Help me upgrade my beloved XP please. Also posted on Answers :)

[Lyra Ordinary]

I have Windows XP and can no longer enjoy my Second Life. Help me build my computer

Options

 

on ‎02-23-2016 02:26 PM

I can't login any more and now Chrome has stopped updating XP. I'm basically knackered and I need your help please.

I think I could afford a new computer within 3 months as my comp is too old to consider changing the OS.

I would like your suggestions for a REALLY good internal setup please.

I have a NVidia Georforce 9500 GT graphics card and an ANTEC 850 gamer power supply unit. Would I be able to keep these and still kick ass with all atmospherics ticked?

I love my computer. I'm gutted, but I miss SL a lot and even Google aren't updating my security these days, so it's got to go.

Please, I need a full setup, not 10 pages of quibbling for who has the best CPU, so I would ask that you give me your ideal setup, the one you want Santa to bring you. That way I can pick the cherries from the bones. Thank you.

I can't abide apple (Pttoooh!), so keep your macs to yourselves please. Windows only.

I appreciate your help. Thank you.

[steph Arnott]

Just buy a newer OS if you want windows else use Linux

[KarenMichelle Lane]

..from my answer to this question in the SL ANswers forum.

The Graphics Card is junk. The Antec 850 power supply is the only thing worth keeping from your home built XP PC but only if you kept the cable accessory box that originally came with it.

http://www.videocardbenchmark.net/gpu.php?gpu=GeForce+9500+GT

Here is a Life Hacker article on DIY PCs.

http://lifehacker.com/5840963/the-best-pcs-you-can-build-for-600-and-1200

Get the best nVidia Graphic Card you can afford from this list:

http://www.videocardbenchmark.net/high_end_gpus.html

Pay attention to the G3D Mark rating for the card you decide to select.

Oh, Windows 10 Professional to be sure.

 

Have fun.

 

P.S. I have a GeForce GTX 960 graphics card now selling for $179.00 USD and am thrilled with it. Mind you, it only is the 22nd rated card in overall rank. I have had it for 11 months and paid $220.00 USD for it originally. My MB is a MSI Z85-G43 [Gaming optimized] with a nice fast Intel i5 processor in it and 8 GB of memory. Windows 10 Professional of course. I was going to double the memory this year but as i use this PC there seems to be no need. I have it all wrapped up in an Enermax Case with a DVD & Blur-Ray player + 3 - 3TB hard drives to support my Internet Radio Station Music library and Video collecting needs. There are 2 Digital Monitors attached and i can add 2 more if I get crazy later in life.

http://www.videocardbenchmark.net/gpu.php?gpu=GeForce+GTX+960&id=3114

https://us.msi.com/product/motherboard/Z87-G43-GAMING.html#hero-overview

[steph Arnott]

May as well just by a second hand lap top that has a six month garrantee.

[Lyra Ordinary]

I would like a desktop (more bang for your buck) and I don't need it to be mobile.

I want something that will last, so not a cheap fix and I want it to be as up to date as possible, but thank you.

[Lyra Ordinary]

Thank you for the links, unfortunately I'm not savvy emough to make my own decisions on this.

I'm hoping enough people will list their own likes and dislikes and I can pick some ideas from it. 

Don't worry about pricing, I'll face that as I go along.

Thanks for your help.

[steph Arnott]

Wel my prefrences are not yours, so realy can not help. Had my desk top built for me.TYPO

[Lyra Ordinary]

Thanks anyway

[Dresden]

The one thing I can readily recommend is that, if SL is important to you, you should go with nVidia rather than AMD... because AMD is notorious for their less than acceptable handling of OpenGL applications such as SL.  I'm not saying that AMD cards are crap... they're most certainly not.  But, I've seen them screw up drivers for OpenGL often enough over the years, that I can safely say, when starting from scratch, nVidia is the better choice.

...Dres

[steph Arnott]

I tend to disagree I had far more issues with Nvidia than Readon which i use now,

[Dresden]

---

steph Arnott wrote:

I tend to disagree I had far more issues with Nvidia than Readon which i use now,

---

I'm merely speaking from experience and, quite frankly, couldn't care less whether or not you agree.

...Dres

[steph Arnott]

And so am i, and in response to you "i quite frankly, couldn't care less whether or not you agree".either. Rain your neck in, it does not come accross as a character reference.

