Upgrading my Dell

I'm looking to upgrade my Dell Dimension 4500 (bought in 2002 with no major changes other than a new 512 ram stick) so that I can start collecting some EastWest products.
I currently have a DMX6fire sound card which I may decide to upgrade but for right now i am looking into getting a 1TB harddrive from samsung and probably throwing another 512 ram stick in. I also am running XP under a 2.4GHZ processor with no intention of going to Vista anytime in the near future.

I'll admit i know next to nothing about hardware. Something like this has got to be a bit more complicated than just taking out the old and throwing in the new right? Should i be considering a new mother board and power supply as well? Or should I scrap this idea and just shell out for a new computer?
Thanks

-Gar

I beleive that Dell system will only hold two 512 MB sticks of DDR ram

That's not necessarily true - you have to look at each Dell computer individually. The Dell I had been using as my DAW had 2 DDR slots which could hold 1G in each (and that's what I had upgraded them to).

Dells are tough to upgrade beyond a certain point. As ear noise pointed out, their power supplies are non-standard, and I've found this to be true of their motherboards as well. The best route is to get a ready-made DAW from a company that builds them all the time, but if you're willing to endure some experimentation (and possibly pain), rolling your own can be a valid path, too. Start out with a great case (not a good one), a motherboard that will support the newest, best processors on the market, and a good, quiet power supply. Get a modest processor that will get you running but won't be too much of a bottleneck. Get the fastest RAM that the board will take, but just buy the quantity that you can afford now -- you can add the rest later. That will break you out of the Dell strangle-hold and get you something that can be upgraded.

ORIGINAL: Gar23

I'm looking to upgrade my Dell Dimension 4500 (bought in 2002 with no major changes other than a new 512 ram stick) so that I can start collecting some EastWest products.
I currently have a DMX6fire sound card which I may decide to upgrade but for right now i am looking into getting a 1TB harddrive from samsung and probably throwing another 512 ram stick in. I also am running XP under a 2.4GHZ processor with no intention of going to Vista anytime in the near future.

I'll admit i know next to nothing about hardware. Something like this has got to be a bit more complicated than just taking out the old and throwing in the new right? Should i be considering a new mother board and power supply as well? Or should I scrap this idea and just shell out for a new computer?
Thanks

-Gar

The question you have to ask yourself, is my current pc getting the job done efficiently for my needs? If I were you, I would get the software first, then worry about upgrading things. Only having 512K seems a bit lean, trying an extra 512K module may do wonders for very little extra money.

But after you get the software you want, another memory stick, and things still don't work out, I feel it would be a waste of money upgrading further and best choice is for a new computer.

Jessie,

Was your computer one of those fancy slimline models that Dell produced? I don't want to assume, but I'm guessing it is/was.

While I didn't exactly clarify, my statement was referring to their more or less "standard" case (actual size varying of course ) desktop models. I almost forgot they made those little slimmed down desktop versions, which in that respect I can fully understand why upgrading and or replacing anything could be a royal pita, and the statement I made previously does not apply.

However, If we are talking about regular full sized desktops, I'll still stick to what I already mentioned.

I own a 2004 model as well, and when the power supply went bad, was confronted with all the info on the net about proprietary dell psu's. This was not the situation as it was a standard ATX. Also on the particular model I own, there isn't any proprietary hardware inside nor the case itself.

And if you believe "upgrading a dell is a dead end street", then hey that's cool, I'm not here to convince you otherwise, you are more than entitled to your own opinion. However if that statement referred to the slimline models only then I agree, but if we are talking about somewhat standard case size (and probably more widely sold), then I respectfully disagree.

After re-reading this entire thread there seems to be some slight confusion here,

IMO, the best advice for the OP is in posts #2, #4 and #7

@Beagle, I think ear noise was refering to Gar23's 4500 system in post #2, which in that refrence he is absolutely correct, 1024k is the max for the OP's particular system.

ORIGINAL: Jessie Sammler

Actually, it was a Dimension 2400 -- not one of those slim Optiplex cases. I don't know; I think it was the last year they made those.

I guess what I'm trying to say is, you should determine whether any upgrades you're looking at will work with what you have, or if you're better off starting a new build.

@Jessie, Well I'm kinda suprised you said that because in your previous posts seemed somewhat biased, but you did have a few valid points about rolling your own. Furthermore to set the record straight, I'm 99.999% sure a Dimension 2400 Does not have a non-standard PSU, a proprietary board, nor a proprietary case. But who cares anyway, the point of this thread is not us debating, but to help the OP and others who may read this thread looking for advice.

@Gar23, IMO what it boils down to is this, if adding a second stick of 512K to your current system doesn't fulfill your needs (which is only a $20 gamble btw), then you need a faster processor, and since the P4 can only be upgraded so far (only minimal gains), you will probably want a dual or a quad core which requires a new motherboard too. If you do that, then you'll have to buy new memory, and a new PSU too. The $$$ add up fast, now were talkin' $450+ and you'll need to do the work yourself. At that point, why not just buy a nice "bare bones" system with all that ready to go plus a new case, and maybe a new cd/dvd-rw included. Then re-use your HD from your dell as C: drive. OR if you have the necessary funds, buy a pro DAW pc from one of the nice people on this forum and let them take care of the rest.