# emachines t3656



## Foodang

I just bought an emachines t3656 off tigerdirect and i want to upgrade it a bit, I already put in a new gfx card, i tried putting in some new ram but the motherboard didn't support it. Both rams were ddr2 mine was pc2 5400 1gb and the board only takes 5300 >.<, but i also want to throw a new processor in there, don't really want to spend and huge amount on it hopefully under $80. The motherboard is a Intel 945G express. It is currently running a Intel Celeron 440 / 2 GHz. And that is a little pitiful so i want a better one can anyone make any suggestions?


----------



## 2048Megabytes

I think you made a mistake buying an original equipment manufacturer and hoping to be able to upgrade it.  E-Machines doesn't make very good quality computers.  I highly doubt you can upgrade the processor in the computer you purchased.

My suggestion is to save your money and buy the following:

2 gigahertz or faster Dual-Core Processor
Motherboard
Case
Power Supply
Windows Operating System
An Extra Hard Drive (if you want more storage space)

You will likely need to save about $300 (without the extra hard drive).  We can help you pick out your new components once you have the money saved.


----------



## Foodang

2048Megabytes said:


> I think you made a mistake buying an original equipment manufacturer and hoping to be able to upgrade it.  E-Machines doesn't make very good quality computers.  I highly doubt you can upgrade the processor in the computer you purchased.
> 
> My suggestion is to save your money and buy the following:
> 
> 2 gigahertz or faster Dual-Core Processor
> Motherboard
> Case
> Power Supply
> Windows Operating System
> An Extra Hard Drive (if you want more storage space)
> 
> You will likely need to save about $300 (without the extra hard drive).  We can help you pick out your new components once you have the money saved.



I am not using this pc for anything tough though... i have a quad core pc downstairs... this one i picked up because i am using the one downstairs as a business only pc, and this 1 for my games... i really only play, WoW, CS:S, starcraft, wc3, and hopefully starcraft 2 in the future, but i notice when playing wow and css than i get lag spike, now i know my gfx card is good enough for both games... its a xfx 8500gt... but i think due to the processor and ram (only 1gb 667 pc2 5300) its giving me these spikes.


----------



## PaulPool

Those lag spikes could have to to more with your internet or what your computer is doing.

Do you have Wifi internet? Someone may be piggybacking.

Do you have automatic updates? They may be the cause of the lag spike.

Do the lag spikes often occur as you enter a town or highly populated area, or just before a larger amount of effects appear on screen? That's fairly common in games, and there's not much to be done about it other than turning down the graphics.

Is your page file too low? Maybe these lag spikes are the result of your computer increasing your page file when it senses that the game is draining too much and it needs to rev it up.

Are you sure your computer is clean? Often times when I notice my internet or game being particularly slow I update my stuff and run some scans and usually the culprit is a Trojan or virus.

Just some basic things to check before it can be assumed it's something like the amount of ram or your processor.


----------



## Foodang

PaulPool said:


> Those lag spikes could have to to more with your internet or what your computer is doing.
> 
> Do you have Wifi internet? Someone may be piggybacking.
> 
> Do you have automatic updates? They may be the cause of the lag spike.
> 
> Do the lag spikes often occur as you enter a town or highly populated area, or just before a larger amount of effects appear on screen? That's fairly common in games, and there's not much to be done about it other than turning down the graphics.
> 
> Is your page file too low? Maybe these lag spikes are the result of your computer increasing your page file when it senses that the game is draining too much and it needs to rev it up.
> 
> Are you sure your computer is clean? Often times when I notice my internet or game being particularly slow I update my stuff and run some scans and usually the culprit is a Trojan or virus.
> 
> Just some basic things to check before it can be assumed it's something like the amount of ram or your processor.



thanks man ill check it out


----------



## PaulPool

You're welcome. Haha I don't have cash to update my computer hardware so I've learned to squeeze and do anything I can software-wise.


