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I need to upgrade my computer - badly. I'm hoping that maybe a few people on TL that are familiar with this type of stuff would be kind enough to help me. The current computers that I'm using are old and pretty crappy. I want to have a computer that is decently fast and can run recent games fairly well. I'm not looking for an ultimate gaming rig, but something that will be able to run games like Fallout3, Oblivion, etc.
The two old computers that I have are my sister's old Compaq Presario S5000 CL that I have laying around in my basement collecting dust, and a Dell Dimension E310 which I currently use.
I'm hoping to upgrade to a fairly middle end PC. My budget is somewhere around $400ish, though I could always borrow some cash if necessary.
With this money, what are my options, and being realistic, how good of PC could I get?
What options should I go with in terms of motherboards and graphics cards?
Would I need to upgrade my power supply, and how much would I need to upgrade by? What options should I consider in terms of buying.
Any help is appreciated.
Edit: Product Info of Presario: http://h10025.www1.hp.com/ewfrf/wc/prodinfoCategory?lc=en&cc=us&lang=en&product=364074&dlc=en
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I'm no computer building expert, but in my own experience, it's unwise to upgrade old, old PC's to middle-end PCs. I would suggest if you're going to get a new computer, you do it right and build a brand new one that is high end. I know that this doesn't work to your budget, since I believe that costs nearer to $1100.00 area, but I think you'll regret spending this money later on.
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United States17042 Posts
system specs for those who are interested without having to dig around
compaq system specs:
+ Show Spoiler +
Base processor and speed
AMD Athlon(T) XP 2600+ running at 2.133 GHz:
*
Advanced 266 MHz front side bus
*
Socket A
Chipset
Via KM266
Motherboard manufacturer
MSI
Memory
Component Attributes
RAM (installed) 512 MB (1 x 512)
Maximum allowed 1 GB (2 x 512)
Speed supported PC2700 MB/sec (will run at PC2100)
Type 184 pin, DDR1-333 SDRAM
DIMM slots Two
Open slots One
Cache
Type Attributes
Primary cache (L1) 128 KB
Secondary (L2) 256 KB
Hard drive
*
80 GB Ultra DMA
*
5400 rpm
DVD/CD-RW combo drive
48x/24x/16x/48 maximum speed
Diskette drive
1.44 MB (3.5-inch)
Modem
ItU V.92 K56flex
Video graphics
Integrated graphics
Sound/audio
Integrated AC97 audio
Network (LAN)
Integrated 10/100Base-T networking interface
MPEG
MPEG2 for full-motion digital video
External ports
Port type Quantity/Location
USB (2.0) Six (two front and four back)
Serial One (back)
Parallel One (back)
LAN One (back)
PS/2 Keyboard One (back)
PS/2 Mouse One (back)
VGA Monitor One (back)
Audio Three (line-in, line-out, microphone) (back)
Expansion slots (total)
Slot type Quantity
PCI Three (two available)
DIMM Two (one available)
AGP One (available)
Drive bays (total)
Bay type Quantity
5.25-inch, external Two (one available)
3.5-inch, internal One (occupied)
3.5-inch, external One (occupied)
3.5-inch, other One (available)
Keyboard and mouse
*
PS/2 Productivity keyboard
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PS/2 scroller mouse
*
Quebec keyboard kit for French Canada only (part number DN030A)
cnet's test unit of dell:
Dell Dimension E310 (Pentium 4 521 2.8GHz, 256MB RAM, 80GB HDD, XP Media Center 2005)
no 16x pci graphics on either (dell dimension has 1x express)
compaq has agp, probably 8x, but that's not going to help much
You might be able to upgrade the ram if you really wanted, but bottom line, the motherboard and computers in general are so old that the standards for the components that you would want to upgrade have changed.
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T.O.P.
Hong Kong4685 Posts
Use that $400 and build a new pc yourself.
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You have a budget of $400... save $300 or $400 more and build a complete new system.
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i don't think it's possible to play fallout3 / oblivion whatever you do with it.
try the gaming on a budget pc build link
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That isn't counting the OS he has to buy extra 100 right there :p
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Also why have him buy a case reuse the old case as long as its atx mid should be fine.
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On March 19 2009 06:48 IzzyCraft wrote:
Also why have him buy a case reuse the old case as long as its atx mid should be fine.
how would I know if it is atx mid? like I said I am a noob.
Also, if I was going to rebuild a new comp, could I reuse the hard drive and optical drives? Are they standard, or are there compatibility issues?
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don't worry it's not atx its micro atx link
notice: on further looking the suggested motherboard is also micro atx but i would buy a new case looks flashier  and has a better air flow
i'd highly suggest following the link, with the recent ati price drops you might find something better but it 'll be always similar
edit btw you can't use your old hd's and cd drives. they have an ide connection not sata
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You've seen other computers i'm sure.
Just think is your computer not as wide as them or not as tall.
I can't tell from the site about the Compaq Presario S5000 CL but and the dell looks like a btx tower not sure if it supports the atx mobo rack
Cuz thats about 30-50 dollars savings 30 if you buy refrubished from cooler master website.
just go with
http://cmstore.coolermaster-usa.com/index.php?cPath=18_37_19
20 dollar case 10-15 bucks for shipping well depends but probably 10 dollars
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400 is just a really tight budget and ionno if you have the os disk because the os will be 90 dollars the build is much more viable if you have the os already
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lol unless the disc that came with the desktop works, I will have to buy a copy of the OS. it's too bad the hard drive can't be transferred.
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just curious but is the psu included in the case? and it do supports 24pin power?
on the otherhand it's a very good idea. you could the spend the extra 20$ on the gfx cardlink the chances are high that you'll be able to play fallout on decent settings
edit: there's also a intresting combo deal with that card link
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400 with os i'd just run down to my local frys see my cheapest pciex16 mobo i can find cheapest workable cpu for it and case around. then buy the 20 4 2 gigs ram, 15 rom drive, >40 hdd, psu ~ 40-60 and 90 os on line and try to devote the rest into a decent gpu. something for be like in rank 4670>9600gt>4830/8800GT/9800GT hoping i can find a cheap 8800gt or 4830 or 9800gt
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well i absolutely have no clue about the prices in the US in belgium everything's quite expensive.
the cheapest way here is ordering stuff from the netherlands :/. I have no clue how much pc equipment in your stores cost.
anyway i'm geussing godly will buy everything from neweggs
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US prices for computer stuff is usually quite cheap compared to other nations. I know a $1000 in Us or about $1250 in CAN equivalent will buy very different machines with the US machine being much more modern and powerful
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EPT
