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Please suggest upgrades for my 5 year old computer.

bdk880bdk880 Member Posts: 9
in Hardware

I have a Core 2 Duo 6700 @ 2.66 GHZ

I think at least a 500 watt power supply (updated: 850W, not 500)

I have a 250 GTS video card, 4gb ram, windows 64 bit

 

What kind of upgrades could I make? I can't afford an entire new computer, but would like to increase my fps and graphics detail in MMO's

 

Would just upgrading the video card help? Maybe a  560ti or HD 7770

 

How difficult would it be to replace the cpu and motherboard. Would that be the best bang for my buck?

Any suggestions for a motherboard and cpu combo and where to buy?

 

Any suggestions would be appreciated. Thank you for your time

 

Comments

  • jdnewelljdnewell Member UncommonPosts: 2,237

    The only upgrade I might even bother with is a newer GPU. But even that depends on what power supply you have and IF it will handle something better.

    With a new motherboard and cpu also means new RAM. At that point you might as well salvage what you can off the old one. Case, DVD drive most likely and just build a new one on a budget.

     

  • bdk880bdk880 Member Posts: 9

    I opened up my computer, since I could not see a sticker. I have an 850 W power supply.

     

    Which graphics card might you reccomend? the ones I listed or something else.

     

    Also, I am open to a new motherboard, cpu, and ram.  I just want an improvement over my current set-up. I don't need to have the best bleeding edge build at this time. I will most likely have to buy the upgrades in increments. I dont need any peripherals, monitors, ect. This computer is used for playing MMO games only like Rift, TSW, ect

     

    Perhaps an I5 processor, but which motherboard?

     

    Thanks for any suggestions. I have never built a computer, but willing to give it a go and at least replace some aging parts

  • jimdandy26jimdandy26 Member Posts: 527

    Really you need a new computer. There isn't really any super "short term" fixes you could apply. Generally speaking when it comes to mmo's you are proc locked before you are gpu locked, however you are at min spec/low spec for any of the newer games. On top of that continuing on with that power supply is generally pretty iffy. Just like a battery they lose stability over time. Your computer is old man <>

    Cost wise, it really depends on what you can salvage from what you currently have. Generally speaking proc, mobo, ram, psu, gpu is going to cost 6-800 depending on what specific functionality you want and how you are going about it. If you really need to save more for example the core I3 procs are not terrible and will be a rather hefty upgrade for you since most mmo's are still using a single thread.

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    To exercise power costs effort and demands courage. That is why so many fail to assert rights to which they are perfectly entitled - because a right is a kind of power but they are too lazy or too cowardly to exercise it. The virtues which cloak these faults are called patience and forbearance.

  • RidelynnRidelynn Member EpicPosts: 7,383

    In for a dime, in for a dollar -

    No reason to just "upgrade" that system. You'd be best served just selling it outright as a whole, complete working computer and building a new one from the ground up.

    Yes, you could recycle some components (case, DVD, I would strongly advise against the PSU and HD) - but the old computer is worth more as a working unit, the extra parts to make a complete new unit don't add a whole lot of cost, and you end up with 2 complete computers out of it instead of one computer and one box of random junk parts.

    Once you have the GPU, the motherboard, the CPU, and new RAM, your only about $150-$200 away from completing out a new computer in the first place. Pretty much any computer that can boot up is worth at least $200 on Craig's List - so selling your old one makes up the difference.

  • bdk880bdk880 Member Posts: 9

     I am getting the impression I just need to build new :)

     

    Think i might try building it myself though. Appreciate all the input and suggestions.

  • SouldrainerSouldrainer Member Posts: 1,857
    You might be able to keep the power supply, if you want. It has 850w of power, which is rock solid for many newer builds, especially if they are single-gpu builds. Unless it shows signs of being worn out, or you want one of those fully modular ones though, you shouldn't have problems.

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  • QuizzicalQuizzical Member LegendaryPosts: 25,499
    Originally posted by Souldrainer
    You might be able to keep the power supply, if you want. It has 850w of power, which is rock solid for many newer builds, especially if they are single-gpu builds. Unless it shows signs of being worn out, or you want one of those fully modular ones though, you shouldn't have problems.

