Upgrading my current pc

sneapy · 16 Sep 2013 at 00:20

Hi,

Im looking to upgrade my current pc, so i am able to play some more modern games. im not looking to run games on ultra settings, just so i have better graphics and dont lagg, also i havent got a very big budget i would give you a budget, but im not sure how much things cost.

Thanks for your help

my current specs are:
Model: Dell Inspiron 560
Power Supply: 300W MAX - (i think thats what you need, if not just ask)
Processor: Intel Core2 Quad Q8300 @ 2.50GHz 2.50 GHz
RAM: 6GB
System: Windows 7 64-bit
Video Graphics: NVIDIA GeForce 310 (525 MB)

arc@css · 16 Sep 2013 at 00:26

I don't think your psu has the requirements for adding a modern graphics card, and I expect it's most likely a generic, lower quality unit. Can you be more precise about your budget?

sneapy · 16 Sep 2013 at 00:28

yeah im happy to upgrade my psu, around £150 max

arc@css · 16 Sep 2013 at 00:38

Well, by far the ideal solution would be to get a new cpu and motherboard, but I appreciate that's not possible. In that case, I'm thinking that something like a 7000 series AMD card and a new psu will at least breathe some life into your gaming.

See what others say first before pulling the trigger, but the following are my initial thoughts :

http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=CA-059-CS&tool=3

http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=GX-294-SP&groupid=701&catid=56&subcat=1699

Make sure you overclock your cpu to get more value from your new graphics card, otherwise it will be held back somewhat.

demon8991 · 16 Sep 2013 at 00:42

sneapy said:
yeah im happy to upgrade my psu, around £150 max

If I’m honest for 150 for a new PSU and graphics card, there is barely any point upgrading.

I am guessing it is one of Dell's slim line cases also which will limit you hugely on the type of graphics card you fit in the case.

synixx · 16 Sep 2013 at 03:00

demon8991 said:
If I’m honest for 150 for a new PSU and graphics card, there is barely any point upgrading.

I am guessing it is one of Dell's slim line cases also which will limit you hugely on the type of graphics card you fit in the case.

I entirely disagree with this. For £150 he could get a decent 500w psu and a 7850. Sure, his cpu is a bit old now but it can still be used to play any modern game.

If I were in your position i'd get a second hand 6850 or something along those lines as the cpu shouldn't really bottleneck a slightly older card yet will give you the ability to play new games.

demon8991 · 16 Sep 2013 at 03:15

synixx said:
I entirely disagree with this. For £150 he could get a decent 500w psu and a 7850. Sure, his cpu is a bit old now but it can still be used to play any modern game.

If I were in your position i'd get a second hand 6850 or something along those lines as the cpu shouldn't really bottleneck a slightly older card yet will give you the ability to play new games.

Sorry I put that in the wrong order, the case size will be the limiting factor here (assuming its Dells slim case) and because of this you won’t be able to get a full height graphics card nor will you be able to upgrade to a better PSU as those little Dells have very specific sized PSU's and they are mighty expensive or at least they were the last time I checked.

Also if I’m honest I think the CPU will be a bottleneck and this will become ever more so evident with the new wave of consoles coming out at the end of the year.

sneapy · 16 Sep 2013 at 03:16

synixx said:
I entirely disagree with this. For £150 he could get a decent 500w psu and a 7850. Sure, his cpu is a bit old now but it can still be used to play any modern game.

If I were in your position i'd get a second hand 6850 or something along those lines as the cpu shouldn't really bottleneck a slightly older card yet will give you the ability to play new games.

yeah i got this from another user, thought it was quite good but wanted to know what you lot say?

http://forums.overclockers.co.uk/showthread.php?t=18542297

demon8991 · 16 Sep 2013 at 03:24

sneapy said:
yeah i got this from another user, thought it was quite good but wanted to know what you lot say?

http://forums.overclockers.co.uk/showthread.php?t=18542297

Can you confirm whether your case looks like this?

no hotlinking images
http://static.productreview.com.au/pr.products/560s2_4ce38c988fc84.jpg

synixx · 16 Sep 2013 at 03:25

If your case is micro atx you should be able to fit in a smaller graphics card like the 7770. If it's slimline then yeah demon is right you won't be able to find anything to fit in there that's worth upgrading to! I have a micro atx case with an 8800 gts which is fairly standard size for a mid range graphics card and it fits fine.

demon8991 · 16 Sep 2013 at 03:29

demon8991 said:
If I’m honest for 150 for a new PSU and graphics card, there is barely any point upgrading.

