decides to be created.
-It was released at the end of 2006 and now is roughly 3 1/4years old.
-It is still having major resources spent on developing games for it and there hasn't been much talk of a new console yet.
-It costs $600 when it was brand new for the top of the line system.
-Computers to the same average joe for the same timespan of gaming in contrast cost arround $800-$1000 and are only good for 3years at best(usually 2) for top of the line performance.

The playstation will have at least another 2years before another console is released and in that time you would need to purchase two computers to keep up with the quality of gaming and if you scrape by five years with cuts you are still spending more than someone using the Personaly Computer as their console.

This is what makes keeping up for gaming systems for the average Joe pretty rediculous. Granted if you could build your own computer its cost and lifespan would be greatly improved but you would still need to upgrade it every so often.



When I purchased the computer I have it was top of the line and had the best graphics card arround that I could find but granted I didn't build it myself nor did I buy it online and shopped locally. The computer is now close to 10 years old Idk exactly when I got it as it has been so long but I graduated in 04 and I know I had it most if not all of high school.

The main reason I still play computer games over console is the fact that the controler is always the same. (The other is blizzard creates PC games now.) It is a mouse and a keyboard. Also MMOGs originally were developed for the PC and provided a wide group of players to interact with.


I know some people must have the newest the latest the best but for those of us who are not rich off our behinds (aka those who still have jobs) Dropping even $500 every 2-3years is insane amount especially if one is trying to save for other things.

I understand my system is old but it has lasted quite a while and I do have an upgrade to use for SC2. I wanted to see if I could upgrade this for when I move out but I guess I cannot and will need to save for a better POS that will still only last me 3years at best.



As for building a Computer I could assemble a lego thing with specific dirrections but I would still need the directions printed on a piece of paper.

Here read this: http://groups.google.com/group/alt.games.video.sony-playstation2/msg/62ff83d96ea78ea9?hl=en&pli=1

That, is a copied and pasted article that was originally posted on anandtech, and was removed because certain companies didn't like it.

When the PS3 and 360 first came out, they weren't nearly as powerful as they were marketed to be. Now, how many years later, and they still are selling, even though they came out much worse than they could have. How is that possible? Well that's because nobody has released another console since these came out, and so game developers are still developing for platforms that people can play on. These platforms are relatively cheap, and aren't constantly replaced with newer generations as often as PCs because there are only a few monolithic businesses that even make massive amounts of consoles. Since there is such a monopoly, they get to decide when to release new systems; it's cheaper and very profitable to release consoles as infrequently as possible.

So yeah, you can still play your 360 and PS3, but you're playing games with graphics that have much much more limited capabilities than modern PCs, and even high-end cores when these two consoles first came out.

Okay, fair enough. But like we've said, don't pay for someone else's knowledge on how to pick computer parts and plug them together.

You don't need to spend that much either. You could put together a new and modern desktop system for like 1200$ and have it lost a ridiculously long time. A modern system nowadays will probably last longer than the 6-8 average, because hardware now is getting so fast that sometime in the near future software will become the bottle-neck, juxtapose to the paradigm of hardware always being the limiting factor. Ex said 450 every five years, not 500 every 2-3.

What we're getting at is this: if you do it right and do some research, you can pay for exactly what you want to get, and you will have the option to upgrade it along the way to stretch out the lifespan significantly. It's very beneficial to make and maintain your own custom setup. You're making it out to be worse than it is.

Post has been edited 1 time(s), last time on Mar 14 2010, 7:43 am by CecilSunkure.