----------



## shuaid

Foodang said:


> I just bought an emachines t3656 off tigerdirect and i want to upgrade it a bit, I already put in a new gfx card, i tried putting in some new ram but the motherboard didn't support it. Both rams were ddr2 mine was pc2 5400 1gb and the board only takes 5300 >.<, but i also want to throw a new processor in there, don't really want to spend and huge amount on it hopefully under $80. The motherboard is a Intel 945G express. It is currently running a Intel Celeron 440 / 2 GHz. And that is a little pitiful so i want a better one can anyone make any suggestions?



I bought that from tiger refurb for 200 dollars.

-Things I would recommend 600watt power supply 80% efficient. 12v rail that has more than 36amps [I bought *hec 600watt*]
-*Intel e5000* Reuse the heatsink that comes with the computer, its coolermaster its pretty good. Add artic silver 5 compound, it will idle 40C or even lower depending on location
-2 to 4 gb of ram [the mobo only supports two sockets]
-sapphire 4870, Don't buy the powercolor like me I had to install artic cooler Accelero TWIN TURBO

-If on a budget the *Radeon 4830 * has good reviews, would recommend this highly because it uses low wattage and its cheap, good gaming capability unless your going to play crysis then go for the 4870. 

Originally I should've of built this computer from scratch, but vista plus mouse, keyboard, speakers, its a fawking steal. For 200 dollars omfg. 

*Don't listen to these people, you can upgrade it. *

Dude I can play bioshock, half life 2, and many other games without lag with those upgrades. =P


----------



## cody

idk if im too late for this but, emachines t3656 mobo supports more than 2 gigs, its a bunch of bs that theyre saying only 2 gigs, as i have 3 gigs installed on mine. 1 gig of ram that came with it, (pc2 5300) and i was screwing around and added a 2gb pc2 8500 and it works. so just letting u know on that ram part <_<


----------



## 2048Megabytes

I should say that you just a little late posting on this.  This thread is over 1 year old


----------



## learningbunny

*Upgrading T3656*



2048Megabytes said:


> I should say that you just a little late posting on this.  This thread is over 1 year old



Hi,
Was just browsing on topics about upgrading T3656 and came over to this forum. I bought it a couple of years ago and it's still running pretty good. I had bought another Compaq so this has just been sitting as an extra desktop.

Long story short, I have a hdtv in my room and wanted to hook this desktop up so I can watch movies and play Left 4 Dead on the big screen.

I don't know much but I know at least the basics about computers. I just bought the cable VGA to HDMI online and should be getting it in the mail soon. Just like a lot of people here, I'm also on a budget.. not too tight but just want to at least upgrade this computer to perform faster/better and able to play a little games without having to completely throw this CPU away.

It hasn't broken down on me so I feel like it'll be a waste for it to just sit here.
Sorry, this is getting long.

I read up top that you said you could pick out components to buy? I'm not asking for the best performance on this desktop but facebook games and occasional Left 4 Dead versus game would be my only requirements. 

Any help would be great!
Laura


----------



## 2048Megabytes

learningbunny said:


> I read up top that you said you could pick out components to buy? I'm not asking for the best performance on this desktop but facebook games and occasional Left 4 Dead versus game would be my only requirements.
> 
> Any help would be great!
> Laura



Your desktop doesn't meet the minimum requirements for Left 4 Dead.  The bare minimum for a processor is a Pentium 4 (3.0 gigahertz) processor.  You could watch movies on this system if you have the software for it.  

I presently have no more time to post.  I will be back later.


----------



## schw32m

Here's the thing.

A lot of people poo poo eMachines as cheap pieces of crap. But one thing they are not is loaded with a lot of proprietary components like a Dell would be. In most of their stock off the shelf configurations they are not barn burning speed demons. But they do look nice if you like mini-towers, the cases are good steel construction, won't cost you your first born son, have decent documentation and you can work on them. The re-furb deals on these with the mouse, KB, speakers, basically everything but the monitor and Vista loaded isn't too bad. In the case of this particular series, it is even upgradable to a reasonable extent. 

