Upgrading my computer

[nathanlowe]

Right, i am currently on a wireless network. I have a network card which is getting signals from the router. The downstairs computer which is connected to the internet is running at 4mbps.
I understand, that my computer isnt going to run as fast as the downstairs one because im on wireless. Even though they are both 1.80 ghz, the wired computer seems a lot faster.

I would like to know what i could buy to make my ( wireless ) computer better. Here are my specs.
Amd sempron 3100 + 1.81ghz
222mb ram
NVIDIA Gforce 6100 graphics card ( it was under display in dxdiag, didnt say graphics but)
Realtech ac97 audio
I have an emachines 15 inch flat moniter ( would love an ace widescreen moniter)
Small rubbish speakers which came with computer and are not very loud.

Now i would love some upgrades of all them, but dont have a clue. I also need some verbatim dvd -r discs for ps2 backing up and a packet of 50 cds. Cheap but as good as possible.

I dont want to spend spend spend. This would all be christmas presents. I am going to say about £200, whatever i can get for that is great.

I will be using this computer for downloading with bitcomet mostly. Today i got a 215kbps average on a 1.5gb file. I would love to get better download speeds.
I have a belkin high speed mode wireless G desktop network card and a wireless G router which is also belkin.
They are both capable of running 125mbps which is 2.4ghz it says on the front.
My wireless network connection and belkin symbol mostly always say running at 125 mbps. I did a speed test and got on my computer the wireless one i got 3926 kbps dl speed. For uploading, it stayed on 393.7 for ages and then right at the end it stayed at 246.2 kbps.
On the wired computer i got 4056 kbps download speed and 394.1 kbps upload speed.

THANKS

 

[THEpiGUY]

This would probably be a better processor than the Sempron you have in your computer right now. I'm not sure if Newegg ships overseas, but if they do, it's about £78. That's assuming that your Sempron processor is 754-pin; if it's not, you need to let me know. Also, more RAM would definitely help. I think I need to know what kind of motherboard you have before I know what RAM for you to get, it may not support PC3200, but I don't know. Chances are, you'll need something like this, which is also ~£78. 1GB, or if you can afford it, 2GB of RAM would make your system perform better. 222MB is kinda low by today's standards. And though your integrated graphics card is not great, that won't affect download speeds at all, so you shouldn't need to worry about that.

But I know nothing as far as wireless networking goes. It might be your router, but there's no way I can really tell; they all look the same to me (for the most part). What's above is if you want to upgrade your computer speeds, and that's just assuming that that is indeed the problem.

Plus, one final thing, you might want to wait a little while and see if this is all compatible. It looks like it to me, but since I don't know your motherboard, I can't really tell yet. And even if I did, I still make careless mistakes. I have limited knowledge about 754-processors, so wait for some comments, if you will.

Hope this helps a little bit...

EDIT: If you're looking for both DVD-R discs and CD disks, you should be able to find a 50-pk of CD's at a local retail store. As for the Verbatim discs, I found a site (that I've never heard of; looks authentic though) that sells them for $0.32 per disc, roughly £0.17. You can check the specs there; I'm not sure how good they are. It looks as if you can get up to 50 of them. Again, I don't know if they ship overseas.

 

[nathanlowe]

Thankyou, do you know what the programme is what tells you your type of motherboard ? Or can i find out on my computer somehow ?

 

[THEpiGUY]

umm...CPU-Z should tell you everything you need to know about your motherboard. That's all I can think of.

There's 3 tabs that I want to see:
1. CPU: Look where it says "Package" Socket XXX. I need to know that number.
2. Mainboard: Manufacturer and Model would be nice. But as much information about the MOTHERBOARD (not the BIOS or the Graphic Interface) would really be nice.
3. SPD: As much info you can give. I'm mainly looking at "Max Bandwidth," "Registered," and "Buffered," though the Manufacturer and the Part Number would be nice too just for reference.

If you want to make it easier on me and yourself, feel free to take screenshots of it rather than typing it out. I just need "CPU" "Mainboard" and "SPD" (I'm assuming these tabs are universal; that they're the same on all systems)


EDIT: About Newegg being US only: Just look for the same part numbers for the processor (3400+, 2.4GHz; 754 pin) and memory that is (I think, I still need mobo info to be absolutely positive) unbuffered and 184-pin, NOT 240-pin for sure. DDR400 (PC3200) would probably be the best if it works with your computer. CAS timings (the first # of the ram [eg. 2-2-2-5]) of 2 will help performance, but I'm not sure exactly how much. I haven't seen too much of an increase since I set mine from 3 to 2, but my SuperPi times have dropped a little bit. If you're on a budget, feel free to get one with 3, though 2 does definitely perform slightly better. If you can give me any UK sites, I'd be happy to locate the parts for you.

 

[nathanlowe]

How do i do screenshots and post them here ?

 

[Chainer]

Want to make your internet connection faster?

Get at least 1GB of RAM, and purchase a fast G-Router (108mbps) or the new Wireless-N technology (3x faster than a FAST g-Router). You will need to buy an adapter accordingly for those 2 technologies as well.

Everything else you wouldn't have to worry about. You could always get yourself a nice BIG monitor If ya need one, let me know! Dell makes some pretty good monitors these days!

 

[nathanlowe]

My router can run up to 125 mbps though and so can my network card, so why would i need another ?

 

[Chainer]

My router can run up to 125 mbps though and so can my network card, so why would i need another ?

Just to think that the part of your post that I missed, HAD to do with the router and card themselves. LOL Sorry about that man.

But do take the advice and get yourself a 1 Gig stick of memory.

 

[nathanlowe]

Thanks.
how do i do screenshots and post em on here.

 

[Chainer]

Thanks.
how do i do screenshots and post em on here.

Go to download.com and search for a screenshot program there. That should have a few choices.