Updating home PC

[pico]

Well, I am in the process of updating my PC... did not really need to, but decided to make it where I could play some games a bit better on it if I so choose. I went in March with a store bought desktop (should have built my own, but I was lazy and wanted instant gratification). I have an HP P6720F, which works well enough for internet usage, but sucks for gaming. It has 6 GB PC3-10600 RAM, so I have ordered 4 4GB sticks of the same type to replace the 3 sticks present. If 16 GB RAM won't get it done, then nothing will. I am running Windows 7 64 bit, and the on board graphics sucked. I went a bit cheap on this upgrade, but found a ZOTAC GeForce 9500GT video card with 1GB DDR2 memory for only $25 after a mail in rebate. I then ordered a blu ray drive so I can play the movies I already own.

The video card is installed and works great. The RAM and blu ray player are in the mail. Anything else I should consider? I should add I am deaf in an ear, so adding high end sound does not benefit me at all, as everything is monotone. I am currently using a 26" LCD Vizio television for my monitor, and it is running at the maximum resolution of 1920x1080.

Thanks

[DontBeAfraid]

hmm... what kind of money are you looking to spend?

[pico]

hmm... what kind of money are you looking to spend?


Let's start with the amount of work. I do not want to upgrade my processor and motherboard. The processor is an AMD Phenom 2 X4 at 2.9 GHz. I know there are better boards and faster processors, but I don't want to mess with an entirely new build. I can spend another $3-400 on upgrades, but not sure what else can be done with the existing setup other than put the mx RAM, update drives, and graphics. Would a better power supply be an option, or at least a more efficient one? Not having more than one hard drive, disc drive, and the video card, I'm not sure a power supply upgrade would be necessary.

[DontBeAfraid]

For your computer, the biggest gaming improvement you could make would be a much better graphics card... What kind of slot does your computer have? pci-e x16?

[pico]

For your computer, the biggest gaming improvement you could make would be a much better graphics card... What kind of slot does your computer have? pci-e x16?

Yep... just the one

What about something like this (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004RHPO58/ref=s9_simh_gw_p147_d0_g147_i1?pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0D ER&pf_rd_s=center-2&pf_rd_r=106Y49F25Q9Q2Y1A2HXW&pf_rd_t=101&pf_rd_p=470938631&pf_rd_i=507846)?

[DontBeAfraid]

That would be a huge improvement... But since you have already money on ram and you have 3-4 hundred you want to spend I recommend dropping 3 hundred on a graphics card and 100 ish on blu ray decoding software... sadly you will still not be able to watch your blu rays unless you have some and it doesnt come with the drive.

[DontBeAfraid]

Somehting like this:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130613
And its got hdmi out to make it easy to hook up to modern televisions.

[pico]

My current one has HDMI out, but my less than perfect motherboard does not have the audio hookups on the motherboard to support it via one cable. Oh Well... thanks for the advice on the video card.

[pico]

I went ahead and ordered another video card, which is the GeForce GTX 460 2win with 2 GB ram. I can only have 1 card with my motherboard, so this seems to fit the bill nicely. Anyway, it should be a huge leap over the one I have, and the one built onto the motherboard. Here (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004SU8AUU/ref=oh_o01_s00_i00_details) is the link to the card on Amazon's site.

[DontBeAfraid]

Thats a really nice "double" card but it might be too big for your case... Its pretty massive. I suggest you get out a ruler or something just to be sure... And that should blow away any games you throw at it.

[pico]

It measures okay, but I cancelled the order and went with the 570 instead. I have read too many mixed reviews on that card, and many could not get the card to perform with crappy motherboards like mine.

I forgot to add I went ahead and ordered a new power supply, as the one with the original setup was way too small for these new breeds of video cards. I went with an 800 watt supply, which is perhaps a bit overkill, but the dimensions worked, so what the hell... it is only money;)

[DontBeAfraid]

lol... You have a frankengaming machine... or at least you will...

[pico]

Yup... I should really just scrap the idea and get a new motherboard, CPU, and case.... then have a truly tarted up system. Right now I feel like I am trying to fit a hemi in a AMC Pacer.

[DontBeAfraid]

I dont know cars... but you can always do that later on... I dont think any of the new parts would limit you at this point but Im not certain what kind of ram you bought.

