500 mhz good for a computer?

[LilMamiBella]

My mom and I went to the flea market and she saw a desktop computer that had 500mhz for $50. I talked to her out of it and told her I would ask you all what you think. It would just be used for emailing, playing games, and such..
We asked him how much memory did the computer have and he just talked about the mhz
I told her she find one on dell for $350 but she still wants to know if the $50 computer would be any good. Please let me know. Thanks!

 

[pixelpixie]

There are bound to be others who will disagree with me but I will give you MHO. I work at a university in desktop and network support so I do have some knowledge on the subject. A 500mhz system would be one that we would recommend replacing. In your post you mentioned that the seller seemed to be avoiding telling you about the memory. He may not even know. This is another reason I would stay away from this system. A computer's speed and ability to run programs does not depend solely on the processing speed but the RAM (or memory) as well. You were right to ask about this. If it had 64MB (or IMO - anything less than 256mb) of RAM it could be frightfully slow. You also mentioned it would be used for emailing which requires a connection to the internet. So also consider what operating system is installed on this unit. If it is Windows 2000 or XP it is vital that you are able to download and install the windows updates necessary to protect your machine from worms and other attacks. If you are planning to use a dial-up connection this can be painful enough, but coupling that with a system that is outdated with a slow processor and insufficient RAM and you might just lose your mind! And if a system like this becomes infected with parasites (spyware) it will be excrutiatingly slow.

Having said all of this, I do have a 500mhz system in my home that I wiped and loaded kids software on for my daughter to use. It suits her needs just fine (she is only 5). I DO NOT have this computer connected to the internet however and I also have installed 256mb of RAM in the computer.

So - I would say it would be vital to know how much RAM is installed in the system, what operating system is installed and was it wiped with a clean install of the OS or was it used for years and then put up for sale. If it was a clean install and the system had 256mb of RAM and you (or your mom) are willing to take the time necessary to keep the OS updated by downloading and applying the updates and are just looking for unit to play games (very simple, non-graphics intensive) and e-mail for maybe a year, then it would be ok. Otherwise steer clear.

I hope this helps you. No flames please - I am giving the poster my opinion based on my experience.

 

[pixelpixie]

one more thing I should probably clarify:
Having a dial-up connection may offer you some protection against attacks on your system due to vulnerabilities in the operating system because it is so slow. However, I could not in good faith recommend that anyone not apply windows updates in a timely manner to any system running 2000 or xp.
Again, I hope that is helpful.

 

[LilMamiBella]

Thanks so much pixelpixie! You've been a big help.

 

[Liz]

There are bound to be others who will disagree with me but I will give you MHO. I work at a university in desktop and network support so I do have some knowledge on the subject. A 500mhz system would be one that we would recommend replacing. In your post you mentioned that the seller seemed to be avoiding telling you about the memory. He may not even know. This is another reason I would stay away from this system. A computer's speed and ability to run programs does not depend solely on the processing speed but the RAM (or memory) as well. You were right to ask about this. If it had 64MB (or IMO - anything less than 256mb) of RAM it could be frightfully slow. You also mentioned it would be used for emailing which requires a connection to the internet. So also consider what operating system is installed on this unit. If it is Windows 2000 or XP it is vital that you are able to download and install the windows updates necessary to protect your machine from worms and other attacks. If you are planning to use a dial-up connection this can be painful enough, but coupling that with a system that is outdated with a slow processor and insufficient RAM and you might just lose your mind! And if a system like this becomes infected with parasites (spyware) it will be excrutiatingly slow.

Having said all of this, I do have a 500mhz system in my home that I wiped and loaded kids software on for my daughter to use. It suits her needs just fine (she is only 5). I DO NOT have this computer connected to the internet however and I also have installed 256mb of RAM in the computer.

So - I would say it would be vital to know how much RAM is installed in the system, what operating system is installed and was it wiped with a clean install of the OS or was it used for years and then put up for sale. If it was a clean install and the system had 256mb of RAM and you (or your mom) are willing to take the time necessary to keep the OS updated by downloading and applying the updates and are just looking for unit to play games (very simple, non-graphics intensive) and e-mail for maybe a year, then it would be ok. Otherwise steer clear.

I hope this helps you. No flames please - I am giving the poster my opinion based on my experience.

I don't know why anybody would flame you for this post! I found it extremely informative! Thanks!

 

[pixelpixie]

Glad to help.

