My Mate needs advice!

[TW]Sponge · 17 Sep 2010 at 22:25

Hi guys, my mate has this computer that he wants to upgrade. He wants a new gpu and psu. He has an old foxconn n15235 motherboard, with a 4pin main connector, a q8400 quad core cpu, and 4gb of ram. Dont know the specifics. Just wondering if you can spec me a good psu and gpu for £250 that will work with his setup. Cheers.

cmndr_andi · 17 Sep 2010 at 22:32

Do you know what the motherboard model number is? I don't believe "n15235" is it, are there any other prominent strings of letters and numbers on the board?

Assuming the board has a PCIe x16 slot - then this PSU and this GPU are what I would recommend.

Mayfair · 17 Sep 2010 at 22:35

+1 for the recommended GPU, i ordered it last week and its perfect no complaints, runs very cool and quiet.

[TW]Sponge · 17 Sep 2010 at 23:04

cmndr_andi said:
Do you know what the motherboard model number is? I don't believe "n15235" is it, are there any other prominent strings of letters and numbers on the board?

Assuming the board has a PCIe x16 slot - then this PSU and this GPU are what I would recommend.

isnt that a bit expensive for a 550w??? and has it got a 4pin instead of an 8 pin?

PermaBanned · 17 Sep 2010 at 23:09

sponge999 said:
isnt that a bit expensive for a 550w??? and has it got a 4pin instead of an 8 pin?

Agreed, better to go for something like this:

http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=CA-032-BQ&groupid=701&catid=123&subcat=

As a general rule of thumb for PSUs expect to pay £0.01/w.

cmndr_andi · 17 Sep 2010 at 23:12

sponge999 said:
isnt that a bit expensive for a 550w???

You are basically paying for the quality, stability and modular features. The PSU that stulid suggests is another good quality one - just not modular (which shouldn't be an issue for most people).

sponge999 said:
and has it got a 4pin instead of an 8 pin?

The 8 pin splits into two 4 pins.

Orcvader · 17 Sep 2010 at 23:14

It doesn't matter if it has 8 pin, you can still use them on 4 pin motherboards. They usually come like this: http://www.techaddicts.net/reviews/xp650ap/xp650a10.jpg
+1 to that 700 watt PSU. Also, what cooler is he using for the CPU? He could buy something like the Titan Evo and overclock it if he hasn't done so already.

[TW]Sponge · 18 Sep 2010 at 00:13

He bought the computer from littlewoods for £900 about a year ago, and this is the first time hes even opened the side panel lmao. He has stock everything and he wouldnt know how to fit most things!

cmndr_andi · 18 Sep 2010 at 00:18

In that case, you will want to check that the case can accommodate standard ATX power supplies and has enough room for a dual-slot 8.25in long graphics card (such as the GTX 460).

Can you confirm that it does have a PCIe x16 slot?

Do you know the model name/number of the PC?

[TW]Sponge · 18 Sep 2010 at 01:02

yeh he has a 9800gt in atm so im pretty sure it will fit and has a x16, and they dont do it any more im afraid

cmndr_andi · 18 Sep 2010 at 01:32

Good to hear he has a 9800GT - so PCIe is a go.

However, the 9800GT is likely a single-slot card. Therefore, you will need to check that the case and motherboard can fit a dual slot (double thickness) card. Sometimes with these systems a dual slot card will not be able to be installed due to motherboard heatsinks and SATA ports.

If you can find the model number of the PC (either written on the system itself or original documentation) we may be able to pull down spec sheets and disassembly guides which will give us the full specs and sizes - even if the system is not made any more.