Member Avatar for absk

Hi

This is the summary (by Everest Home Edition) of my desktop Compaq Presario SR 1720IL

Field Value
Computer
Operating System Microsoft Windows XP Professional
OS Service Pack Service Pack 3
DirectX 4.09.00.0904 (DirectX 9.0c)
Computer Name
User Name

Motherboard
CPU Type Intel Pentium 4 516, 2933 MHz (22 x 133)
Motherboard Name Unknown
Motherboard Chipset ATI Radeon Xpress 200
System Memory 960 MB (DDR2-667 DDR SDRAM)
BIOS Type AMI (01/18/07)
Communication Port ECP Printer Port (LPT1)

Display
Video Adapter ATI RADEON XPRESS 200 Series (256 MB)
Video Adapter ATI RADEON XPRESS 200 Series (256 MB)
3D Accelerator ATI Radeon Xpress 200 (RC410)
Monitor COMPAQ 7540 CRT Monitor [NoDB] (CNN5431XXJ)

Multimedia
Audio Adapter ATI SB450 - High Definition Audio Controller

Storage
IDE Controller Standard Dual Channel PCI IDE Controller
IDE Controller Standard Dual Channel PCI IDE Controller
IDE Controller Standard Dual Channel PCI IDE Controller
SCSI/RAID Controller A2GHTH40 IDE Controller
Disk Drive ST380011A (80 GB, 7200 RPM, Ultra-ATA/100)
Optical Drive LITE-ON COMBO SOHC-4836K
Optical Drive TCDSLE 9ABC9UJG SCSI CdRom Device
Optical Drive TCDSLE 9ABC9UJG SCSI CdRom Device
Optical Drive TCDSLE 9ABC9UJG SCSI CdRom Device
Optical Drive TCDSLE 9ABC9UJG SCSI CdRom Device
SMART Hard Disks Status OK

Partitions
C: (NTFS) 20000 MB (506 MB free)
D: (FAT32) 19990 MB (139 MB free)
E: (FAT32) 19990 MB (430 MB free)
F: (FAT32) 16292 MB (1399 MB free)
Total Size 76272 MB (2474 MB free)

Input
Keyboard HP PS2 Keyboard (2K - 3)
Mouse Microsoft PS/2 Mouse

Network
Network Adapter Realtek RTL8139/810x Family Fast Ethernet NIC ()
Modem Agere Systems PCI-SV92PP Soft Modem

Peripherals
Printer Microsoft XPS Document Writer
Printer PDFCreator
USB1 Controller ATI SB450 - USB Controller
USB1 Controller ATI SB450 - USB Controller
USB2 Controller ATI SB450 - USB 2.0 Controller

I have 4 questions:

1. What is the maximum RAM that I can install on this PC?
2. What is the maximum HDD that I can install on this PC? (Somebody told me p4 won't take 500GB well)
3. Is my HDD IDE or SATA?
4. Can I add a graphics card to this system ?(It already has onboard graphics)

  • 4 Contributors
  • 3 Replies
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  • 3 Weeks Discussion Span
  • Latest Post Latest Post by sparkax

Dani AI

Generated

Useful, practical checklist and troubleshooting notes to answer the four questions without guessing.

Run these from an Administrator command prompt to get exact board, memory and drive interface info:

wmic baseboard get Manufacturer,Product,Version
wmic memorychip get BankLabel,Capacity,DeviceLocator,Speed
wmic diskdrive get Model,InterfaceType,Size

Or use msinfo32 / CPU‑Z if you prefer a GUI. Physically inspect the cables: a wide 40‑pin ribbon = PATA/IDE; a thin 7‑pin cable = SATA.

On RAM: is right that a conservative upgrade for an XP-era Compaq is 2 GB for best compatibility with 32‑bit XP. ’s experience running 3 GB and moving to a 64‑bit OS is a good real‑world path if you want more usable RAM—install a 64‑bit OS only after confirming the board supports the capacity. Buy matched DIMMs (same size/speed/manufacturer) where possible, populate paired slots for dual‑channel, and verify sizes in BIOS after install.

On hard disks: determine PATA vs SATA visually or with the wmic command above. If the board is older, check the BIOS for LBA48/large disk support before fitting multi-100GB drives—if the BIOS is very old you may need a BIOS update or use a controller card. When replacing/cloning the system drive: back up first, then clone (Clonezilla, Macrium Reflect Free) or do a fresh install. For PATA drives remember master/slave jumper settings; for SATA you need an available SATA port and cable.

On graphics: yes, add a discrete card if a PCIe x16 slot exists. Check physical clearance and PSU capacity/rails (some cards need a 6‑pin connector or more). If using a modest GPU, most older PSUs are fine. Install the card, set primary display to PCIe in BIOS if needed, then install vendor drivers. If the new card shows no video, reseat, try another slot, and confirm BIOS primary-video setting.

Safety notes: back up data before any swap, discharge static, and verify the PSU can handle extra components.

Recommended Answers

All 3 Replies

Member Avatar for danishbacker

1. 2 GB (2 x 1 GB) requires the replacement of the installed 256 MB DIMM

2. I think you can install as much as u like :) as u got 4 sata ports and 2 ide ports u can add about 5 different HDDs, for this you may have to upgrade your smps. Sorry I dont know about the relation between p4 and HDD.

3. remove your side cover and look.

4. Yes you have got pcie slot on your board you can add any latest graphics card, but only one.

Edited by danishbacker because: n/a
Member Avatar for mjdodd

I think (but haven't checked) got the same machine. I upgraded memory to 3 gig and then went win 7 32 and then 64 bit. It goes like the wind and is much more stable. So if youare looking for speed and stability new hard disks willgive you more storage but probably not alot more speed whereas win 7 64 or linux will give speed as they make better use of speeding up data transfer using all the resources and not just half as in 32!
m

Member Avatar for sparkax

You might find that your computer is able to support an installation of 4 GB memory. However, this maximum memory might be limited by the operating system not being able to address the full range of physical memory
However, winXP is fine with 2GB RAM

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