I am guessing it is one of Dell's slim line cases also which will limit you hugely on the type of graphics card you fit in the case.

synixx said:
If your case is micro atx you should be able to fit in a smaller graphics card like the 7770. If it's slimline then yeah demon is right you won't be able to find anything to fit in there that's worth upgrading to! I have a micro atx case with an 8800 gts which is fairly standard size for a mid range graphics card and it fits fine.

Sorry if i was dismissive in the first post as i had searched for his model and the images pointed towards a slim line Dell model and thats why i suggested that the upgrade wouldnt be worth while.

Sneapy, my advice (if your case is the slimline) would be to try and sell your PC to raise some money, you should get 100 or so for it and perhaps save for a little longer. Then put that towards building yourself a custom system as for 400 or so you should be able to get yourself a much better setup.

markoboyo11 · 16 Sep 2013 at 08:06

Think that's youre best option tbh, sell it and get as much as you possible can and start a new build.
Im sure people on here will help you out with recommending specs to a budget for a new build, but doubt it would be worth while upgrading the pc you have the now.

Marine-RX179 · 16 Sep 2013 at 08:10

Best upgrade for OP based on what he currently got would be a low-profile 7750...
http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=GX-072-HS&groupid=701&catid=56&subcat=1699
http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=GX-307-SP&groupid=701&catid=56&subcat=1699

Not much point spending the extra on getting new PSU for higher cards, as the CPU would bottleneck it to barely faster than a 7750 anyway.

sneapy · 16 Sep 2013 at 14:30

demon8991 said:
Sorry if i was dismissive in the first post as i had searched for his model and the images pointed towards a slim line Dell model and thats why i suggested that the upgrade wouldnt be worth while.

Sneapy, my advice (if your case is the slimline) would be to try and sell your PC to raise some money, you should get 100 or so for it and perhaps save for a little longer. Then put that towards building yourself a custom system as for 400 or so you should be able to get yourself a much better setup.

My case did look a bit like what you found but double the size it's not the slimline design, but I feel that my CPU is good as it runs fast never had a problen and it rated 7.2 out of 7.9 on the windows rating.
The problem I have with buying a new gaming pc for around £400 is that I wanted a new console as well, that's why I wanted to just upgrade a bit.

But for around £400 could I get a good gaming pc if I build myself? Could I still use the same processor but upgrade the rest or would that be no point, and if I did sell my current pc would I get more money if I sell bit by bit? I just want to remind you, that i dont want to run on ultra, incase anyone forgot

demon8991 · 16 Sep 2013 at 22:55

sneapy said:
My case did look a bit like what you found but double the size it's not the slimline design, but I feel that my CPU is good as it runs fast never had a problen and it rated 7.2 out of 7.9 on the windows rating.
The problem I have with buying a new gaming pc for around £400 is that I wanted a new console as well, that's why I wanted to just upgrade a bit.

But for around £400 could I get a good gaming pc if I build myself? Could I still use the same processor but upgrade the rest or would that be no point, and if I did sell my current pc would I get more money if I sell bit by bit? I just want to remind you, that i dont want to run on ultra, incase anyone forgot

Well that’s good news as you can fit a full height graphics card in it, so that might be worth a look at, but don’t be surprised if your computer struggles with the wave of games with better visuals that come from the new console specs.

As far as your CPU goes it is looking a little dated now being nearly 7 years old, you'll be surprised how much they have come on in that time. The current gen i5 processors have pretty decent graphics chips on them capable of running a lot of games at a pretty acceptable level without the need for a graphics card at all, something to note as you will save 100 there and then leaving you room to upgrade in 6 months times when you have a bit more cash.

If you were to build your own for 400 you would get a pretty good machine assuming you have keyboard, monitor and mouse. I would recommend starting from scratch should you choose to go down this route as there has been motherboard improvements and ram improvements since your machine was built..