[KarenMichelle Lane]

---

steph Arnott wrote:

And so am i, and in response to you "i quite frankly, couldn't care less whether or not you agree".either. Rain your neck in, it does not come accross as a character reference.

---

Not caring to get between you and Dres, I have to agree with Dres.

Over the years we have been documenting in SL Answers case after case where SL Rendering fails on AMD/ATI Graphics Cards due to the documented [here in Sl & in the gaming community at large] poor implementation of the OpenGL Accelerated Vertex Buffering standard starting back in 2010.  The initial failures were correctable with published Updated Catalyst Drivers.

Later a continued poor implementation of this standard required SL Users to turn off advanced rendering features in order to use SL in a stable manor. Poor FPS rates were the hallmark of the issue as system memory had to be used instead of the onboard GPU's memory.

With the advent of the new batch of AMD cards, the OpenGL issues seem to be resolved.

However, the older [now cheaper] problematic cards are still being sold.

So unless the reader has means to differentiate between the AMD offerings with working OpenGL implementation, ,if they want to experience the higher levels of Sl performance, then nVidia is the safe bet.

 

 

 

[KarenMichelle Lane]

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Lyra Ordinary wrote:

Thank you for the links, unfortunately I'm not savvy enough to make my own decisions on this.

I'm hoping enough people will list their own likes and dislikes and I can pick some ideas from it. 

Don't worry about pricing, I'll face that as I go along.

Thanks for your help.

---

Lyra,

Am I to assume you prefer a single source ready to run solution and not a Build it yourself one? Or do you prefer a complete parts manifest to go buy?

[Qie Niangao]

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KarenMichelle Lane wrote:

Oh, Windows 10 Professional to be sure.

---

Really? I'm genuinely unaware of what I'm missing by running Windows 10 "Home" -- I think I checked at some point (probably way back when I installed 8 over a creaky old Ubuntu) and decided I'd never use whatever the "Professional" features were at the time. I'm obviously in no position to contest your suggestion, just curious what of value one gets for the extra US$50 or whatever it is.

(In passing, my experience with graphics cards is similar to others here: I've regretted every time I've been lured into getting an ATI / AMD card. They're always cheaper for comparable performance -- and always, sooner or later, get a driver update that screws-up OpenGL. In contrast, I personally have never had a problem with nVidia drivers.)

 

[Freya Mokusei]

---

Qie Niangao wrote:

---

KarenMichelle Lane wrote:

Oh, Windows 10 Professional to be sure.

---

Really? I'm genuinely unaware of what I'm missing by running Windows 10 "Home" -- I think I checked at some point (probably way back when I installed 8 over a creaky old Ubuntu) and decided I'd never use whatever the "Professional" features were at the time. I'm obviously in no position to contest your suggestion, just curious what of value one gets for the extra US$50 or whatever it is.

---

Maybe this link helps?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windows_10_editions#Comparison_chart

I've always used Pro (since win7) because of its Remote Desktop, Bitlocker/EFS handling. 

[Qie Niangao]

That's a pretty handy reference; thanks.

Probably I should worry about drive encryption, but I haven't even thought about it for my PC (unlike my phones).

Re: remote desktop, long ago I used the client (which comes with the Home edition) -- and for other stuff, Splashtop -- but since then everything I use has switched to Chrome Remote Desktop, which I quite like.

[Freya Mokusei]

No worries. Win10 research is permeating brainmeats.

Added bonus (in business environments, mostly) is new 'Business' Windows Update, which avoids Win10 Home's abandoning of user control over the update process. I see that article has a link to an MSFT-hosted list of core changes - may be useful too.

[steph Arnott]

"With the advent of the new batch of AMD cards, the OpenGL issues seem to be resolved."  i use 2GB AMD RADEON™ R7 360 and it runs perfectly well between high and ultra.Tho i do regret not paying a bit more for the 4GB version

"However, the older [now cheaper] problematic cards are still being sold." i have no idea about older versions and i did say Radeon for that reason. Maybe i should have said the new Radeons.

My other system uses nVidia and has a regular habit of freezing and recovering, that system is only two years old, was the reason i changed to Radeon for the new ststem.

Putting down a product based on aciernt history is not very good advice expecialy if they on a tight budget also i do not buy off the shelf shop systems, I have them built for me and for two reason, 1 I have control over whats in it and 2 the fact it costs 60% less than an offf the shelf skop one. There are a few companies that one can custom order with a four to six week turn around.

