Upgrading an old pc

Vince32

I have a HP Pavilion Elite model #m9543uk http://www.cnet.com/products/hp-pavilion-elite-m9543uk-core-2-quad-q8200-2-33-ghz-4-gb-1-tb/specs/

I don't know enough about form factor and chipsets to know which pieces fit and which don't.

So I need some help choosing :

• Motherboard
• CPU (i7 with hyperthreading)
• RAM (MAX Availible to the MB)

I need to know which motherboard will fit my tower, and will hold a 2nd gen i7++ and the best combo of ram e.g. 4x8gb oe 2x4gb etc etc.

I don't know what my current MB is other than Benica, I've looking for the tiny stamp on the hardware itself but I can't locate it.

I am a gaming enthusiast, I have already replaced the GCard and ram last year, but I'm not getting the performance I would like. I think the 2.3ghz processor is really dragging me down.

I can play most games on minimum or low settings, and only suffer slight fps lag, although lately some games fail to load entirely and when I look into replacing parts in the pc it starts to get complicated and confusing to me.

So anyone who can offer some clarity on this will have my thanks.

Cheers.
Vin

PS: on a low budget, total cost cannot exceed E500.

Lu Tze

Vince32 wrote: »

I have a HP Pavilion Elite model #m9543uk http://www.cnet.com/products/hp-pavilion-elite-m9543uk-core-2-quad-q8200-2-33-ghz-4-gb-1-tb/specs/

I don't know enough about form factor and chipsets to know which pieces fit and which don't.

So I need some help choosing :

• Motherboard
• CPU (i7 with hyperthreading)
• RAM (MAX Availible to the MB)

I need to know which motherboard will fit my tower, and will hold a 2nd gen i7++ and the best combo of ram e.g. 4x8gb oe 2x4gb etc etc.

I don't know what my current MB is other than Benica, I've looking for the tiny stamp on the hardware itself but I can't locate it.

I am a gaming enthusiast, I have already replaced the GCard and ram last year, but I'm not getting the performance I would like. I think the 2.3ghz processor is really dragging me down.

I can play most games on minimum or low settings, and only suffer slight fps lag, although lately some games fail to load entirely and when I look into replacing parts in the pc it starts to get complicated and confusing to me.

So anyone who can offer some clarity on this will have my thanks.

Cheers.
Vin

PS: on a low budget, total cost cannot exceed E500.

What graphics card do you have?

Vince32

Nvidia GTX 550 TI, it was mid range a few years ago, I got a good deal on it

Lu Tze

I would suggest trying to stretch the budget and start from scratch, including graphic card. The card isnt very good, and would have been entry level when released. If you fancy building your own (you will get more bang for your buck), you could post a new thread in here for advice

http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/forumdisplay.php?f=842

Fill out the following questions

1. What is your budget? [€xxx]

2. What will be the main purpose of the computer? [Gaming/Video editing/3D Modelling/HTPC/Internet] (If gaming include which games)

3. Do you need a copy of Windows? [Yes/No]

4. Can you use any parts from an old computer? [Hard drive/DVD Drive/Case/PSU/etc.] (If possible state brand and model of the parts to ensure compatibility)

5. Do you need a monitor? [Yes/No]

5a. If yes, what size do you need. [19'/20'/22'/24'/etc.]

5b. If no, what resolution is your current monitor and do you plan to upgrade in the near future? [1920x1080/1440x900/etc.] [Yes/No]

6. Do you need any of these peripherals? [Keyboard/Mouse/Wireless Card/Card Reader/Speakers/etc.]

7. Are you willing to try overclocking? [Yes/No]

8. How can you pay? [Bank Transfer/Credit Card/Laser]

9. When are you purchasing? [In x days]

10. If you need help building it, where are you based? [South Dublin City/Cork City/Kerry/etc.]

Vince32

In an ideal world that is exactly what I would do, but sadly I'm a poor man with little money to spare, 500 bucks was already stretching my budget.

If you know anything about motherboards and cpu chipsets I would be grateful for your insights, I had thought about upgrading the GCard too, but I feel very strongly that my real issue is the CPU strenght, and with a better one I can start to max out the GCard and play at High to ultra settings. The motherboard will need to fit my current pc, which I think, but I'm not certain is a "Micro-ATX" type board and it will need to be able to house an i7 processor, which of course leads to replacing the DDR2 ram to DDR3++ depending on the board chosen.

I know your probably right and a total replacement will probably be needed, but after shopping on ebay-amazon-build your own sites, I have discovered the price exceeds my range by almost double my budget. So I am looking for cheaper alternatives.

Thanks

TerrorFirmer

You're best off selling everything and starting again. A budget of 500 is decent, when you add the 200 or so you'd get from your old PC it's very decent.

Everything about your old PC is substandard - Q8200 is extremely low end by modern standards, 550ti is a poor card by current standards also. Also, it's an old, long-dead platform, there's no where else to go with it.

No need for an i7, no difference between i5 and i7 in games, and coming from that ancient Q8200, even an i3 is an absolutely massive upgrade. Even a 50 euro Pentium G3258 processor would run rings around your current one.

200motels

Why not try this site, they build them for you and you could get a good AMD based chipset for 500 euro. http://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/computers/amd-am1/

Vince32

TerrorFirmer wrote: »

No need for an i7, no difference between i5 and i7 in games, and coming from that ancient Q8200, even an i3 is an absolutely massive upgrade. Even a 50 euro Pentium G3258 processor would run rings around your current one.

Honestly, your right... I know.

I was thinking if I replaced the parts separately, mobo, ram and CPU I would have essentially a new pc in an old case.

for example, I don't need an OS, HD, Case, or Fans, so to my mind spending money on those items is a waste.

If I could pick up a mobo, cpu and ram for my current shell cheaply enough, I could probably reach the GTX 750 ti with my current budget.

if the mobo, was 100E
if the cpu was 280E
if the ram was 80E

I could probably squeeze out the the extra 100E bucks in a couple of weeks for the GCard.

But like the OP says, I don't know where to start.

TerrorFirmer

Again though an i7 purely for games is a waste of money. You will not see any benefit vs an i5. In fact, in most games, you won't even see a difference versus an i3, as the video card will hold you back.

For that money, 8Gb of ram, H81 mobo, i5-4460, and a 3GB R9 280 are easily doable. You would also need a new power supply.

It would also be twice as fast as a machine with an i7 and GTX750Ti in games.

For convenience sake you are still better off selling your old PC and starting over.