Upgrade

[Jordanp1]

This isn't actually a new build I'm tring to upgrade my friend's store-baught compaq. I just want to plug in an extra gig of ram and this video card:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16820145525
http://www.newegg.com/product/produc...82E16814130021

Few questions:
1. I'm not exactly sure how to select RAM. The ram he had in there was 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM 533 (PC2 4200) CAS latency 4. Will any RAM with those same specs work? Or is there some other aspect I need to look at?

2. How do I know if his power supply will support this upgrade? He's got a 300W power supply that came with the comp

[flanzig1]

To get the correct ram, go to Crucail or Corsair and use their ram configuraters. Just put in the brand and model number of the PC.
That 300w PSU is a bit light even for the 7600GS/recommend mininum size is 350w. Not sure if that particular PC would have propritory wiring on the PSU.

[minsonngo]

Originally Posted by Jordanp1 This isn't actually a new build I'm tring to upgrade my friend's store-baught compaq. I just want to plug in an extra gig of ram and this video card: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16820145525 http://www.newegg.com/product/produc...82E16814130021 Few questions: 1. I'm not exactly sure how to select RAM. The ram he had in there was 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM 533 (PC2 4200) CAS latency 4. Will any RAM with those same specs work? Or is there some other aspect I need to look at? 2. How do I know if his power supply will support this upgrade? He's got a 300W power supply that came with the comp

The current PSU should be able to handle the memory upgrade and maybe the video card. If the system is not running stable after the upgrades... you may then want to put in a stronger PSU.

Any DDR2-533 memory or higher will be good for the system. Like flanzig1 already suggested... go to crucial.com and use their memory configurator to help you find the memory the system takes. Also you may want to get a dual channel kit if the board has dual channel support which will give you a small performance boost overall.

[Jordanp1]

Originally Posted by minsonngo The current PSU should be able to handle the memory upgrade and maybe the video card. If the system is not running stable after the upgrades... you may then want to put in a stronger PSU.

Is there any danger to the rest of the system if I upgrade now and then find out that I do need a better PSU? In other words, is there any way my PSU will like blow up or short out or something and hurt my other compenents?

Originally Posted by minsonngo Any DDR2-533 memory or higher will be good for the system. Like flanzig1 already suggested... go to crucial.com and use their memory configurator to help you find the memory the system takes. Also you may want to get a dual channel kit if the board has dual channel support which will give you a small performance boost overall.

Oh yeah, that reminds me of a third question: Will it make much of a difference just sticking in a second gig of RAM instead of buying 2 entirely new gigs and throwing out the old one?

[flanzig1]

There is always a possiblity of an overloaded PSU causing damage to itself or other components. Good quailty PSUs will generally shutdown if it gets stressed due to heat/undervoltage/loading.

You can add to the existing ram but as Minsonngo says may not get the dual channel boost.