Granted, it won't be the latest whiz bang mega gamer, but with decent graphics and a good CPU it is going to hold its own. It is worth noting that in the past there were some problems with the MBs, especially the TRIGEM boards in the older t2xxx P4 series, but lately they have gotten a lot better, albeit inexpensive, with the equipment. 

On this particular model there is a wealth of information.

*From the eMachines website:*

Product description

Motherboard specs T3656 note that it uses an ECS 945GCT-M3 MB.

Here is some more info from The Unofficial eMachines Tech Info site:

Specifications: ECS 945GCT-M3 (V3.0) Mainboard.

Processor Support: ECS 945GCT-M3 (V3.0) 

*Manufacturers Specifications from ECS Elitegroup:*

ECS 945GCT-M3 (V3.0) 

*From CPU-Upgrade* another CPU support list with cross references to CPU part numbers and specifications.

CPU support ECS 945GCT-M3(V3.0)

So the question is what upgrades would I do?

PSU - 450 watts + 80% efficiency minimum, this will depend on power requirements for the GPU. (the 250 watt in the stock unit doesn't have the juice to run much more than the stock configuration)
CPU - Fastest Core 2 Duo that I could afford. Just about any of these is going to be better than the Celeron.
GPU - Something decent in PCI express 16x. Amount spent here depends on how far one wants to push the graphics capability within the limitations of the case to handle the card size. Mini-towers are tight for space.
RAM - Throw another stick in to max the memory.

To reiterate, it wouldn't be bleeding edge super whiz bang fast. You probably can't BIOS overclock it and you are limited to socket 775 tech. It can however be a reasonably quick, solid platform and it will run Windows 7 nicely. YMMV, but I would play with one of these just to see how far I could push it within reason. 

How far you want to push it is up to you and your pocketbook.


----------



## 2048Megabytes

Okay, I'm back.  You can use your computer as a DVD player, but the hardware isn't good enough to work with the video game you want to play with it.  If you don't already have software to play DVDs I would download the VLC video player that will work with Windows Vista 32-bit:

http://www.videolan.org/vlc/download-windows.html

Something else I use that helps Vista run better is a program called Auslogics defragmenter.  It organizes data on your hard drive to speed up your system.  You can download it here:

http://www.auslogics.com/en/software/disk-defrag/download/

As for parts to upgrade the only thing I think you can really upgrade is the RAM in that system.  If you are interested in upgrading the memory let me know and I can point you in the right direction.


----------



## learningbunny

Thank you both for replying.

Since this won't support the high tech games too much, I'll forget about that then. But how bout with regular web games?  Would adding an additional RAM make a difference? Since it doesn't require much?

I got the softwares to watch movies and thank you for those links  I'll probably just use it to watch something on Hulu or Netflix considering the circumstances.

Just curious, would it be better and cheaper to take parts and build a CPU to make it efficient performance wise with games like L4D, CSS.. etc.. or to buy a new one then upgrade it? I've heard of alienware being awesome, how true is that?

Thanks again


----------



## 2048Megabytes

Hello again.  Your present system would work fine for Facebook and lower end video games.  Alienware computers are way over priced.  Don't buy from them.  And I doubt you could use any parts from your old computer to upgrade to a gaming system because it is an original equipment manufacturer.  If you don't mind reading and learning you could learn to build your own computer for gaming for a much lower price than Alienware.  Do you know anyone that has knowledge on how to build computers?  Expect to spend around $650 to get something decent for gaming.

You could get a single 1 gigabyte module of RAM that would increase performance in your present system for $24.

OCZ Value Series 1 gigabyte 240-Pin DDR2 667 (PC2 5400) - $24
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...cm_re=DDR2_1gb_240-pin-_-20-227-058-_-Product

In the below link is how to upgrade RAM along with a lot of other information on building a computer:
http://www.computerforum.com/104641-how-build-computer-step-step-photos.html


----------



## learningbunny

Amazing link! Wow. Interesting to know/read. My brother is pretty good when it comes to computers but I wanna learn myself as well.
He installed a graphics card for me on my compaq and it plays L4D very well, no lag. On my T3656, it's too slow so I mainly use it for surfing.

