PC due an Upgrade

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26 Sep 2012
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Hi Peeps,

I built my PC some 5 Years ago now and Im thinking its due a refresh. Prob is as expected by most atm, Money is tight.

Im wondering whether some of my 'bits' will be able to last for a few months and il update it gradually. As it stands my pc does keep up with the latest games but only just.

Motherboard - Gigabyte G31MX-S2
CPU - Intel Core 2 Duo E6550 @ 2333MHz
Physical Memory :4096MB (2 x 2048 DDR2-SDRAM ) DDR2-SDRAM PC2-6400 (399MHz)
Graphics - NVIDIA GeForce 8800 GT
Case - Basic crappy coolmaster value range

I cant remember what my PSU is but i know i bought it a year ago and its 1000w.

Ive literally got £200 atm so if i can make some slight improvements with it i will.

Any help much appreciated
 
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15 Nov 2012
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Don't forget the RAM, maybe a new PSU / adapters
Possibly new HDD's if yours aren't SATA - or adapters
If i were you.. i'd stick with that one for a while until you save up atleast £700 and buy a brand new build.
 
Associate
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Depends what he needs it for, just for gaming then yeah £450 - £600 would be fine. Just go for an intel i3.
But I would personally never go that cheap on a new complete build.
 
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OP
Joined
26 Sep 2012
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9
The HDDS are Sata btw.

But ok so you dont advise doing it bit by bit, you think saving up and doing it all in one go is a better option?

Plus yes I mostly Game, WOW/BF2 (will be buying BF3) and COD. Play a lot of movies onto the TV from the PC and store a lot of Music/Films/Pictures.
 
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OP
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26 Sep 2012
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Hi Guys,

Im back and with more money!!! :) Looking to spend around 500 pounds on upgrading my PC now. Any help on a good build would be much appreciated.

Motherboard - Gigabyte G31MX-S2
CPU - Intel Core 2 Duo E6550 @ 2333MHz
Physical Memory :4096MB (2 x 2048 DDR2-SDRAM ) DDR2-SDRAM PC2-6400 (399MHz)
Graphics - NVIDIA GeForce 8800 GT
Case - Basic crappy coolmaster value range

Looking at having it ready for the new Final Fantasy XIV release in september.

Cheers
 
Soldato
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12 Sep 2012
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11,696
Location
Surrey
It may be a decent one as he said he bought it a year ago back in November and it's 1000w. It could be a garbage generic though which is why it would help to know the make and model.

Definitely worth knowing considering its 1000W, since you dont really see many crap brands going that high and the vast majority of the 1000W PSUs tend to be at least of a half decent brand anyway.
 
Soldato
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telford, shropshire
to give you a rough idea of what you could get, might have gone with a 660gtx gfx but the mobo is xfire compatible, no mention on the specs of sli.

what O/S are you running, and got any idea what the case is (aside from coolermaster as mentioned initially) ?



MSI HD 7870 Black Knight 2048MB GDDR5 PCI-Express Graphics Card (R7870-2GD5T/OC) £167.99
(£139.99)

Intel Core i5-4430 3.00GHz (Haswell) Socket LGA1150 Processor - Retail with FREE Grid 2 PC Game £149.99 (£124.99)

Gigabyte Z87M-D3H Intel Z87 (Socket 1150) DDR3 Micro ATX Motherboard £97.99 (£81.66)

TeamGroup Elite Black 8GB (2x4GB) DDR3 PC3-12800C11 1600MHz Dual Channel Kit (TED38GM1600HC11DC01) £49.99 (£41.66)

Sub Total : £388.30
Shipping : £9.50
VAT : £79.56
Total : £477.36
 
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OP
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26 Sep 2012
Posts
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PSU make & model

Hi All, thanks so much for your feedback its really appreciated.

Just got time to finally take apart my PC and found I was completely wrong with the PSU. Turns out its only 500w.

It's an OCZ - OCZ500SXS Black

As for operating system Windows 7 pro 64 bit. With potential to be upgraded to 8 64 bit for free (;) with work)

As for case. I would like a new one so may have to be included in budget or potentially increase. I really like the sci-Fi white look. Not sure which brand if it even makes a huge difference!!

Thanks again and hope the info helps!!
 
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OP
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Also if this spec could have room for future expansion I.e more RAM, running Graphics in CLI that would be awesome!!

Appreciate all ur feedback :)
 
Soldato
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17 Aug 2012
Posts
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Location
Tamworth, UK
YOUR BASKET
1 x HIS HD 7850 IceQ X 2048MB GDDR5 PCI-Express Graphics Card (H785QN2G2M) £149.99
1 x Intel Core i5-4430 3.00GHz (Haswell) Socket LGA1150 Processor - Retail with FREE Grid 2 PC Game £149.99
1 x Gigabyte Z87-HD3 Intel Z87 (Socket 1150) DDR3 ATX Motherboard £99.95
1 x NZXT Phantom 410 Enthusiast Midi Tower Case - White £84.95
1 x Crucial Ballistix Sport 8GB (2x4GB) DDR3 PC3-12800C9 1600MHz Dual Channel Kit (BLS2CP4G3D1609DS1S00CEU) £49.99
Total : £548.96 (includes shipping : £11.75).



It over by a bit, but would start you off nicely plus includes the case you wanted. Motherboard handles Crossfire, so you can get 2 7850's, 7950 would be better, but they are £100 more expensive.

You can save £50 with a cheaper on budget case.

E:\ If you do go crossfire, you'll need a 750W+ PSU, the 500W will do you for now, but you'll need a bigger one if you decide to upgrade.
 
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