[pico]

It was the type for the motherboard... which was 4 4GB DDR3 1333 10600 unbuffered. I know better stuff is out there... this stuff was only $97.50 after shipping... not anything too much.

[DontBeAfraid]

That is still the current standard type for modern motherboards... ddr3 I mean. It is what modern boards use so any new board you get for the next while will be able to use it. Its not the fastest but the difference will usually only be noticeable in benchmarks.

[pico]

Well...I installed the new PSU and video card, and it basically ranked the card with that fairly vague Windows Aero score for the two video categories as 7.8 and 7.9. Game graphics are set to highest settings without any glitches. I am pretty happy with the way it turned out, but now am thinking hard about just returning this PC to its former setup and putting the new parts in a new case with a new motherboard, CPU, and hard drive. Then, my kids could have their own PC and I would have my own, but not sure it I'll go that route yet.

[DontBeAfraid]

Not a bad plan if you have the cash... You will need another OS license though but you can get an oem one for pretty cheap on newegg.com , If you do go that route I would get windows 7 home ultimate... and dont forget you will need another mouse/keyboard/monitor and bluray drive... and all the accompanying cords and such.

[lazserus]

I'll submit a little input here. DBA is no fool in this department, so you've received good advice. But there's something constantly overlooked, something that can ultimately bite your ass. That's motherboard+CPU. Pumping up RAM and exchanging your video card will only take you so far. You can have the top video card (assuming your motherboard supports it) and plug in so much RAM up to your MB's limit. Without choosing your own motherboard, the top boards shipped from manufacturers like HP and Dell are about a year or two behind. (I used to work for Dell, HP, eMachine, Compaq, and so on, replacing boards and upgrading customer systems: it's all bullshit and old—it's policy.)

The reality is you can't simply replace items to pick up speed in a PC. Sure, you can add more RAM, but if the BUS speed is archaic, it doesn't matter . . . add as much RAM as your MB will support, but the speed of that RAM is probably also archaic. Major manufacturers like HP anticipate a customer wanting to upgrade, which is why they severely restrict upgrade capabilities. They ship computers with compact cases wherein when you open the case you only see a congested mess of cables, so compact and intimidating you're likely not to jack with anything. But if you do, your warranty for the machine is immediately void—in the case for all Dell systems, they have an electronic tag that records if the case is opened. Even if you crack the case to blow out dust, because it was opened your warranty is void. (I've had to refuse simple service to customers while working for Dell because the "seal" was broken.)

Building isn't cheaper these days, at least not like it was back when I started. Computing in all facets is so prolific that it's cheaper to buy a machine than for me to build one . . . unless you're dealing with specialization. But what most customers don't know when purchasing package computers is that most of the hardware is complete shit. And that even goes for fucktard companies like Alienware. A complete sham. I can build a better machine than the cheapest Alienware (say at $2000) for under $950.

The key is understanding what it all means grouped. Just because your video card has a shit-ton of DDR RAM doesn't mean it'll function properly, same goes with adding tons of RAM. With a decent machine, you can play almost any game UNDER the requirements. As long as you know how the shit works unison. Here's the tricks:

Build a machine with a motherboard capable of expansion x4 (most are, but if you buy a retail machine you're proper fucked)
With a good motherboard comes options for upgrading, but start with 2GB RAM at highest megahertz (I run a 3.2gHz system at 2gHz RAM flawless with major audio programs and games running together—I don't need even 4GB RAM)
Know that video RAM is almost always shared with the system, so anticipate that or spend tons of cash for a card with its own processor
BUS speed is everything—doesn't matter the speed of your drive, cards, RAM if your board has a low BUS speed, info of every kind chokes. You can have the fastest car in the world, but if you're stuck in traffic because you're dealing with a 2-lane road always, your car's speed is useless
Lastly, it's always cheaper to buy machines. Do that if you wanna play the latest games, because today it's much more expensive to build. But know that when purchasing retail those machines cannot be upgraded much if at all. If you wanna keep up with PC gaming, BUILD BUILD, never buy.
If you're not gaming, I always suggest buying retail. Much cheaper and easier.
That's my 60 cents. Cheers!

(And for the record, I've been building gaming machines since 1996)