May I ask what resolution you game at?

demon8991 · 16 Sep 2013 at 23:48

This would be my choice a little over 400.

Its a fantastic system and you can then put a graphics card into it a later date when funds allow, it will also last you a long time and you can be confident with the graphics card that you will have a system that will see out the life span of the current consoles.

YOUR BASKET
1 x Intel Core i5-4670K 3.40GHz (Haswell) Socket LGA1150 Processor - Retail £197.99
1 x Samsung 120GB SSD 840 EVO SATA 6Gb/s Basic - (MZ-7TE120BW) £84.95
1 x Corsair Carbide 200R Compact ATX Case - Black £47.95
1 x Gigabyte H81M-DS2 Intel H81 (Socket 1150) DDR3 Micro ATX Motherboard £43.99
1 x Corsair Vengeance Low Profile 4GB (2x2GB) DDR3 PC3-12800C9 1600MHz Dual Channel Kit (CML4GX3M2A1600C9) £39.95
1 x Corsair Builder Series CX 430W V2 '80 Plus Bronze' Power Supply (CP-9020046-UK) £39.95
Total : £467.38 (includes shipping : £10.50).

If you cant quite afford that much then this would be good too.

YOUR BASKET
1 x Intel Core i3-4330 3.50GHz (Haswell) Socket LGA1150 Processor - Retail £113.99
1 x Samsung 120GB SSD 840 EVO SATA 6Gb/s Basic - (MZ-7TE120BW) £84.95
1 x Corsair Carbide 200R Compact ATX Case - Black £47.95
1 x Gigabyte H81M-DS2 Intel H81 (Socket 1150) DDR3 Micro ATX Motherboard £43.99
1 x Corsair Vengeance Low Profile 4GB (2x2GB) DDR3 PC3-12800C9 1600MHz Dual Channel Kit (CML4GX3M2A1600C9) £39.95
1 x Corsair Builder Series CX 430W V2 '80 Plus Bronze' Power Supply (CP-9020046-UK) £39.95
Total : £383.38 (includes shipping : £10.50).

The difference between the two systems is the first one has a Quad Core i5 and the second has a Dual Core i3, both chips have the same integrated HD 4600 graphics.

sneapy · 18 Sep 2013 at 18:45

demon8991 said:
This would be my choice a little over 400.

Its a fantastic system and you can then put a graphics card into it a later date when funds allow, it will also last you a long time and you can be confident with the graphics card that you will have a system that will see out the life span of the current consoles.

YOUR BASKET
1 x Intel Core i5-4670K 3.40GHz (Haswell) Socket LGA1150 Processor - Retail £197.99
1 x Samsung 120GB SSD 840 EVO SATA 6Gb/s Basic - (MZ-7TE120BW) £84.95
1 x Corsair Carbide 200R Compact ATX Case - Black £47.95
1 x Gigabyte H81M-DS2 Intel H81 (Socket 1150) DDR3 Micro ATX Motherboard £43.99
1 x Corsair Vengeance Low Profile 4GB (2x2GB) DDR3 PC3-12800C9 1600MHz Dual Channel Kit (CML4GX3M2A1600C9) £39.95
1 x Corsair Builder Series CX 430W V2 '80 Plus Bronze' Power Supply (CP-9020046-UK) £39.95
Total : £467.38 (includes shipping : £10.50).

If you cant quite afford that much then this would be good too.

YOUR BASKET
1 x Intel Core i3-4330 3.50GHz (Haswell) Socket LGA1150 Processor - Retail £113.99
1 x Samsung 120GB SSD 840 EVO SATA 6Gb/s Basic - (MZ-7TE120BW) £84.95
1 x Corsair Carbide 200R Compact ATX Case - Black £47.95
1 x Gigabyte H81M-DS2 Intel H81 (Socket 1150) DDR3 Micro ATX Motherboard £43.99
1 x Corsair Vengeance Low Profile 4GB (2x2GB) DDR3 PC3-12800C9 1600MHz Dual Channel Kit (CML4GX3M2A1600C9) £39.95
1 x Corsair Builder Series CX 430W V2 '80 Plus Bronze' Power Supply (CP-9020046-UK) £39.95
Total : £383.38 (includes shipping : £10.50).

