Looking for some help upgrading, specs inside

[Riste]

hey you guys, its been 8 years since i built a new computer and a ton has changed. like PCIE was had not been relesed when i built my last one.

http://h10025.www1.hp.com/ewfrf/wc/docu ... 0023#N1213

i bought this HP 2 years ago, and its been ok, i just want some advice on upgrades for it Like video Card, memory, etc, possibly a CPU?

i realize a SSD would be a big upgrade, but id kinda like this to be a budget machine.

the PSU i think will need to be upgraded as the stock one is only 300W.

be honest if you think this is saveable. other than WOW its really just a internet machine... but i would really like to run WOW at some higher settings.

is it worth it to goto Windows 7? i missed out on the free upgrade cause i was dumb. i think its running 64bit, which according to the specs should allow 16 megs of ram?

i can take stuff apart and put it together but getting into the technical end of this with compatibility is alittle above me.

any advice is appreciated. I posted this on Tankspot too.

[laterna]

Hmmm, it all depends on what you want to do with your machine really.

If you're okay with the CPU then you can keep the same RAM/Mobo and just upgrade PSU/GPU, your CPU is not a show-stopper but certainly not a pushover either.

CPU mark Relative to Top 10 Common CPUs
10/October/2011 - Higher results represent better performance
Intel Core i7 980X @ 3.33GHz 10,602
Intel Core i7-2600K @ 3.40GHz 9,971
Intel Core i7-2600 @ 3.40GHz 8,950
Intel Core i5-2500K @ 3.30GHz 7,387
Intel Core i7 960 @ 3.20GHz 6,676
Intel Core i7 950 @ 3.07GHz 6,362
Intel Core i7-2630QM @ 2.00GHz 6,336
AMD Phenom II X6 1100T 6,305
Intel Core i7 870 @ 2.93GHz 6,099
AMD Phenom II X6 1090T 6,053
AMD Phenom II X4 910 3,248

Thats a relative performance to what the newer stuff can do. Also, do you live in the US? Whats your budget like?

Upgrading to Win7 is a good thing to do though, not absolutely necessary though.

TL;DR Its salvageable per say, but you won't get top notch perfomance out of it

[Riste]

ok, lets say my budget is 1500-1700 for a new tower. No periferals, i got a pretty nice 24" monitor and Razer KB/Mouse

If it can be cheaper cool. i want something that will run WOW on pretty High(maybe even ultra) setting without issues.

Thanks for any advice given!

Aaron

[laterna]

Firstly, can you wait a few days? AMD is about to release its brand new series "Bulldozer" and you never know if they'll pull a rabbit out of the hat...

Also, you're talking about quite a big budget?

I've build a PC that can run everything on ultra in wow (granted no AA, or insane other stuff) including an OEM Win7 Professional, case/new cpu fan etc for 1167(pre-shiping) USD on newegg

i5-2500k CPU
560-Ti
Asus PAP67 Deluxe motherboard
1TB Seagate 7200 RPM drive
8GB Vengeance RAM
Corsair TX750W PSU
CoolerMaster CM690 II Case (personal reckomendation, I have this on my pc, its the best mid-range price case, has a ton of features you only see in higher range cases)
CoolerMaster Hyper212 CPU cooler

For 1169 USD

You can take the windows off, save 139 USD, you can downgrade items as well, but I feel this is quite a good PC for what you want. I can add an SSD if you want, network cards etc if you feel you require either.

[Riste]

i actually found a local builder that will build me a machine, 580 GTX I7 Pentium, 250SSD, 500gb HDD, 16 megs of ram Windows 7 and a 3 year warranty for less than 2000.

i am really leaning that way.

[Arkesh]

Personally for that price, I'd expect a larger HDD, 500GB these days seems a little small even if you have your OS and most used games on the SSD.

[Aergis]

16 megs of ram

Good luck loading notepad with that!


Really though 2k seems a bit high, but "i7 pentium" is extremely vague, as are a couple other things. Make sure you aren't getting ripped off.

[gibborim]

ok, lets say my budget is 1500-1700 for a new tower. No periferals, i got a pretty nice 24" monitor and Razer KB/Mouse

For 1500, you can build a monster that will run just about anything on max settings.

If you feel that you are competent, you really should build it yourself for both the reduced cost and experience.

Salvageable-parts: The RAM, wireless card, hard drive, case and optical drives look workable in a new system.

Re AMD vs Intel: Unless Bulldozer is much more impressive than I imagine it will be, I don't really see it being a better choice than Intel 2600/2600k.

To Windows 7 or not to Windows 7: I really like Windows 7. I think it is fantastic. If you are going to get it for a new computer and you plan on staying with the OS for a long time, make sure to get the 'professional' non-OEM version.

[gibborim]

Oh yea, get an SSD for your system/game drive. Just do it.

[Riste]

its a I7 2600..... hahha yea, it shoulda been 16 gigs, not megs hahaha

[Riste]

Oh and on the HDD size, i dont have a bunch of stuff, i have a 1TB drive in this current computer, so for pics and videos and whatever i will still have this machine.. the new one will be mainly for gaming.

so i dont need alot of room.

[Arkesh]

Re AMD vs Intel: Unless Bulldozer is much more impressive than I imagine it will be, I don't really see it being a better choice than Intel 2600/2600k.

You seem to be correct, bit-tech and Toms Hardware both have come to the conclusion that sandy brdige is the way to go atm. Bulldozer performs well under certain conditions, but these conditions are more suited to servers currently. It's a pity as I've been a fan of AMD, but looks like I'll be upgrading to Ivy bridge next year.

I'd also recommend building your own system, it isn't hard and it's a good learning experience and in my experience it'll save you hundreds of monies. I would recommend getting a knowledgeable person to help out or finding a reliable guide online or in an enthusiast magazine for the first time.

[gibborim]

Re AMD vs Intel: Unless Bulldozer is much more impressive than I imagine it will be, I don't really see it being a better choice than Intel 2600/2600k.

You seem to be correct, bit-tech and Toms Hardware both have come to the conclusion that sandy brdige is the way to go atm. Bulldozer performs well under certain conditions, but these conditions are more suited to servers currently. It's a pity as I've been a fan of AMD, but looks like I'll be upgrading to Ivy bridge next year.

Yea, Intel has been pushing pretty hard on AMD's market share the last few years. They keep on coming up with major innovations to beat them about the head with and I worried that they will get lazy if AMD falls off the map