My friend "Paul" is a student at UC Davis. The specifications of his current computer are as follows:.
Pentium III 667mhz processor "Coppermine" FCPGA.
128MB ECC RAM.
Abit Voodoo3 16mb 4x AGP video card.
Western Digital 20GB 7200rpm Ultra100 HDD.
Western Digital 5GB 5400rpm HDD.
Creative Soundblaster X Gamer Live.
Sony 3.5" FDD.
48x CD-ROM.
Antec Case.
Microsoft Intellimouse Explorer v3.
Sony 17" Trinitron Display .26dp (1024x768 @ 32bit, 85hz).
Canon BJC-250 Printer.
Steve listed things he would upgrade to in order of priorioy:.
Windows XP.
1ghz CPU.
256 MB RAM.
ATI Radeon 8500 video card.
19" CRT display.
DVD-ROM.
24x CD-RW.
Since my friend has a good computer base, I see no need for a complete system overhaul. Certain components are using obsolete technology, but for his purposes, the most advanced technology is probably neither needed nor desired. My friend uses this computer for internet and school work primarily, with occasional low-demand gaming taking place. At current market prices, the listed components would be cheap to purchase and easily obtainable. I would recommend upgrading in order of priority from an online retailer. Such companies can be found on a website like pricewatch.com or pricegrabber.com.
My friend's computer is an adequate one for his purposes. His expansion needs are not as rigorous as a person who is interested in gaming, graphical work, CAD, or other computer-intense computer tasks. An online retailer would be ideal for his casual upgrade routine because of their low prices (and if ordered out of state, the absence of tax is a great thing). I recently ordered several components from the retailer newegg.com, which provides prompt, affordable shipping (usually free), and extremely low prices. Steve would be able to buy most of his upgrades (with the exception of the 19" display) for less than $400.