$24 isn't too bad. I read almost everywhere that the memory has to be the same? I'm assuming that doesn't mean for the brand, right?

Sorry for the questions. I don't mind reading but sometimes talking to someone who knows about it can only be better 
Thank you for your time replying. I have a lot to learn.

I know the higher the GHz the better but what would you say the minimum should at least be for great gaming? My Compaq can seriously lag sometimes even playing web games while my T3656 doesn't but using Chrome makes a slight difference. I've defrag both desktops using the link you gave me. My start up is much faster now  Thank you very much on that.

I'm gonna go read some more


----------



## learningbunny

was looking around the website you posted about the memory.

this one looks good:  well to me at least 
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16883114084


----------



## 2048Megabytes

I love Auslogics Defragmenter.  I use that program on my Windows Vista everyday since Microsoft can't even make a decent defragmenter for their own Windows Vista operating system.

That E-Machines system you are looking at wouldn't support a decent video card.  The processor and RAM may be decent but the power supply is likely poor quality.  The hard drive and motherboard are also likely questionable quality.  I would have your brother help you build your own system because you can pick good quality parts.  Buy good quality parts if you are building a gaming system.  I can give you suggestions on quality parts if you would like.

The processor, motherboard and RAM I would suggest are the following:

AMD Phenom II 550 Dual-Core (3.1 gigahertz) Dual-Core Processor - $88
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...47&cm_re=Phenom_II_550-_-19-103-847-_-Product

GIGABYTE GA-MA78LM-S2H Socket AM3/AM2+/AM2 Motherboard - $60
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...gabyte_amd_motherboard-_-13-128-408-_-Product

G.SKILL 4 gigabytes (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 1066 (PC2 8500) RAM - $95
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...=DDR2_1066_RAM_240-pin-_-20-231-241-_-Product


----------



## learningbunny

Thanks for the links  

I'm gonna talk to my brother about building one for me. The price that you posted seems very very reasonable. After reading these past couple of days, the video/graphics card would cost the most. What would you estimate the total might be including the case..etc. I want your opinion on it  if you were building it with a budget, what would you do? The link of the guy who showed the step-by-step video said he spent about 1,800 something total and that was 3 years ago. I'm not on a tight tight budget but I don't wanna blow my money either. I know that's terrible, lol.. but I think during these times, everybody thinks about that right? 

 You have a great day! and you've been very very helpful


----------



## kramyugtaht

Yes I know this is an old thread, but since people are still using this machine it is still relevant, and this is one of the first search results so it makes sense to add the info.

schw32m provided actual info SPECIFIC to this machine, people can generalize all day long saying probably this and that, but it says nothing about this model. And yes, I have always thought eMachines as more budget systems but this one actually has some room for improvement so I was surprised.

After researching this I was able to put a dual core Xeon 3060 in there, since the Core2Duo equivalent is compatible according to the CPU support list. It works fine. I used the original Cooler Master HSF and added an exhaust fan in the back (they had a FILTER there??? No wonder the Celeron was at 56C) and now the temp is in the 30's, and since the exhaust fan is also on a PWM header the whole thing is controlled by BIOS, or I imagine Speedfan most likely though I haven't tried it yet. BTW I never opened the machine prior to installation since I was at a remote location, I used Speccy which even identified the motherboard version as 3.1.

The hard drive is Western Digital, not sure if it was this forum or another but someone had said that it's probably an off brand because it's eMachines, but from what I can tell it's the original drive. The power supply is Lite On - not sure what that means for a PSU since they are known more for their burners but since it's still running on the onboard graphics it's fine for now. If I was to add a video card later I'm sure there are low power models that would perform okay at the time of this writing, though obviously it's not going to handle the newest technology or play any of those cutting edge games. It will work great for the non-profit I did this for where the most power hungry thing is the occasional Photoshop.

All in all not bad for a $47 investment on eBay.


----------

