HP A6130N (yeah, it's old) ?'s

[Gtracer]

I recently pulled this bad boy out of the closet and wiped it clean, installed Win7 and put Sims3 on it for my wife to play.

The other night, it took a long time for the game to save her character's that she had created. I feel that maybe I need a little more RAM as this computer will be used for Sims only.

I also want to put a new video card in it that will accept HDMI but do not want to have to upgrade the PSU if I don’t have too.

Trying to save money and spend no more than $200 honestly. What are ya'lls opinions on the upgrade/parts?

[mustang_revival]

buy her an android tablet for the 200

[Tx Redneck]

+1 for m_r post

Saved and Texan by the Grace of God, Redneck by choice.

[Gtracer]

buy her an android tablet for the 200

Already have one. I also already have two laptops but they are used for different purposes. I am tired of her playing these Facebook games amongst other games and getting viruses on the computers I use to pay bills.

Hence the reason for my question, this will be her computer that will not ever be used to access any of out personal data. I want to ensure she has a good experience.

Edit: I also have Norton on everyone of my computers and the definitions are ALWAYS updated every chance I get. The laptops still managed (this last time) to get viruses that will not even allow me to log onto the computer. I have fixed this but lost a few things in the process...I do not want to go through it again

[Tx Redneck]

Create a limited user acct just for her gaming purposes. It won't have sufficient rights to allow a virus installation.

Edit:I'll take that two hundy off your hands...
Saved and Texan by the Grace of God, Redneck by choice.

[mustang_revival]

And set her up on Firefox with No script running.


As far as upgrades - What are the specs on it now?

Original HD , if so - good money spend on a SSD drive.

[Gtracer]

Create a limited user acct just for her gaming purposes. It won't have sufficient rights to allow a virus installation.

Saved and Texan by the Grace of God, Redneck by choice.

Got it...however,
The PC version of the game plays differently than on the Laptops according to her...hence the reason I ask, what video card do ya'll recommend and I assume I will just buy some DDR2 sticks and pop em' in.

I did take A+/N+ back in school but do not use it at all so I have been out of the know for awhile on hardware and what not.

[Gtracer]

And set her up on Firefox with No script running.


As far as upgrades - What are the specs on it now?

Original HD , if so - good money spend on a SSD drive.

I have the originall HDD as well as an aftermarket I put in awhile back. It is basically OEM other than the HDD and a Wirless NIC card I put in.

This is HP's website which contains the stats:

http://h10025.www1.hp.com/ewfrf/wc/document?cc=us&lc=en&docname=c01050235

I see how much I can add as they specify it out to the right of each category. I am however, unsure of good quality brands out there that provide a decent "bang for your buck".

[Tx Redneck]

I too, run Norton, but at the rate malware writers are going, no traditional a/v will keep a pc completely secure. I suspect in the next 12-18months,most vendors will implement an exe whitelist layer as the first line of defense as opposed to the blacklist approach they currently use.

Saved and Texan by the Grace of God, Redneck by choice.

[Gtracer]

I too, run Norton, but at the rate malware writers are going, no traditional a/v will keep a pc completely secure. I suspect in the next 12-18months,most vendors will implement an exe whitelist layer as the first line of defense as opposed to the blacklist approach they currently use.

Saved and Texan by the Grace of God, Redneck by choice.

I tell you, virus' and software interference are the two reasons I would rather throw a computer out the window opposed to fixing it...but then I realize my wallet is empty, so in the closet the computer goes...lol

For some reason computers frustrate me which is why I had to leave the cert's I was studying for behind. I almost am to the point that I will go out and just buy a pre-built rig to prevent any additional stress.

So many options on parts and stuff, it can be overwhelming in a way

[mustang_revival]

ok so current H/W - 3GB RAM, Dual 2.6 GHZ Proc..

That's pretty decent, I would go -
1) Video Card (make sure what slots you have open)
2) SSD OS drive (keep your data drive/s if you want)
3) As much RAM as it will hold/you can afford.

[Gtracer]

ok so current H/W - 3GB RAM, Dual 2.6 GHZ Proc..

That's pretty decent, I would go -
1) Video Card (make sure what slots you have open)
2) SSD OS drive (keep your data drive/s if you want)
3) As much RAM as it will hold/you can afford.

Any brands you recommend? I know G-Force or Radeon are good Video cards but what about RAM? Any companies I should try to steer clear of?

[Tx Redneck]

If it has a 400watt PSU, you could run this for he games and be HUGE overkill. http://www.microcenter.com/product/3...x16_Video_Card

Credit to roliath on the card.

[Ratt]

I too, run Norton, but at the rate malware writers are going, no traditional a/v will keep a pc completely secure. I suspect in the next 12-18months,most vendors will implement an exe whitelist layer as the first line of defense as opposed to the blacklist approach they currently use.

Saved and Texan by the Grace of God, Redneck by choice.

Kaspersky already does this, and that's why we recommend it to clients.

[Tx Redneck]

Kaspersky already does this, and that's why we recommend it to clients.

They're about 2yrs behind PCMatic by PC Pitstop.

Saved and Texan by the Grace of God, Redneck by choice.