Dell Dimension 2400 Questions For Upgrading

[Kalminfyn]

Hello everyone! I appreciate anyone that helps me out on this... It has been bugging me for quite awhile. It seems that I have finally found a good forum to get my many questions and problems answered

Now... I am sorry to everyone for posting stuff on here that is quite repetitive as far as Dell Dimension 2400 is concerned. I have spent the better part of today looking through posts on these forums. Even though I am quite sure that all of my questions and problems have been previously answered, I don't know all that much about computers so it all gets quite confusing to me. Sorry =\

Now, as is obvious by the thread's title, I have a Dell Dimension 2400. It runs perfectly fine and thus far has had no problems with power or crashing or hardware going bad, etc.... Now I understand that there are a lot of options for me on this stuff, but as I stated a bit ago, I don't really know much... So any help provided in telling me which is better than the rest or what is better in what fields (running spd, best graphics, etc.) would be great

So, here it is:

I am not sure if the computer specs from my profile will be listed automatically on here anywhere so here is everything that is not stock:

SYSTEM SPECS:

RAM: 2x 512 MB DDR 333
Videocard: VisonTek XTASY 9200 Series, 128 MB, PCI
Drive(s): Samsung CD-R/RW SW-252S and Teac DVD-ROM DV-516GA
Hard Disk(s): 250 GB External (sorry, no idea the company or anything)

Information you might need to know:

-It is mainly a gaming PC. I do lots of other minor things online and such, and occasionally I will watch DVDs on it.
-I have successfully run LOTS of games on this computer in the state it is in; games like: Counter-Strike, Day of Defeat, Half-Life, Counter-Strike:Source, Half-Life 2, City of Heroes, City of Villains, Diablo 2, Warcraft 3, Dawn of War and many others.
-I have programs like Object Desktop with WindowBlinds, Right-Click, Bootskin, Logon Studio, etc. constantly running in the background.
-I leave my computer on as much as i possibly can. I really only shut it off when im rebooting because of updates and other similar things.
-In case you don't know, this computer's hardware is all On-Board (or so I have been told).

Now... On to my questions.


Questions:

I would like to know if there is a graphics card that I could get that is better than the one I currently have installed that would greater improve my gameplay?

Also, whether or not it would also improve if I were to take out the RAM and make it 1.5 or 2 GB?

I would like a new case... Mainly for two reasons, One, so I can have sumthing that looks a lot sexier and so my friends don't know I have a crappy computer when they come over and look at it And two, so that I may put my other 40 GB external HDD and anything I may purchase in the future into the computer. Now, with that case I need it so that I may transfer everything from this Dell case to that one without mishaps; basically to where everything is still usable. If for some reason this can not be done, please inform me of what my options are. The case is not as important as my gaming pleasure

I would also like to know if replacing the MB would do any good for my gaming; and if so, which one to buy (to go in a different case). Please keep in mind that my budget is kinda low, so I can't go buying great big ol' MBs that were designed for God himself Also... There are a LOT of programs on my computer that I still use that I have paid for online, but unfortunately I don't have any idea where the .exe's are for them, or I dont know the name of it, or whatever the problem with that I may have with not being able to reinstall them should anything happen to them. So if i would have to back up everything and then wipe my HDD, or Re-Install Windows or install another one, I don't know if that would mess with those programs still properly running.

If there is anything else you need to know, don't hesitate to ask me. I will be checking this thread as often as posible to see if there are any replies.

Also... My older brother is a Double-Agent for the Geek Squad at Best-Buy and is a Certified Microsoft Professional; so if there is anything you want me to refer to him for, please let me know. Normally I ask him any questions I have, but I figured since I bug him all the time about my computer, and since I found this great forum, I'd ask here first

Thanks,
Alan

P.S. Sorry if i incuded any unimportant information. I am just trying to be as thourough as possible.

 

[vnf4ultra]

I would like to know if there is a graphics card that I could get that is better than the one I currently have installed that would greater improve my gameplay?

The x1550 is the best out now.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814103031

Also, whether or not it would also improve if I were to take out the RAM and make it 1.5 or 2 GB?

