Hello Susan:

I believe you'd be better off purchasing (or building from scratch) a new
high-performance machine rather than spending more money on your current
system.

Gateway, Dell and other manufacturers often use proprietary mainboard, BIOS
and power supply designs to discourage the sort of upgrade(s) you are
contemplating.  There are several very good reasons for doing so from the
manufacturers point-of-view: they include the desire to protect their brand
images and the desire to sell you a new machine as soon as you tire of your
current aging model.

They not only have their best interests in mind but also that of the average
end-user, because any serious field modifications to one of their
factory-tested configurations makes it nigh impossible for a tech to
troubleshoot the modified machine (a moot point really, as the sort of
changes you are considering would void the warranty and release the
manufacturer from any further obligation to support the machine).

In summary, the changes you are mulling over aren't totally impossible, but
they're usually not worth the time, money or effort.  You'll be much more
satisfied if you buy or build the next machine-of-your-dreams.

You may be able to incorporate your already purchased new memory and video
card into your  new machine but, failing that, you can always keep your old
system for a spare, give it to a needy friend, or sell it and the new parts
(either together or separately) locally or online using eBay or some similar
auction service.

Good luck my friend.

Jeffrey Ottie
[log in to unmask]



    Original Message -----
    From: "Susan S. Hays" <[log in to unmask]>
    To: <[log in to unmask]>
    Sent: Saturday, August 05, 2000 4:43 PM
    Subject: Upgrade or new?

I have the following:

    Gateway Pentium II 300
    320 MB of Ram
    ATI All-in-Wonder 128 video/graphics card
    6.4 Gig Harddrive

Unfortunately, after upgrading my Ram and video/graphics card, I can't tell
any major differences than before I upgraded.  So now I am thinking that I
need to add a new motherboard and processor.  My question is, should up go
to
the expense of adding a new motherboard and processor or should I just think
of purchasing a new computer?  <SNIP>

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