Time to upgrade PC -Help

[Tanky]

Hi all,

 

I use my PC for gaming quite a bit, Battlefield 2 etc. I'm realising now that the current set up is struggling to meet the demands of these games and that future games will be even more spec hungry.

My current specs are:

 

AMD Athlon 64 Processor 3200+2000mhz 512kb

 

Motherboard Epox Nforce DDR: 9NPA+/9NPA ULTRA/9NPAJ series

 

2Gb Ram

 

PSU: 500w

 

Graphics card: Geforce 9600GT

 

Windows XP

 

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I think this pc looks ok, but out of my price range:

 

PCSPECIALIST.CO.UK - Custom PCs, Custom Computers, Custom PC, Custom Built Computers, Gaming PC

 

In order to chase similar specs, going to try to do it myself and save money, I found this bundle and wondered what you think, as in would it beef up all the components I need for a gaming pc?:

 

ASUS M4A785D-M PRO, AMD AM3 240 X2 CPU, 4GB DDR2 BUNDLE on eBay (end time 28-Dec-09 11:58:22 GMT)

 

I have installed a new mobo in the past but am by no means good at this stuff so would appreciate all the help you can give

 

Thank you in advance

 

Tanky

[maynardvdm]

Hi

 

I am more of an Intel fan myself but AMD is cheaper. That looks ok. Are you gonna upgrade the graphics card also? Asus is always a good choice.

 

Whatever you get post here if you need any help installing the components.

[Tanky]

Hi

 

I am more of an Intel fan myself but AMD is cheaper. That looks ok. Are you gonna upgrade the graphics card also? Asus is always a good choice.

 

Whatever you get post here if you need any help installing the components.

 

Thank you for your reply :)

 

The Nvidia 1GB graphic card with the gaming machine I mentioned is around £100, was hoping that my exsisting one would cope, do you think it would struggle with the new set up?

 

Wondered if I might have to upgrade the PSU to 600/700w also?

 

If I upgrade to Windows 7 (from xp) am I right in thinking that if I fresh install it on another hard drive (my secondary one, it is bigger than C drive) that I will have to alter the Bios to read the windows 7 drive first? Also will doing that have any adverse effects on current installed programs?

[maynardvdm]

Hi

 

I was just wondering if you were gonna change the graphics card also, but it should be ok for now.

 

What PSU do you have now?

 

You'll have to setup a dual boot setup with XP and Windows 7.

[Tootech]

If I upgrade to Windows 7 (from xp) am I right in thinking that if I fresh install it on another hard drive (my secondary one, it is bigger than C drive) that I will have to alter the Bios to read the windows 7 drive first?

 

You can do it that way - I have 4 drives in my system all with different OS's installed.

 

Also will doing that have any adverse effects on current installed programs?

 

No, as long as you disconnect your old drive when you install Win 7 to make sure you don't wipe the old drive. Also, don't delete anything from your old drive when running Windows 7.

[Tanky]

You can do it that way - I have 4 drives in my system all with different OS's installed.

 

 

 

No, as long as you disconnect your old drive when you install Win 7 to make sure you don't wipe the old drive. Also, don't delete anything from your old drive when running Windows 7.

 

 

Thank you for your reply :)

[Tanky]

Hi

 

I was just wondering if you were gonna change the graphics card also, but it should be ok for now.

 

What PSU do you have now?

 

You'll have to setup a dual boot setup with XP and Windows 7.

 

 

Been pricing up all the bits including card, windows 7 etc, soon adds up!

 

Decided to buy a new PC, ordered it today :)

 

Can supply specs etc if anyone would like them.

 

Can also reccommend the company i'm buying off, not sure if it's allowed on the site to name them? They have a build your own PC section that is very good, helped me a lot

[RandyL]

In the context of this thread naming them or linking to them would not be considered spam.

[Tanky]

In the context of this thread naming them or linking to them would not be considered spam.

 

 

Should have read my first post before asking, I have already mentioned them lol.

 

PCSPECIALIST.CO.UK Click on build your own PC, very easy to use and they are very helpful should you have any questions

My specs are:

Processor (CPU)

AMD PHENOM II X4 945 SOCKET AM3 (3.00GHz/8MB CACHE)

Memory (RAM)

4GB CORSAIR XMS3 DUAL-DDR3 1600MHz - LIFETIME WARRANTY

Motherboard

ASUS® M4A785TD-V EVO: DUAL DDR3, S-ATA II, 2 x PCIe x16, 1 x PCIe x1, 3 x PCI

Operating System

Genuine Windows 7 Home Premium 64 Bit - inc DVD & Licence (£79)

USB Options

8 x USB 2.0 PORTS (6 REAR + 2 FRONT) AS STANDARD

Memory - 1st Hard Disk

250GB SERIAL ATA 3-Gb/s HARD DRIVE WITH 8MB CACHE (7,200rpm)

2nd Hard Disk

NONE

3rd Hard Disk

NONE

4th Hard Disk

NONE

RAID (HDD 1 & 2)

NONE

1st DVD/BLU-RAY Drive

22x DUAL LAYER DVD WRITER ±R/±RW/RAM

2nd DVD/BLU-RAY Drive

NONE

Graphics Card

1GB ATI RADEON™ HD 4870 PCI EXPRESS

2nd Graphics Card

NONE

Sound Card

ONBOARD 8 CHANNEL (7.1) HIGH DEF AUDIO (AS STANDARD)

Network Facilities

ONBOARD 10/100/1000 GIGABIT LAN PORT

Modem

NONE, I WILL BE USING BROADBAND

Memory Card Reader

NONE

Case

ANTEC 900 BLACK GAMING CASE

Power Supply & Case Cooling

450W Quiet Dual Rail PSU + 120mm Case Fan (£25)

Processor Cooling

STANDARD AMD CPU COOLER

Firewire & Video Editing

2 x IEEE 1394a FIREWIRE PORTS (1 onboard, 1 at back panel)

TV Card

NONE

Monitor

NONE

2nd Monitor

NONE

3rd Monitor

NONE

4th Monitor

NONE

GeForce 3D Vision

NONE

DVI Cable

NONE

Keyboard & Mouse

NONE

Mouse

NONE

Speakers

NONE

Webcam

NONE

Headsets (VOIP)

NONE

Surge Protection

NONE

Printer

NONE

Anti-Virus

NONE

Office Software

NONE

External Hard Drive

NONE

Home Installation

NONE

Warranty

1 Year Return-to-Base incl 1st Month Free Collect & Return

Delivery

STANDARD INSURED DELIVERY TO UK MAINLAND (MON-FRI)

Build Time

Standard Build - Approximately 11 to 14 working days

I priced up the components seperately with a view to building it myself (to save a few pounds), to be honest there was'nt that much in it, I think they must bulk buy the components and get a good discount.

 

I post again when it arrives to let you know how it runs. From the testimonials i've read I'm not expecting any problems.

[Dalo Harkin]

A 4870 GPU at full load uses just over 300Watts of power - cutting it VERY close if you ask me

[Tanky]

A 4870 GPU at full load uses just over 300Watts of power - cutting it VERY close if you ask me

 

 

I have a 550w PSU that I can swap if necc. Kept the cost down a bit on the new PC ;)

[Dalo Harkin]

Sorry it went over the allowed time to edit the post:-

 

a stock 4870 uses around 170Watt - some of the more powerful ones use 300Watt+

if you just have a stock one 450 will be fine ;)