Need to upgrade my HTPC to a gaming rig

slothmeister · 12 Jun 2012 at 18:23

Hi guys, so i've had this htpc for about 4 or 5 years now without any sort of upgrading being done to it.

I now have a real hankering to start doing some gaming since i got rid of my Xbox, but don't have the funds to go and build a complete new system. So i'd like to upgrade what i already have (if possible)

I'd say i have about £250 to upgrade it, looking to play games like max payne 3, CODMW 3, project cars etc.

I realise that this is not going to be cutting edge, but if it at least allows me to play at medium - high settings i'd be happy.

Current specs I'm running (no s******ing):

Intel Core 2 Duo T5200 running at 1.60Ghz
Abit iL-90MW Motherboard
3Gb RAM (DDR2 maybe?)
Win 7 Home Premium
Antec Fusion PC Case with whatever power supply that came with
Onboard Intel graphics.

Thanks very much

Greavesy · 12 Jun 2012 at 18:41

What size graphics card can fit in the fusion?

BuToNz · 12 Jun 2012 at 18:43

You'll be extremely bottlenecked by that CPU, there's no real upgrade path for that. So may as well save up and build a new from scratch.

Greavesy · 12 Jun 2012 at 18:56

YOUR BASKET
1 x MSI HD 6850 "Dual Fan Edition" 1024MB GDDR5 PCI-Express Graphics Card £83.99
1 x Intel Pentium G620 2.60GHz (Sandybridge) Socket LGA1155 Processor - Retail £47.99
1 x Corsair Builder Series CX 430W V2 '80 Plus' Power Supply (CMPSU-430CXUKV2) £36.98
1 x **B Grade** Antec 100 One Hundred Ultimate Gaming Case - Black £31.16
1 x **B Grade** MSI H61M-P23 Intel H61 (Socket 1155) DDR3 Motherboard **B3 REVISION** £30.19
1 x Kingston Blu 4GB (2x2GB) DDR3 PC3-12800C9 1600MHz Dual Channel Kit (KHX1600C9AD3B1K2/4G) £23.99
Total : £269.30 (includes shipping : £12.50).

Its not ideal but its the best I could do :/
I really don't think you'l get med-max settings on modern games with a budget of £250 but this should cope.
I included the new case because I don't know if the antec fusion will be big enough for a 6850.

slothmeister · 12 Jun 2012 at 18:57

I wasn't looking to use that processor, i was expecting to have to upgrade it, but didn't know whether or not this motherboard could take a modern processor.

I have no idea what graphics card would fit, will try and find out.

honosuseri · 12 Jun 2012 at 19:17

Are your HDD and Optical drive sata?

The biggest issue is going to be the GPU and that case and PSU. If it only takes half height cards that is a problem. You can buy PCI-Express riser cards/adapters so you could install the GPU at a different angle, this is a lot of hassle. That said i have a fair bit of experience squeezing mini-itx gaming HTPCs into custom cases (AT-AT & millenium falcon toys were interesting choices), if you have some D.I.Y skill and a tape measure i'm sure it's possible for you to look to add a pretty decent GPU and still use that cool amp styled case (I do love the look of them i must confess).

I don't know what wattage the PSU is or infact if it's any good at all. I think your best initial port of call might be to upgrade the mobo to the FM1 socket. That case only takes upto a mATX sized mobo i do believe, so keep that in mind if you want to upgrade the mobo bundle.

YOUR BASKET
1 x AMD A8-3870K 3.00GHz (Socket FM1) APU Processor (AD3870WNGXBOX) £107.99
1 x Gigabyte GA-A75M-D2H A75 (Socket FM1) DDR3 Micro ATX Motherboard £58.98
1 x Crucial Ballistix Sport 8GB (2x4GB) DDR3 PC3-12800C9 1600MHz Dual Channel Kit (BLS2CP4G3D1609DS1S00CEU) £38.39
Total : £205.36 (includes shipping : FREE).

The IGP on this AMD APU is very capable so you could just rock that for now. It can be hybrid x-fired with a 6670 GPU. Another bonus is that you can overclock the APU, this is a double whammy as it not only overclocks the CPU but also the IGP as well

http://forums.overclockers.co.uk/showthread.php?t=18348039

That's your best or rather easiest chance at getting a GPU in that case. A nice 500W (ish) modular PSU would be a nice addition to the system. Once you have a good stable and quiet power supply you can think about how you could add a better GPU.

YOUR BASKET
1 x AMD A8-3870K 3.00GHz (Socket FM1) APU Processor (AD3870WNGXBOX) £107.99
1 x Cooler Master Silent Pro Modular 700W '80 Plus Bronze' Power Supply £64.99
1 x Gigabyte GA-A75M-D2H A75 (Socket FM1) DDR3 Micro ATX Motherboard £58.98
1 x Crucial Ballistix Sport 8GB (2x4GB) DDR3 PC3-12800C9 1600MHz Dual Channel Kit (BLS2CP4G3D1609DS1S00CEU) £38.39
Total : £270.35 (includes shipping : FREE).

That PSU is OTT however it's priced the same as 550-600W modular PSUs so it would be rude to ignore such a bargain

Greavesy · 12 Jun 2012 at 19:22

Llano is probably your best chance for gaming with that case

Idleman · 12 Jun 2012 at 19:28

Don`t suppose you have the manual for the mobo. Have searched the web, but can`t find any info as regards cpu support.
New mobo/cpu, as a;ready mentioned, would seem to be your only option for a decent gaming pc/htpc.