    If it's a high quality 850 W power supply, then sure.  If it's a model that will explode if you try to pull 600 W from it in the real world and really only stays in spec up to about 200 W, then no.  I'd want to know the exact brand name and model, not just the nominal wattage, if you're going to keep it.  A high quality 850 W power supply in that system would be rather incongruous.

  • bdk880bdk880 Member Posts: 9
    Originally posted by Quizzical
    Originally posted by Souldrainer
    You might be able to keep the power supply, if you want. It has 850w of power, which is rock solid for many newer builds, especially if they are single-gpu builds. Unless it shows signs of being worn out, or you want one of those fully modular ones though, you shouldn't have problems.

    If it's a high quality 850 W power supply, then sure.  If it's a model that will explode if you try to pull 600 W from it in the real world and really only stays in spec up to about 200 W, then no.  I'd want to know the exact brand name and model, not just the nominal wattage, if you're going to keep it.  A high quality 850 W power supply in that system would be rather incongruous.

    It is a microvelocity power supply. It originally had a 750W, but it died. The company sent a tech to my house who replaced it with a microvelocity 850W. It is about 4 years old now I would guess. My guess it is a rebranded epower power supply based on what little markings it had. It mostly says microvelocity on it, but the grill says "silent engine" or something like that.

     

    Think I might just replace it anyway. A modular one sounds nice compared to all the extra wiring I have now. Plus, I got some unexpected Christmas money as gifts.

     

    Thanks again all for the help

  • SuprGamerXSuprGamerX Member Posts: 531
    Originally posted by bdk880

    I have a Core 2 Duo 6700 @ 2.66 GHZ

    I think at least a 500 watt power supply (updated: 850W, not 500)

    I have a 250 GTS video card, 4gb ram, windows 64 bit

     

    What kind of upgrades could I make? I can't afford an entire new computer, but would like to increase my fps and graphics detail in MMO's

     

    Would just upgrading the video card help? Maybe a  560ti or HD 7770

     

    How difficult would it be to replace the cpu and motherboard. Would that be the best bang for my buck?

    Any suggestions for a motherboard and cpu combo and where to buy?

     

    Any suggestions would be appreciated. Thank you for your time

     

    If your board can support Sata 6G , I suggest getting 2 solid state drives and set them on raid 0.  If your board cannot support Sata 6g , then 3G will show alot of improvement while gaming.  But SSD's are really amazing and makes a world of difference on 6G.    But being 5 years , I doubt your board can support Sata 6G.   So with 700-800$ you can easily grab a i7 CPU + Board + 2 SSD + 16GB 1600mhz ram. Down the road after a few months, since you'll have a kick ass PC , invest in a nice GPU. a 250/300$ max , ATI radeon GPU and your PC will be blazing :)     The CPU you currently have you can keep it as a console emulator and set it on your TV and program your wifi gamepad to be able to move the mouse cursor with it. :)

  • Recon48Recon48 Member UncommonPosts: 218

    Your version of Windows is a factor here too.  If its WinXP, I believe that Microsoft will officially stop supporting it in 2014. If its Windows Vista or Windows 7, you'll definitely want to do a bit of research on re-registering the copy that you have when you replace the motherboard .

    With Vista or 7, basically your options are to either keep the OS intact on the hard drive and partition that its currently installed to and everything will be moved into a "windows.old" folder

    or

    wipe the partition, format it and do a fresh install of Windows then call Microsoft Support and explain that you replaced the motherboard so the Product Key can be migrated to the new hardware ID.

