Computer upgrade advice

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LLBrd Posts 1 Registration date Wednesday June 16, 2010 Status Member Last seen June 18, 2010 - Jun 18, 2010 at 06:18 PM
xpcman Posts 19530 Registration date Wednesday October 8, 2008 Status Contributor Last seen June 15, 2019 - Jun 18, 2010 at 06:58 PM
Hello,

I have an old Dell 4500s Dell computer with 4 CPU and 200 GHZ, 640 mb of Ram. I run Windows xp home edition and need a lot more memory. I have added an additional 1 gb of memory which helped some. I purchased a 1tb wd external hard drive for the extra storage but my usb hubs do not have enough power to support this amount of extra memory and I get an error on the USB port. should I upgrade my mother board, add new usb port or do something else. I am limited on the amount of money I can spend to increase my memory. Any Help will be appreciated.

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xpcman Posts 19530 Registration date Wednesday October 8, 2008 Status Contributor Last seen June 15, 2019 1,827
Jun 18, 2010 at 06:58 PM
A new pci USB 2.0 adapter card would be your most cost effective option. These Dell computers don't have may options for motherboard upgrades. With a computer of this age you money is best spent if you save-up for a new modern computer. This $10 part should be compatible with your Dell. It is USB 2.0 show your external hard drive should transfer at its maximum rate.

http://www.compusa.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=5265856&CatId=511

A note about nomenclature: memory refers to the solid state chips on the memory card. It is short term memory.
Storage refers to the data on the hard disk. it is long term storage.

If your computer says it is short on memory - then you have too many applications open and need to close some of them. 1 GB of memory is the maximum that your Dell can use.

Good Luck
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