very slow computer

hi -i'm new here and hoping for a cure.
I have a pc that has an aopen mx46-533gn it has 2 gig ram ddr133 and runs xp home.
In order to fix the S-L-O-W problem i have 1)installed an new hard drive 2) re-installed win xp home (took 12 hours) 3)installed new stick of ram and tried it running only on the new 1 gig stick 4)cursed it and the day it was born.
Any ideas as to why this thing runs slower than an old 286?it has an intel p4 266
it has onboard video sound nic etc no cards
cheers
kimwally

 

Send more information about your pc motherboard?

 

as i mentioned the motherboard is an aopen mx46-533gn
i am not sure what other info i can give??
thanks kim

 

Er... it was born slow.

1) Its a P4... 2.66Ghz. (slower than AMD-XP CPUs)

2) And DDR-133 was the WORST memory for P4 tech... making a slow CPU even slower. DDR133? DDR(1) went up to 400mhz before DDR2 took over. DDR133 is Pentium 3 type memory. But that AGP board supports: PC2100, PC1600, PC2700 - PC1600 is the slowest at 200mhz.

3) 12 hours to install?

There is nothing in the world to make that mobo/CPU perform fast. Replace mobo, CPU and RAM will resolve issues. But will require reinstall of XP (takes about 30mins) and todays boards only have a single PATA IDE connector, if any at all.

On a budget, you could buy a low-end mobo, stick on a low-cost dual core AMD CPU and 1 or 2GB of RAM for $120~150. If on an extreme budget - here's a single-core combo for $70 (Add RAM for $20~40) has AGP if you must use/keep your old AGP card.

For low cost modern : $55 mobo : http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128342 and low cost CPU with fan: $60 = http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103211

 

thanks-that is exactly what i did -replaced the mb ($40) with a gigabyte GA-8 series and it rocks (for the age) apparently the aopen caps are notorious for breaking down early
although it was not visible. everthing else stayed the same.thanks again
kim