I personaly use pcspecialists which are UK based but there is one very good company in the USA. I can not comment on the others as i have never done business witth them.

Why anyone would want to cobble together out of date hardware in a missguided attempt to save money is frankly beyond me. May as well just buy a second hand one as a stop gap.

Also if LL bothered to update their system reqiurement page it would a lot more helpfull.

[KarenMichelle Lane]

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steph Arnott wrote:

Why anyone would want to cobble together out of date hardware in a misguided attempt to save money is frankly beyond me. May as well just buy a second hand one as a stop gap.

Also if LL bothered to update their system requirement page it would a lot more helpful.

---

Oh Yes I agree with you completely in the DIY PC building activity. Using older technologies to save $$ is a fools game [pun intended]

Yeah I'd love to see the Requirements page updated to reflect at least the most previous year's available hardware list that will do the job and get you into and loving SL [Well at least the graphics side of SL] - Enjoying SL is a whole other bag of cats to deal with.

P.S. I suffered through too many ATI high end Graphics Cards that just would mot run in Ultra mode as you can tell.

[Lyra Ordinary]

Thank you for all of your help folks. I finally went with a pre-built Zoostorm refurb with an NVidia video card.

It broke down almost immediately but after it going back twice and them listening to me, it has a nice new motherboard and I'm very happy with it

[Chic Aeon]

On 2/24/2016 at 5:34 AM, Qie Niangao said:

---

KarenMichelle Lane wrote:

 

Oh, Windows 10 Professional to be sure.

---

 

Really? I'm genuinely unaware of what I'm missing by running Windows 10 "Home" -- I think I checked at some point (probably way back when I installed 8 over a creaky old Ubuntu) and decided I'd never use whatever the "Professional" features were at the time. I'm obviously in no position to contest your suggestion, just curious what of value one gets for the extra US$50 or whatever it is.

(In passing, my experience with graphics cards is similar to others here: I've regretted every time I've been lured into getting an ATI / AMD card. They're always cheaper for comparable performance -- and always, sooner or later, get a driver update that screws-up OpenGL. In contrast, I personally have never had a problem with nVidia drivers.)

 

Re Win10 Pro. I have it with almost no issues. Friends (very saavy) used the Home Upgrade.  So far they haven't purchased new computer :D.

When doing my buying research about the time Win10 rolled out as I waited purposefully for that  I found a lot of comments about upgrading to Win10 Pro. I took that to heart. I am not sure what my version does better than the Home version but I can say that my friends have had a LOT of issues that they had to deal with (they know how to deal but it is still a pain) that have never happened to me.  ALSO I have HOME on my notebook and it is a lot more intrusive (with the same security settings) so I have to assume that was ONE reason I got it. You do seem to have more control of your system IF you care to take it. I turned off ALL the lack of privacy things except for the microphone. It is almost like having a better version of Win7 that way - LOL.

 

Whether this will matter to the OP, I have no clue. 

 

I will say that LONG ago I had AMD and had many graphics issues (photo taking etc). I have had no issues with Nvidia but I also haven't TRIED AMD in years. I believe things are "better" now for AMD. There was a long history however of The Lab's preferential treatment for video cards

 

[cykarushb]

3 hours ago, Chic Aeon said:

I will say that LONG ago I had AMD and had many graphics issues (photo taking etc). I have had no issues with Nvidia but I also haven't TRIED AMD in years. I believe things are "better" now for AMD. There was a long history however of The Lab's preferential treatment for video cards

This was seemingly originally necrobumped by OP but on the topic of AMD and SL, ive done a bit of testing on this, and im still doing more. Basically ive yet to really find problems with SL now and any ATI/AMD card that is capable of running the game at a hardware level.

Different driver versions, a large variety of cards, different operating systems and other hardware configurations. It just doesnt seem to cause problems like people say it will.

Im sure it did, theres plenty of horror stories from years ago but they dont pertain to SL in 2018 at all. A good example here is the testing i did with the infamous HD 4870x2, a card similar to a GTX 280, dual gpu, complete housefire, driver nightmare on Windows 8.1 with semi-modern drivers.

And ive done other stuff non posted with more common cards like a 5770, 6750, even the lowly 3450 (it was garbage FPS but didnt really present any other issues).