The difference between the two systems is the first one has a Quad Core i5 and the second has a Dual Core i3, both chips have the same integrated HD 4600 graphics.

Awesome, I really appreciate your help. Since I already have a terribyte hard drive could I carry that over? But I would reset it as it's full of junk.
Would I be better off selling my pc off in separate bits or just flog the whole thing.
And the first basket you put together how well will that run games, also in response to your other question, I run my games at 1098 x 10?? Something like that, that includes my settings all on low otherwise it will not run, but I can run games on 19??x???? something like that, I don't know I'm out at the moment...

Plus I'm not too sure about this processor and graphics card in one, what else is an option I would prefer to get them separately or is it actually quite good, I don't mind pushing it up too £550

demon8991 · 18 Sep 2013 at 23:00

sneapy said:
Awesome, I really appreciate your help. Since I already have a terribyte hard drive could I carry that over? But I would reset it as it's full of junk.
Would I be better off selling my pc off in separate bits or just flog the whole thing.
And the first basket you put together how well will that run games, also in response to your other question, I run my games at 1098 x 10?? Something like that, that includes my settings all on low otherwise it will not run, but I can run games on 19??x???? something like that, I don't know I'm out at the moment...

Plus I'm not too sure about this processor and graphics card in one, what else is an option I would prefer to get them separately or is it actually quite good, I don't mind pushing it up too £550

No problem at all I am glad that I can help.

Well in the system I have specced I have included 120GB SSD which you should use as your boot drive and to install your applications, this gives a MASSIVE performance boost over standard mechanical drives. You should see boot up times between 10 and 20 seconds. I would then use your 1TB drive for all your Music, Videos, Photos etc. and to install your steam games onto.

Ok so sound like you are running at 1920 x 1080 which is good.

The reason I left a graphics card out was to keep closer to your budget leaving you time to save to buy one at a later date. Just a note the integrated graphics on the CPU is very good and would be a lot better than what you have currently but no substitute for a modern separate card.

I would recommend either of these two cards if you are planning on extending your budget:

http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=GX-052-HS&groupid=701&catid=56&subcat=411

£125.99

http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=GX-191-MS&groupid=701&catid=56&subcat=411

£125.99

You will also get a choice of two free games with those graphics cards so you can choose from the silver section in the below image.

I would recommend Hitman, Deus Ex, Sleeping Dogs and Far Cry 3 as the top four.

As far as your current PC is concerned I would try and sell it as a complete unit on eBay or Gumtree, you may well get £120-200 for it.

sneapy · 19 Sep 2013 at 07:02

demon8991 said:
No problem at all I am glad that I can help.

Well in the system I have specced I have included 120GB SSD which you should use as your boot drive and to install your applications, this gives a MASSIVE performance boost over standard mechanical drives. You should see boot up times between 10 and 20 seconds. I would then use your 1TB drive for all your Music, Videos, Photos etc. and to install your steam games onto.

Ok so sound like you are running at 1920 x 1080 which is good.

The reason I left a graphics card out was to keep closer to your budget leaving you time to save to buy one at a later date. Just a note the integrated graphics on the CPU is very good and would be a lot better than what you have currently but no substitute for a modern separate card.

I would recommend either of these two cards if you are planning on extending your budget:

http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=GX-052-HS&groupid=701&catid=56&subcat=411

£125.99

http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=GX-191-MS&groupid=701&catid=56&subcat=411

£125.99

You will also get a choice of two free games with those graphics cards so you can choose from the silver section in the below image.

I would recommend Hitman, Deus Ex, Sleeping Dogs and Far Cry 3 as the top four.

As far as your current PC is concerned I would try and sell it as a complete unit on eBay or Gumtree, you may well get £120-200 for it.

Awesome thank you so much I will proberly be buying this in the next week or so, but one more thing, since im selling my pc i take it i will have to buy windows again wont i? also i might message you on here if I have any other questions thank you very much again.

demon8991 · 19 Sep 2013 at 22:23

Sounds good!

If you need any help before you buy just message me or use my trust to send me an email.