Mine will only accomodate 2G PC133 SDRAM. Last time I looked (several
yrs ago) a "used" 1G stick of PC133 SDRAM cost over $100USD! I jes
looked again and I can buy two new half-gig sticks fer about $20. I
still need a new box. ;)
nb

K, somehow I thought you had 8. 3GB seems like an odd amount, but I guess
it's possible. If you have 3, what I said still applies. The other poster
was saying his response time sucks, but he has only .5GB of RAM, you have
6X that.
Whatever is going on, seems most of us agree you're terrible performance
is from something software related, or possible internet connection?
Here's some more interesting news:
http://www.forbes.com/sites/gordonkelly/2016/08/18/microsoft-windows-7-and-windows-8-given-windows-10-upgrades/#c68e727c27ce
Looks like going forward Win 7 users get a choice of taking the entire
update that is offered from MSFT or nothing. You can't pick and choose
which updates you want like you could before.

Have you checked your RAM usage in Windows task manager?
With multiple browser tabs open you might be maxing out the available
memory. This will cause Windows to swap memory out to the page file on your
hard drive, resulting in major slow downs.
Anthony Watson
www.watsondiy.com
www.mountainsoftware.com

Let me guess - you have a dedicated video card with heaps of ram and
a powerful processor on it. Lots of video cards today are running
very powerful processors - some almost as powerfull as the main CPU.

I have a fanless Asus GTX750 with 2GB RAM:
https://www.asus.com/us/Graphics-Cards/GTX750DCSL2GD5/
Since my computer is on 24/7/365 and I sit next to it all day, I'm more
concerned with low power usage and quiet operation than all out
performance. Even though it does not have a fan it usually stays nice and
cool (I do not play games).
Anthony Watson
www.watsondiy.com
www.mountainsoftware.com

Basically only when I'm replacing components, maybe every 2-3 years or so.
Even then it's more of a "take a deep breath and blow" kind of cleaning. :)
It might just be where it's located in a cabinet under my desk, but there
is usually very little dust build up.

The computer at my old job used to get so full of dust it would start
having operational issues. Overheating, card connectors getting flakey,
etc.
Anthony Watson
www.watsondiy.com
www.mountainsoftware.com

| > how often do you vacuum the dust out of your computers,
| > especially the one that stays on 24/7?
|
| Basically only when I'm replacing components, maybe every 2-3 years or so.
| Even then it's more of a "take a deep breath and blow" kind of cleaning.
:)
|
I've been buying the green pad air filters for
furnaces. It's a 20"x25" pad that comes with
a plastic grid. Using a piece of pad, with or
without a piece of grid, provides a way to
block dust getting in without impeding airflow.

I missed the original discussion so I don't know what kind of heatsink
was involved...
If the heatsink had a heatpipe inside it or attached to it, that could
produce some noises.
Otherwise I'd agree with you that it could be due to
expansion as it heats up. Some types of heatsinks seem to be more prone
to this than others, and any brackets or supports that may touch or rub
against the fins of the sink can exacerbate it.

Old is an Athlon X2 2.3 Ghz , new is a Phenom X4 1.8 Ghz . I use Opera
browser , and it has gotten to the point it takes 30 seconds to a minute or
more to load . I open with 3 tabs , weather.com , startpage.com , and ebay .
Another thing that irritates is that I use Ghostery anti-tracking software ,
and it disappears every time I close the browser . Every other comp in the
house is set up the same , and that doesn't happen on any other .
I'm about to the point of just wiping this hdd and starting over except
that I have stuff that I can't save , like tax software that won't transfer
.

Just for giggles and to humor me, download and run Advanced System
Care free version from IOBit. Use custom install and don't let it add
any extras. Tell me if it isn't faster when you are done.
I have not had to "rebuild" a windows machine due to performance
issues in over 5 years - and I look after a LOT of "confusers".

I'm not familiar with AMD processors, so I made some wild guesses on your
processors to check the benchmark speeds at https://www.cpubenchmark.net
The Athlon X2 BE-2400 benchmarked at 1225.
The Phenom X4 9150e benchmarked at 2134.
So, in theory the X4 should be twice as fast. Of course, real world usage
involves RAM, hard drive access, and a variety of other components that can
affect actual speeds.
Keep in mind, "twice as fast" is relative, they're both old slow
processors.
My i7-4790K benchmarks at 11,188 and that's a two year old CPU. Definitely
not bleeding edge stuff.
For a bit of reference, I upgraded from an i5-2500K CPU that benchmarked at
6444, so the new CPU benchmarked almost twice as fast. Of course, the real
world difference was almost imperceptable, even with 16GB of RAM and two
SSD drives.

The new processor "might" make a slight difference, but I'm betting there
are other bottlenecks slowing down your system. Given your description, I
would lean towards insufficient RAM.
Then again, there may be nothing wrong with your system. You're just
running modern software on an ancient computer. :)
Anthony Watson
www.watsondiy.com
www.mountainsoftware.com

The problem with the RAM situation is that AIUI this is the max a 32 bit
XP install will recognize ... and the modern software/(not quite) ancient
computer is probably closer to the mark . This mobo is capable of 64 bit ,
but as you say , it is pretty old , so I guess maybe it's time to either
build a new unit , maybe go to 7/64 bit , or just live with what I've got .

If you're on a budget and don't need the latest tech, you can find lots of
CPU and motherboard combinations on Ebay. That's where I always sell my old
components. You could probably get some fairly recent parts for $100-200.

That's what I'm running on my desktop. It's fast and stable and just works
well.
I upgraded to Windows 10 on my laptop (that I rarely use), but there were
just enough quirky differences that I decided to stay with Windows 7 on my
desktop.
Anthony Watson
www.watsondiy.com
www.mountainsoftware.com

Yeah, I spend way too much time on the computer. :)
We're usually in bed by 9pm, but we were up late watching movies. Our usual
Friday date night.

Wow, so sorry. That's young. Life seems so short anymore. My dad died from
cancer at 51, my step-dad drowned when he was 39, and my new step-dad died
from a stroke at 50.
I'll turn 53 in November, so I feel like I'm living on borrowed time. :)
They say the average life expectancy is around 85, but I watch the
obituaries in my news feeds and it seems most people are dieing in their
50's and 60's. I don't feel old, but it's kind of scary how little time I
might have left.
Being "Her Husband", the best thing I've ever done...
Anthony Watson
www.watsondiy.com
www.mountainsoftware.com

There is a difference between most obituaries being for people in
their 50s and 60s, and most people dying in their 50s and 60s
Those who DON'T diie in their 50s and 60s tend to live well into
their 80s and 90s

People who are dying in their 80's or 90's should still show up in the
obituaries when they die. I see a few from time to time, but most obit's
seem to be people in their 50's and 60's.
Obviously, it's far from a reliable indicator, just an interesting
observation I've noticed lately.
Anthony Watson
www.watsondiy.com
www.mountainsoftware.com

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