So, I have a problem. I have three computers and a decision to make. In my home OFFICE I need to have a desktop to run my Adobe CS3 software and connect to the internet. I have a…..

Dell Dimensions 4500
Pentium ® 4CPU 2.00 GHz 1.99 GHz
256mb of RAM
Not sure of hard drive space, but minimal I would think
It has Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition 2002

Packard Bell
Intel ® Core ™ 2 CPU 4400 @ 2.00 GHz
1022 MB of RAM
(currently just use this as a main point for the wireless router and itunes media library, indecently, if the internet is running slow on here would that mean it then runs slow on wirelessly connecting other computers, such as my laptop?)

Dell XPS M1210
Genuine Intel ® CPU T2400 @ 1.83 GHz
1.8 GHz, 1.00 GB of RAM
It says it uses 1536mb for virtual memory
( I currently run my Adobe on this, but it is so so slow, especially if I have anything else open. Adobes website says I need 2GB of RAM?!!)

Is it going to be best to upgrade my Dell Dimensions desktop, and if so I figure I need to put on about 1.5GB of RAM. Will this all fit on the motherboard? It comes as cards doesn’t it? It also only has a Ethernet connection, so can I just use a USB plug in for the wifi?

My Packard Bell is very noisy, so I don’t want to use this really.

I also wondered about upgrading the RAM on my laptop and somehow connecting it to the 26inch screen I need to use? But my laptop gets really hot for some reason, and I will be working for about eight hours a day.

They all seem to run pretty slow at the moment, but Im figuring that none of them have enough RAM for anything really?!

All suggestions very, very welcome. Thanks very, very much.
The Packard Bell is superior to the other machines.
More RAM would help it, another GB or 2GB would be a cheap and easy upgrade. If it's too noisy you could change the cooling.
Trust me, it's by far the best option to use.Open the Packard Bell and replace the noisy fans and add a 512MG stick of RAM and that's the machine i would use...
The PSU may be the loudest fan however which would mean a new PSU...
I'm sure you're aware how many resources CS3 can gobble up.O really, I hate the retched Packard Bell, but thats great thanks. I think I will add 2 GB to it. Is there anything else I can do to improve performance? It has 351GB of Hard Drive and CS3 takes 5GB and then I will have Microsoft Office sweet and a few other bits.

Crucial.com seems to be a good cheap place to buy my RAM? Do you think? And when I get it can I put it in myself? The thought of cracking open my desktop (and my laptop, as thanks to your advise I think I will put 1GB of RAM in that) fills me with fear, but my friend tells me that Im more than capable?

Thanks very much.RAM is fairly easy to replace but a few THINGS to keep in mind:
Make sure you remove all power sources first.
Make sure you touch the metal case to discharge any static.
Make sure it is the correct RAM for your machine.
Make sure it is snapped all the way in

In the case of the laptop consult the manual before proceeding as they are all a bit different...Hi Kotsbrown,

I shudder when someone mentions Packard Bell.
They went belly up here in the US years ago and I've not seen one of their PC's in a very long time.

But if you access www (dot) crucial (dot) com from your computer (any one of them) and let Crucial scan your PC, they will tell you exactly what's installed and what you can buy to make the PC run better.

It's better to use Crucial than to just guess at what you need and maybe come up wrong. I don't buy a lot of ram from them because I have a great local source, but I use their on-line scanner to verify what size and speed of ram that I need for any particular PC.

For any kind of performance at all, any PC running Windows XP should have at least 2 gig's of ram. Sure XP will run on less, but not very well, and when you get into some heavy hitters like Adobe or AutoCad, RAM is King!

Also, when you're running a program that wants all the system resources that it can get, you really need to minimize what you've got running in the background.
You can start minimizing, by running MSCONFIG and going into the Startup tab and turning off every program that you don't absolutely HAVE to have running all the time.

I see people's PC's with twenty or thirty programs in that "RUN" list.
That's absurd! And, it will seriously impact system performance.
My own "Run" list is only three items long.

Then, with a laptop, especially, you need to keep it cool.
They were never meant to run continuously and run heavy production programs.
Never set a laptop on a soft surface like a bed, rug or even on your lap.
The air intake on the bottom will be blocked off and the lappy will overheat.
When it comes to Electronics.....HEAT KILLS!
Always set it on a hard surface and even elevate the back of it about an inch off of the surface, for better air flow.
The care and feeding of a Laptop, is a science unto itself.

I wish you all the luck, with your three computers.

Cheers mate!
The Shadow

The XPS system,

More RAM is always good no MATTER what you are doing. Now to run an external monitor you would want to make sure you have an AC adapter that is high enough to run it. For the heat, you might want to think of a cooling station for it. Especially if you are going to spend a lot of time on it.

One of the best things to do for both Dells is to go to their website and put in your service tag number. This will allow you to bring the specs up for your system configuration, and this way you will KNOW the exact limitations on your computers motherboards.

For the noise of your HP, have you cleaned it out lately with a can of air ? Sometimes the dirt will build up and cause the fans to have to work harder. But even then one of your best bets is to just get a new one. Save from any further issues that might arise.

Your best bet is to search around for the RAM, I did find some RAM at a place called Onhop as I needed to upgrade my system. And so far they are one of the lowest priced. Even when I had to pay the shipping, it still was cheaper than the local store.
Ummmm, what graphics cards are involved with these systems? (I am dreading hearing "onboard graphics"!)

As a person here used to say "the graphics card is the ONLY thing that matters". Of course, that's not true, but Proph, I mean "Anonymous", really must be celebrated for the incredible talent he thinks he is.

The graphics card in the XPS system is one of 2. By going to this site:

http://support.dell.com/support/topics/topic.aspx/ca/shared/support/product_support/en/product_support_central?c=ca&l=en&s=gen

you can put in the service tag to find out which video card you have in which system.

Hope that helps...have a great day!
Quote from: Shannon P on October 02, 2008, 09:41:48 AM

The graphics card in the XPS system is one of 2. By going to this site:

http://support.dell.com/support/topics/topic.aspx/ca/shared/support/product_support/en/product_support_central?c=ca&l=en&s=gen

you can put in the service tag to find out which video card you have in which system.

Hope that helps...have a great day!

Ummmm, what graphics cards are involved with these systems? (I am dreading hearing "onboard graphics"!)

As a person here used to say "the graphics card is the ONLY thing that matters". Of course, that's not true, but Proph, I mean "Anonymous", really must be celebrated for the incredible talent he thinks he is.