  • bdk880bdk880 Member Posts: 9

     This is what I am planning now. I think everything should work well together.

    http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811119225 case

    http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813130643 motherboard

    http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819116504 cpu

    http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820145345 RAM

    http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817151087 Power Supply

    http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820227789 SSD

    http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835103065 cou cooler

    http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817994085 bracket for ssd

    http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835100007 thermal paste

    http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136769 storage hard drive

     

     

    Thanks all for the help

     

     

     

     

     

     

  • bdk880bdk880 Member Posts: 9
    I did not know you could reregister windows. I currently have windows 8, but was going to buy a copy of windows 7
  • Recon48Recon48 Member UncommonPosts: 218
    As far as the hardware you listed, looks like a pretty sweet build. Now to decide on a video card and OS.  This list is a prretty good start  for figuring out the right performance/price:  http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/gaming-graphics-card-review,3107-7.html
  • Recon48Recon48 Member UncommonPosts: 218
    Originally posted by bdk880
    I did not know you could reregister windows. I currently have windows 8, but was going to buy a copy of windows 7

    Normally the Windows Product Key is registered with Microsoft either during or right after Windows is installed.  During installation the OS creates an inventory of hardware that's in the machine (hardware ID), which is then attached to the product key so MS can see that A) the copy you're using is legally obtained,  B) your product key matches the OS and type of product license you've installed, and C) it isnt a key/copy thats being pirated & passed around in torrents. 

  • Twilight33Twilight33 Member UncommonPosts: 37

     

    i am on my third self built rig. i can say for sure its best to build your own. if you can get your hands on a copy of windows for free some how it will also usually end up being cheaper then a store pre built. if you need to buy a copy of windows the build cost is going to go up drastically. the key is to shop around and do research on the parts you want. i just did a build from the ground up half a year ago for about $600.

    Phenom II 4x black edition 975, 16gigs of ram, 560 Ti.

    important things to note on.

    1)dont cheap out.,but dont get the absolute top end either. that stuff is usually excessively expensive. try and get just below top end. when building your own rig a lot of people cheap out and end up having to upgrade their computer in short order.

    2) the motherboard is the heart of your system and dictates what components you can use. look for a board that has the best upgradability. IE look for a board that sports the latest processor socket type, large number of ram slots/capacity, and the latest slots and port types(SATA, PCI Express 2, USB 3, etc)

    3) pick your hard drive carefully. it's very common for self built rigs to get bottlenecked because of the hard drive. many beginners think harddrive selection ends at capacity and buying a hard drive with a poor read speed and end up slowing down their entire rig.

    4)know the power consumption of your rig, and make sure you get a supply that surpasses your needs. if your rig uses 750W and you buy a 750W power supply is isnt going to last long as its going to have to work at max output and burn out fast.

    image
  • Recon48Recon48 Member UncommonPosts: 218
    Originally posted by Twilight33

    i am on my third self built rig. i can say for sure its best to build your own. if you can get your hands on a copy of windows for free some how it will also usually end up being cheaper then a store pre built. if you need to buy a copy of windows the build cost is going to go up drastically. the key is to shop around and do research on the parts you want. i just did a build from the ground up half a year ago for about $600.

    Phenom II 4x black edition 975, 16gigs of ram, 560 Ti.

    important things to note on.

    1)dont cheap out.,but dont get the absolute top end either. that stuff is usually excessively expensive. try and get just below top end. when building your own rig a lot of people cheap out and end up having to upgrade their computer in short order.

    2) the motherboard is the heart of your system and dictates what components you can use. look for a board that has the best upgradability. IE look for a board that sports the latest processor socket type, large number of ram slots/capacity, and the latest slots and port types(SATA, PCI Express 2, USB 3, etc)

    3) pick your hard drive carefully. it's very common for self built rigs to get bottlenecked because of the hard drive. many beginners think harddrive selection ends at capacity and buying a hard drive with a poor read speed and end up slowing down their entire rig.

    4)know the power consumption of your rig, and make sure you get a supply that surpasses your needs. if your rig uses 750W and you buy a 750W power supply is isnt going to last long as its going to have to work at max output and burn out fast.

    Great advice & sounds like you got a beast of a rig for the money.  Congrats.

  • Twilight33Twilight33 Member UncommonPosts: 37
    one thing that you might want to look into. that CPU fan says it supports the 1155 socket, but it doesnt say it supports the i5 processor.

    image
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