old AMD-K6 3D processor & memory

I am probably going to buy an ASUS z70va with Blue Tooth and DVI.

I mostly use my laptop but I have an old desk top that I use on occasion adn probably will start using more now. I wasn't planning to replace it this year as the expense of the laptop will be more than enough for me to handle.

So I planned to use it primarily for the internet and some word processing, maybe some picture management but maybe more (no gaming). The OS crashed and I reformatted and it now has WIn98SE and is spanking clean.

So I tried to load Norton Internet Security, which I have and use on my laptop and it took 4 hours of troubleshooting. I finally got it on and the computer moved like molassas.

And then I discovered that my Desktop ONLY HAS 56MB od RAM!!!

Since it always funtcioned fine, I had completely forgotten about it. (It was free -- I got it during that period they were experimentg with giving free PC's if you would tolerate ads on your screen. I received it just before the program folded and I never had to do the ad thing.)

What do people think about my adding RAM memory? How much? I was thinking 512 MB. Can I get RAM for this computer anyway given the old processor?

The hard drive also has a whopping 4 gigs. I think I might be using the desktop more now that I am back living in the US. I stopped using it for several years b/c I was living 3/4 time in Europe until recently.

I guess what I am really asking, given the processor, should I spend any money on up-grading the RAM and Hard Drive?

New Egg is having a sale on a half gig of RAM for $40 but I am clueless whether it could work on my PC. All the hard drives are over 100 bucks.

The cheapest new desktop I seem to be able to find (but did not search too hard) was $400 for an emachine at circuit city running celeron and seems not to even have an OS. I don't relish plunking down real money for something I will really not want in a year from now.

The alternative is to find an antivirus program that is not such a memory hog as Norton, preferably for free.

Anyone have any suggestions? I am all ears!

(Sorry for a desk top question but it is sort of related...and I really value people thoughts here and it seems a lot of people have desktops along with their laptops.)

 

Hmmm....

It wont be worth upgrading the RAM + HD.

You could always bring the laptop around with you, I was wondering what's stopping you from doing that. The extra $400~ or so could be well invested into the laptop.

 

I have no idea why I want a second computer. I know I could get a docking station if I was really hepped on working at a desk top envronment. But I know I like the option of two different ones and before when I was living here, I would go back and forth between the two (and sometimes work on two at the saem time, as I do in my office, as I am right now --with both my laptop and my office desktop on.) And I find myself doing that again.

In the meantime, my office computer is being upgraded and I was looking into whether I could get my old office desktop.

However, it does not seem much more powerful -- perhaps b/c it is networked in -- it has an x86 Family Model 8 Strping 6 AT/AT compatible processor (I have no idea what that is --does anyone?) and only 260 MB of RAM and on a 9 GIG hard drive. It has a CD-ROM and a Floppy drive, which is what my desk top at home has.

I have no idea what processor that is on it. And I would probably want to still up the memory if possible. Maybe not the hard drive because i realize I have an 80 gig external hardrive (a maxtor that works with Win98SE) that I have been using primarily for back-up purposes. But there is no reason I cannot use it for Hardrive space if I need it.

So Anyone know about this processor on my desk top in school? How does it compare to the processor at home. Either way, I will probably want ot upgrade the memory if it is possible which would only be about $50 --not too bad.

 

Sounds like a Pentium II. I've got one at work too.

Yes, the computer with the 56MB of ram is not worth upgrading. The RAM alone would probably be expensive, since it's probably PC100 or PC66, and it would cost more than the computer is worth.

 

The Model 8 Stepping 6 should be a P3 CPU.

Mine is a P3-800Mhz CPU:
Family 6
Model 8
Stepping 6

This should be more than enough to run Windows 98 or even XP (260MB of memory is fine for running XP). I wouldn't bother adding more memory to your old computer unless you really want to keep it.

A notebook may do you better as it is portable. Not just that, but it's also faster than what you currently have and should last you for the next little while (speed wise).

-Vb-