PC upgrade advice.

[N2O]

Pardon me if this is not the right place to post this.

Lately, my PC is failing a bit too often.  For example, it can't read my HD, or it will suddenly get a BSOD.  Unplugging and replugging cables sometimes doesn't work.  I think it's because my PC is about 4-5 years old now.  I'm not too savvy about PCs, but I think upgrading or replacing a part or two might solve the problem.  What do you guys think?

[Saras]

If you sport a WD drive, get Acronis if not use either the manufacturers provided software or something general like tune up utilities to check whether the hard drive has been shot.


And yes, replacing that, which is broken, tends to fix problems.

[buchno]

The next time you get a BSOD, take note what the error message is and check for it in this database.
For example, if you get "0x00000024", you likely have a memory problem.

[N2O]

As far as I remember, the BSODs vary.  I have a picture of one, though.  It had a '0x000000D1'.

Now that Saras mentioned it, maybe my HD is faulty.  I never thought about it since everything works fine when it doesn't fail.  I was thinking it was something else, like that IDE cable or the motherboard.

[xyx]

Please tell me your motherboard specifications, socket, what ddr it supports

Also, do you have a budget in mind?

i could build you a good and complete gaming computer (rig) for around 500 euros, maybe less.

[ConsiderPhlebas]

At that age, unless totally being out of funds, I'd replace rather than repair.

[rostheferret]

If you have an old HDD lying around somewhere, try plugging that in for a while. Just load up windows on it and some basic essentials - a browser for example - and see if the problem is fixed. If it is, you know what you need to replace. It could also be the cable as you initially thought, though I usually hear about HDD failing before the cable does.

As for the repair vs replace argument, aside from the BSOD, are you happy with the computers performance? Does it do what it needs to? If so, then I wouldn't bother upgrading anything more than what you need to fix it. Some people seem far too upgrade happy, needing the latest line of processors or graphics card. Believe it or not, you don't need a quad core processor and GTX670 to run an internet browser. That said, the fact that it uses an IDE cable and not a SATA... well that's probably an indicator for an upgrade Jeez, haven't seen an IDE cable for years... Can you still get HDDs that use IDE?

[OnDeed]

A faulty HDD can indeed lead to BSODs. I'd say that is your prime suspect, since you mentioned other trouble with the disk.

Actually I haven't seen many any motherboards that would really "get unstable" due to being old and processors also seldom fail (and I have 8-10 years old stuff around). I don't overclock though, so maybe that's why my stuff doesn't get busted?

[megido-rev.M]

At that age, unless totally being out of funds, I'd replace rather than repair.

+1
Not to mention the difference in tech after 4-5 years.

[N2O]

I've talked with others about my computer.  They also think I should try changing my HD first.  Thanks for the opinion, guys.  That's what I'm going to do then.

Now that I've thought long about it, I just want this problem fixed.  My computer is performing very well with whatever I run.  I guess I was so peeved with this frequent problem, I could only think of upgrading as a solution...

And today, I've checked with a few computer shops.  Not one of them sells HDs that use IDE cables .

[rostheferret]

And today, I've checked with a few computer shops.  Not one of them sells HDs that use IDE cables .

I'm pretty sure IDE cables were phased out some 10 years ago. You can get an adapter for it though.

[kitamesume]

full specs of the PC and what type of parts are they would help, its even possible that theres just a few things loose thats causing the errors.
edit: a printscreen of HardwareINFO would also make things easier.

(click to show/hide)

eitherway yeah a full upgrade would save you a bit more than repairs, unless that rig's a Q9650 then i doubt you can get a replacement below $700.

edit1: you can actually find IDE cables and HDDs from repair shops, they usually not for sale but some are kind enough to sell you one.
edit2: ohh and time to take that thing apart down to the last screws <3 dust build ups can short things if they're dense enough.

[nstgc]

If its 4-5 years old, I would just build (or buy) a new one. They aren't that expensive. i had a computer that I was constantly replacing parts. After a while its not worth it. In my opinion, that's at the 6 year mark, even if nothing is original. If you haven't been upgrading constantly, then now isn't the time to start.

[rostheferret]

If its 4-5 years old, I would just build (or buy) a new one. They aren't that expensive. i had a computer that I was constantly replacing parts. After a while its not worth it. In my opinion, that's at the 6 year mark, even if nothing is original. If you haven't been upgrading constantly, then now isn't the time to start.

But that's entirely down to the machines purpose. You know what spec the PC is I use at work is? I'll give you a hint, it still uses DDR ram. Not DDR2, not DDR3, but DDR. And it works fine. It does it's job. It's running what it needs to, and aside from the occasional bottleneck when carrying out a search function, doesn't need an upgrade. I know people have a tendency to want the latest performance improvements, but it's often not necessary. Is a 10 second startup time decrease going to improve your life? Will that new processor really enhance your Google Chrome experience? When it no longer performs as you would like, it's time to start thinking about upgrading.

