Belarc Advisor (the analyzer program) says my computer (about 3 years old) is running at:
2433 megahertz Intel Pentium 4
8 kilobyte primary memory cache
512 kilobyte secondary memory cache
It runs great and seems fairly fast (Intel Mommaboard) but I was curious as to how it compares to 2006 computers?
Also, what does 2433 megahertz mean?
Also have 80 gig harddrive.
Am I due for an upgrade?
Thanks in advance.
You are only due for an upgrade if there is something that you need it to do that it can’t currently do well. Computer hardware needs slowed down in the past few years because the dominant operating system, Windows XP, has been in widespread use for over 5 years now. That has given hardware a chance to hit a bit of a lull. The release of Windows Vista later this year should push things ahead in short order.
2433 megahertz is a 2.4 ghz CPU clock speed and isn’t too shabby. More recent comparisons are complicated because CPU makers are going to “dual-core” processors where there are actually two or more little hearts am the same chip beating away. They may run at about the same speed as yours but the architecture is very different. OTOH, most software today doesn’t know how to fully utilize dual-core chips so the advantages are mixed. Single core clock-speeds have reached about 4 ghz for comparison.
There is nothing to be ashamed of and you can probably wait awhile for an upgrade if you don’t see a pressing need.
I should add that an 80 gigabyte harddrive is a bit small these days but you only need a bigger one if you have used up most of your existing one. A hard drive several times the size can be had for $120 or so and is easy to add. RAM is also rather cheap and easy to add if you want an upgrade. You should definitely get more if you have less than 1 gigabyte of RAM currently.
Thanks Shagnasty, I have currently 512 Megabytes Installed Memory and need to go the next step higher. My hard drive capacity is fine for what I need, or probably ever need!
Can you recommend an on-line place to buy memory?
The OP might look into the access time and data-rate of that HD as well. Processor speeds have gotten so fast that HD speed is frequently a bottleneck to performance, and a modern, faster, HD can be a fairly cheap upgrade, but beware that while cheap, you need to migrate all your shinola to the new drive, so it is not without pain.
That said, you said the system “seems fast” so why bother spending money to upgrade something that is apparently serving your needs well already?
About the only thing to look at upgrading would be the video - what was a screaming fast and expensive video card three years ago is probably going to be the raw minimum for the effects like transparent windows to work in Vista.
As for memory, 512 is a bare minimum these days, and yes, 1 GB is better. Have a look at www.crucial.com - they’ve got a wizard where you plug in the brand and model of the PC, and they’ll tell you what you need.
But, the bigger question will be if you want to upgrade this PC in bits and parts and hope it runs well when (if?) you decide to switch to Vista, or just wait it out and buy a new PC later. If the thing is working fine for you now, you’re really not due for upgrading, unless you’re the type that starts quivering with excitement every time Intel bumps the processor speed another 2%. 