In cases where the system could use more than 1gb, then yes, it'd be faster. On xp, 1gb is pretty good, for vista though it's marginal.

I would like a new case...

Your dell has a micro atx board, so any micro atx or atx case will fit the motherboard. You may not be able to get the new case's front usb/audio(assuming the new case has this) to work with the dell board however. It might require a little modding to get the new case's power button connector to fit the dell front panel connector as well, but it's doable.

I would also like to know if replacing the MB would do any good for my gaming; and if so, which one to buy (to go in a different case).

Yes, going to a board with agp or pci-e will let you get cards that are much faster than pci.
Here's one that supports pci-e(the newest/fastest type of card), but also supports your current cpu, ram, etc.
http://www.mwave.com/mwave/skusearch.hmx?SCriteria=BA23565&CartID=done&nextloc=
Then, instead of paying $100 usd for a x1550(low end) you could get a 7600gt (mid range), for the same price, which is a lot faster. Note, if you replace the motherboard, legally you should purchase a new copy of xp or vista, as the os is tied to the motherboard, and to microsoft, new motherboard=new computer, which means a new copy of windows is "needed." This would mean if you don't have original media or the copy of the install file, you'd lose the program, since you'd be installing a new copy.

Hopefully this is helpful.

 

[Kalminfyn]

Decisions as of yet...

Yes. Your information is VERY helpful vnf4ultra. I have for now decided just to keep my MB. But I am wondering if it would be worth the money to purchase that videocard you suggested... Would it make much of a difference in video quiality and/or speed for games like City of Heroes and Counter-Strike:Source?

Also, I have found a case that I think would be quite nice; especially if I ever decide to actually get a new MB and add lots of fun extras. I read all the reviews and it seems to be quite a reliable case for the money. What do you think of this one? I see that my current MB will fit into it. Will everything else that is stock in my computer fit aswell? Another question: What other supplies would I need to purchase for this case if I were to buy it? I know I need a power supply for it... What specs does it require? I have no idea where to find that information.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811208022

Thanks Again,
Alan

 

[vnf4ultra]

I can't say whether it'd be "worth it" to buy it, it depends, since it's kind of a "value judgement." It would definitely be an upgrade, as it's faster, and two ati generations newer, so it has newer features/technologies. I can't find any direct comparisons of the 9200 to the x1550, but the x1550 is faster than the pci 6200, which is faster than a 9550, which is faster than a 9200.

That's a pretty nice case. Your parts should work fine. If you aren't reusing your current power supply, then look for an atx power supply with either a 20 or 20+4 main power connector. I'd look for a reputable make(preferably a model with positive reviews), in the range of 350w-450w, just for room for expansion.
Here's one that seems to be frequently recommended, and is a pretty good value.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817104953

As far as parts you'll need, you'll probably need two longer ata cables, as the dell cables are very short.
Something like this.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16812183032

Also, since the dell cpu heatsink has no fan(it relies on the case fan and duct), you should probably get a new heatsink that has its own fan. Maybe something like this (there are better ones out there, but this should be easier to install than most).
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835150033
Zalman makes some good coolers that will work, but require more work to install...

That's all I can think of that you'd need extra, but I probably forgot something...

Let me know if you need any more help if you do the install, I'd be glad to help if I can.

 

[Tugaboo2]

Dell Dimension 2400

Hate to jump in but I also have a 2004 Dell dimension 2400 that has a slow time keeping up with emails, games, web pages--wanted to put a 1gb memory upgrade into it--anyone know if I need to remove the old memory--or will it run together?
Thanks so much
Carla

 

[vnf4ultra]

It probably would be best if you started your own thread, but I'll answer anyway.

Your system has two memory slots, and what you can do depends if you have one or two filled right now. If you have one slot open you can put another stick in without removing the existing memory. If you have both full, then you'd have to remove one, or both sticks to add more.

Instructions to add memory.
http://support.dell.com/support/edocs/systems/dim2400/en/sm_en/memory.htm#1105837

You need ddr ram of the ddr333 type, the largest stick capacity you can use is 512mb and the most memory the system can use is 1gb (2 x 512mb).
http://support.dell.com/support/edocs/systems/dim2400/en/sm_en/specs.htm