• Upgrade for my bro?
    13 replies, posted
Currently, he has a "meh" computer. So, I suggest to him he gets an upgrade. He want some that's a fast, but good enough for web browsing. [url=http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128527]GIGABYTE GA-H61M-DS2 LGA 1155 Intel H61 Micro ATX[/url] [url=http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115078]Intel Core i3-2100 Sandy Bridge 3.1GHz[/url] [url=http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231396]G.SKILL NS 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin[/url] He wants to stay under 200, but I don't think that will work. He as a 250 watt PSU. I was suggesting a 550w-600w, in case he wants to upgrade later.
250W PSU? Is it a really old machine or is it a MicroATX case?
It's a microATX case. It's store bought and has an Athlon X2 in it. And I just realized I posted this in the wrong place. Would a mod kindly move it?
Full specs? As in Current ram, GPU etc etc?
AMD Athlon X2 BE-2350BE 2.21 GHZ 2 GB DDR2 Acer RS690M03, On Board Graphics 6150. 320GB Hard Drive Win7 32bit [url]http://reviews.cnet.com/desktops/acer-aspire-m1100-athlon/1707-3118_7-32971097.html[/url] Except it has a 320gb. His computer will start up, the fans will spin, but the monitor won't turn on. Sometimes it will work, but he'll get a CMOS error stating that the bios have been set to default.
Upgrading a prebuilt machine is a bad idea, that one especially. The first problem is the case is really too small and has extremely poor airflow. It has one space for a rear fan that's not installed by default, and the default PSU has a weak fan. The CPU will basically be sucking on its own exhaust heat and start overheating under even a modest load. Second, if you plan on using any sort of beefy GPU, you'll be very limited to what you can buy due to space. The GPU will also be sucking on the bottom of the case and have problems getting enough cool air to keep the card from overheating. You'd also definitely need a new PSU. Besides being a no name OEM PSU, it's also 4+ years old and doesn't have enough wattage for a modern board + GPU. Lastly, you'd have to hope that the motherboard mounting holes in the case weren't proprietary or fixed, and that the rear I/O panel could be changed to accommodate the new motherboard, else you'd just be wasting time and money.
Well, what would you suggest? I have a 9500 lying around, we have monitors, keyboards, and a mouse.
I suggest buying a new case if you want to make a new build.
[img]http://dl.dropbox.com/u/32409323/theguy.png[/img] How this?
You could swap that i3-2100 out for a [url=http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819116399]Pentium G620[/url] if it's not going to be used for anything particularly intensive. You also don't need that much power - [url=http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817171060]450w[/url] would be more than enough. However, if you have the money, the above would be great.
He's planning on update sometime in the future after this, but I'll see. He'll most likely go for it, but he's cheap. Like, if he had 100 million, you'd be hard pressed to borrow 5 bucks. Also, he would need at 550w, the GPU I plan on letting him use is needs at least 500w.
[QUOTE=Sodisna;35582627]He's planning on update sometime in the future after this, but I'll see. He'll most likely go for it, but he's cheap. Like, if he had 100 million, you'd be hard pressed to borrow 5 bucks. Also, he would need at 550w, the GPU I plan on letting him use is needs at least 500w.[/QUOTE] Thats just minimum requirements by manufacturer so they don't get sued or anything if you try to use anything under that. the PCI Express slot on the motherboard: this source can provide up to 75 watts to the graphics card. the PCI Express power connectors on the graphics card. There are two types of power connectors: 6-pin: this power connector can provide up to 75 watts 8-pin: this power connector can provide up to 150 watts Heres where I got my info from [url]http://www.geeks3d.com/20101108/tips-maximum-power-consumption-of-graphics-card-connectors/[/url]
So, he would be fine with a 400w?
[QUOTE=Zerokateo;35600109]Thats just minimum requirements by manufacturer so they don't get sued or anything if you try to use anything under that. [/QUOTE] Uh, no. They recommend XYZ watts on a power supply because it's the amount of total power draw on an average system with the card under maximum load. [QUOTE=Zerokateo;35600109]the PCI Express slot on the motherboard: this source can provide up to 75 watts to the graphics card. the PCI Express power connectors on the graphics card. There are two types of power connectors: 6-pin: this power connector can provide up to 75 watts 8-pin: this power connector can provide up to 150 watts Heres where I got my info from [url]http://www.geeks3d.com/20101108/tips-maximum-power-consumption-of-graphics-card-connectors/[/url][/QUOTE] Yes, so you have a total of 300W possible power draw from the GPU alone. Plus you have another 65-150W from the CPU and probably another 50W from other devices in the system. So the total maximum load would be 500W, and I wouldn't go below that on a modern gaming machine.
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