 

[kaytieeldr]

You're right to try to talk your mother out of that computer. Right now, Dell's got at 2.something GIGAhertz computer with 256K memory for $299 after $25 mail-in rebate, Intel Celeron processor. ANd it's new, not used for who knows what and how long like the one at the flea market.

 

[pixelpixie]

LilMamiBella,
If you are looking at new systems, like the one listed on this thread, my advice would be to upgrade the RAM. IMO 512MB is the least amount of RAM you should purchase in a new system. Otherwise you will be paying to upgrade it sooner than you think.

 

[seashoreCM]

The 500 MHz processor is probably adequate for most home needs, possibly excluding some video games.

What you need to be careful about is how much RAM it has and what size hard drive it has. You could spend a lot of money adding to these, 256 meg. RAM and 40 gig. hard drive are the minimum suggested amounts these days.

Disney hints:
http://members.aol.com/ajaynejr/disney.htm

 

[mill4023]

Assuming it has enough RAM, a 500Mhz PC would be fine for email and web surfing. It would also probably be fine for most non-3d games. But there are several reasons I wouldn't recommend it. First, what is she going to do if something goes wrong with it? I'm assuming she's not a computer expert and would probably need to call a shop for assistance. Having to pay for tech support and possible replacement parts can quickly become expensive. In the long run, it would probably end up being cheaper to buy a $300-$400 Dell and get the 3 yr on-site warranty and support.

I've still got a 380Mhz Compaq running Windows 98 that works fine for my kids' older games. But I've also spent a decent number of hours troubleshooting issues and I've reinstalled the operating system several times. If I had to pay a shop for help with those problems, it would have cost me several hundred dollars by now.

 

[cnaumann]

Unless you or your mom really likes working on computers, you are wise to pass on a 500MHz system. It is not so much the speed of this system, a 500MHz system would be fine for email, solitaire, and most home office applications, it is the age of the sysem that concerns me.

What OS is installed (I am guessing it is probably Windows 98)? Does the computer come with all the install disks? You are looking at least $200 if you have to buy a new Windows OS.

If I saw that computer on the side of the road, I would probably pick it up. But that is me. I wouldn't pay anthing for it.

If your mom wants a computer, get a brand new hp or Dell notebook for a little under $500 and save yourself a lot of trouble.

 

[LilMamiBella]

Unless you or your mom really likes working on computers, you are wise to pass on a 500MHz system. It is not so much the speed of this system, a 500MHz system would be fine for email, solitaire, and most home office applications, it is the age of the sysem that concerns me.

What OS is installed (I am guessing it is probably Windows 98)? Does the computer come with all the install disks? You are looking at least $200 if you have to buy a new Windows OS.

If I saw that computer on the side of the road, I would probably pick it up. But that is me. I wouldn't pay anthing for it.

If your mom wants a computer, get a brand new hp or Dell notebook for a little under $500 and save yourself a lot of trouble.

Yep it is windows 98 and the man told her that its got at least 64 mb ram
Its $50 but if she gets a new os, ram, and cd burner then she might as well buy a cheap dell. My mom thinks the computer is a great deal
$50 computer+$200 os+ cd burner $75?+ $150?ram=475
Do you think those prices are right?

 

[Paull117]

If I where you I would stay away from it. You are better off buying off the shelf at dell for 300. With any of the new software, internet tech, email tech, and virus protection you need something that is going to be supported. I am not talking about the hardware either. Microsoft has basically stopped support for 98, given the 2000 a 2007 date for limited support. They have a new operating system coming out next year, and another one 18-24 months from that. With the new tech that is coming out you need something that can run the .net framework at least. Internet access is going to change very quickly and those older systems are not going to take it to much longer.

Besides that a 500 mhz system is about 6 yrs old hardware does not last forever.

Paul

 

[DMRick]

With 64 mg ram, I'm not sure XP would run very well..or anything else that you would be buying ot put on it now. This is really not a good deal, i fyou plan on adding all that stuff. I happen to like win98se (that's the second addition) so I don't think keeping that is bad. If she just wants it for email, it's fine, but for anything else, the ram is just too low. That can be upped very inexpensively, through crucial.com but why put more money in old technology?

Yep it is windows 98 and the man told her that its got at least 64 mb ram
Its $50 but if she gets a new os, ram, and cd burner then she might as well buy a cheap dell. My mom thinks the computer is a great deal
$50 computer+$200 os+ cd burner $75?+ $150?ram=475
Do you think those prices are right?