[kitamesume]

actually if you think about it, 4-5years ago was Nehalem's release date. though the IDE socket points out that the unit is a bit older than that.

[nstgc]

If its 4-5 years old, I would just build (or buy) a new one. They aren't that expensive. i had a computer that I was constantly replacing parts. After a while its not worth it. In my opinion, that's at the 6 year mark, even if nothing is original. If you haven't been upgrading constantly, then now isn't the time to start.

But that's entirely down to the machines purpose. You know what spec the PC is I use at work is? I'll give you a hint, it still uses DDR ram. Not DDR2, not DDR3, but DDR. And it works fine. It does it's job. It's running what it needs to, and aside from the occasional bottleneck when carrying out a search function, doesn't need an upgrade. I know people have a tendency to want the latest performance improvements, but it's often not necessary. Is a 10 second startup time decrease going to improve your life? Will that new processor really enhance your Google Chrome experience? When it no longer performs as you would like, it's time to start thinking about upgrading.

If it was merely an issue of performance I wouldn't say that you should build or buy a new computer every 6 years. Its a reliability issue. I found that after that time period things start acting weird. The the thread creator is having problems, its not worth fixing. It would be cheaper, and easier to just make a new computer. If you don't care about performance thats fine. Buy a $300 computer, but don't try to spend $500 fixing the one you have, and then find out a year or two later it needs another $500 worth of work.

[kitamesume]

^the issue is the specs, if it was indeed a Q9650 it would be quite a downgrade for going with a pentium 2020 for a 400$ build, although an i3 wouldn't be such a downgrade.
i5-3330 would be the minimum upgrade over an Q9650.

[rostheferret]

If its 4-5 years old, I would just build (or buy) a new one. They aren't that expensive. i had a computer that I was constantly replacing parts. After a while its not worth it. In my opinion, that's at the 6 year mark, even if nothing is original. If you haven't been upgrading constantly, then now isn't the time to start.

But that's entirely down to the machines purpose. You know what spec the PC is I use at work is? I'll give you a hint, it still uses DDR ram. Not DDR2, not DDR3, but DDR. And it works fine. It does it's job. It's running what it needs to, and aside from the occasional bottleneck when carrying out a search function, doesn't need an upgrade. I know people have a tendency to want the latest performance improvements, but it's often not necessary. Is a 10 second startup time decrease going to improve your life? Will that new processor really enhance your Google Chrome experience? When it no longer performs as you would like, it's time to start thinking about upgrading.

If it was merely an issue of performance I wouldn't say that you should build or buy a new computer every 6 years. Its a reliability issue. I found that after that time period things start acting weird. The the thread creator is having problems, its not worth fixing. It would be cheaper, and easier to just make a new computer. If you don't care about performance thats fine. Buy a $300 computer, but don't try to spend $500 fixing the one you have, and then find out a year or two later it needs another $500 worth of work.

I've never really had this. Sure, some components go belly up on occasion, but for the most part the reason for things going funny is very simple to fix. Issues like loose cables, too much dust clogging up the works, or too much crap installed on your computer slowing it down to a crawl. I've never had a computer catastrophically die on me to the point everything needed replacing. We have a PC downstairs that still runs on a Pentium 4. Must be a good 12 years old, at least, and it still works fine. Granted, it's a bit slow, and if I actually needed it I'd probably start over with Ubuntu or something, but it still works. Through (working) parts I had lying around I built the best part of a new PC and sold it to a friend for fifty quid. Some of those components must be knocking a good 8 years now but he still uses that without issue. What the hell are you doing to your PCs to break it beyond repair?

[kitamesume]

dad is still on a pentium3, he bought it 2nd hand around 10years ago. i'm guessing its a good 15years old now. never really had to do anything on it, no repairs at all.
all he does is C# and VB on it and thats pretty much it.

edit: speaking of durabilities, its surprising how harddrives 10years ago are so freaking durable than harddrives of today *cough*seagate 1TB+ dying in less than a year*cough*.

[OnDeed]

Well, as far as I can tell, no specs of the computer were posted, but one thing: SATA ports were on motherboards since 2003. The fact that your PC is atm using an IDE (PATA) drive doesn'T mean that there aren't SATA ports on the motherboard too.

I bought an A7V600-X in 2004 and the thing has two (but back then, people would usually buy IDE disks since those were cheaper). Lately I saw a PC with working Abit board and Pentium 4 in trash (guessing the components were about 10 years old) and there was also a pair of unused SATA ports on that motherboard.