I need advice on upgrading old PC

15/11/01 | me

[winslow]

Just wondered if anyone can help.
I have an old Packard Bell pulsar 20 which I recently bought second hand. It badly needs more RAM and I wondered if anyone can tell us what type of RAM I should be looking for.
I did a search and only got a reult off 1 site so I want to doublecheck it. As far as I know I'm looking for Pc66 standard SD RAM 168pin Dimm. Does that sound right. Also just wondered if it is possible to upgrade hard drive.

[GingisK]

Junk it. Go buy a new computer. Check out the prices at:

http://www.pricewatch.com/

[Bubba_Leroy]

I have to agree. Packard Hell's were notoriously poorly constructed PCs. See, for example, http://www.geocities.com/SoHo/2439/pb4.htm

You can buy a new PC for a lot less than the cost of upgrading an old one.

[Illbay]

If it TRULY uses the PC66 SDRAM standard, then you can just put PC100 or PC133 in it, and should have no problems. I have heard that there are some old motherboard chipsets that aren't truly "standard" and can't handle the newer RAM, but I've never actually seen that to be the case. Usually they are forward compatible.

RAM's so cheap now, I wouldn't hesistate to go buy a bunch and try it out (I recently bought 512 MB--that's right: A HALF-GIG--for about $70!).

The other problem you'll have to deal with is that it may have a disappointingly low limit on the amount of RAM it can handle--I've seen some machines that can only handle something like 352MB or even 256.

Finally, the BIOS is probably pretty old, and proprietary, and not susceptible to upgrading. The newer OSes, like Windows 2000 and XP, won't like that, as there are some things like ASPI compliance that they insist upon.

Good luck, and FReepmail me if you have any other questions.

[winslow]

I definitely feel like throwing it out, but at the moment things are tight so I'll have to suffer for another few months.

[balrog666]

I have to agree with them other fellas...

Yeah, you can put a brand new carburator on the straight-6 in that '62 Ford pickup truck. Yall might notice a difference but no one else will.

[TomServo]

I wouldn't junk it. It's still pretty useful.

As a doorstop. ;-)

[mad_as_he$$]

Packard Bell isn't around anymore for good reason. junk it Dell has new stuff for incredilbe prices. If go ahead be prepared for a struggle.imo BTW I used to upgrade stuff along the way and have a great deal of tuition in on that process. I don't bother anymore...

[Oldeconomybuyer]

Assuming you only want the PC for basic use, memory and hard drives are fairly simple to upgrade. BE SURE to get the correct memory - there are several websites that can help you. Hard drives are pretty cheap these days and a snap to install. Note you can "daisy chain" hard drives if you have an available drive bay. This will let you KEEP the existing drive (and data).

Since you bought the PC used it may NOT have the original motherboard so the model number on the outside of the system may not be what you have "under the hood". This could change the type of memory you really need. You may want to take a look inside to see if you can get model/serial numbers off the actual motherboard.

Finally, Best Buy has stores all over the country and used to sell Packard Bells. They often have FREE INSTALLATION sales and always offer installations at a modest price. I suggest you let a pro handle the upgrade if you are "screwdriver challenged".

Good luck!

[alloysteel]

Use it for a paperweight, and get an old manual Remington Royal typewriter. It has greater memory and is way more reliable.

[Gorzaloon]

Even if a person bought a used trade-in from a small computer store or in the want ads for $200 or so they would be better off than with a Packard Bell. There is not much to be done to save one. I got to the point years ago that no matter how good a friend it was, I flatly refused to open the case if I saw that word on the front. Opening the case of a Packard Bell is like being the first to arrive at a bad accident..you do NOT want to look, but you HAVE to.

[mad_as_he$$]

lol very true....

[Revolting cat!]

I'm sorry to hear you cannot junk it for a while (after that give up on proprietary brand name junk that, as you can plainly see, is not upgradeable - build your own. There was an excellent thread on this topic last night. Let me know if you cannot find it) In the meantime, see if you can persuade others to junk their Packard Bells so that you can cannibalize them for parts. I am only half joking - people do throw away old computers literally on the street, and if you can somehow locate one (usenet? craigslist.com?) perhaps you can find usable components.

[Citizen of the Savage Nation]

Then you should probably wait a little longer until you can do it, you can save money by keeping your old monitor, keyboard and mouse, but definitely dump the system and rebuild from the case up. $400 can get you a mighty good system, that's case, power supply, motherboard+CPU+RAM+onboard sound, DVD, floppy, and decent video. Check Newegg often for the latest, best prices.

[Havisham]

That sort of memory is too expensive to upgrade. I got a Micron Celeron with everything except the cd burner for under $600 at Costco last Spring. You really don't have to pay more.

[NonZeroSum]

I wouldn't junk it. It's still pretty useful. As a doorstop. ;-)

It would probably be OK as a Linux firewall. I've got an old 486-DX33 that can do that just fine.

[Lazamataz]

Try a new woofer, it will improve the flow greatly. Also, make sure to replace the timing belt or you might lose some resolution at more than 200 yards.

[HamiltonJay]

JUNK IT and go bulid your own system, you can put together a system that is current generation of CPU etc for well under $500 (2-300 if you know what you are doing) Fighting to make that packard bell run well enough for you is not going to be worth your effort.