DreamN

Searching about and this looked like the most appropriate place to post what I'd like to discuss about.

Recently my friend's dad gave me his some gateway desktop because he simply didn't want to deal with fixing it (motherboard). It's a Gateway DX4640-UB201A (Mediocre Desktop).

It's not horrible to look at so I'm not looking for a new case lol.

Anyway, I swapped the motherboard and upgraded the power supply to a 480W unit as from what I gathered the supplied 300W unit just wasn't cutting it. Still might end up going with something better.Been thinking about this unit:

Amazon.com: Gateway A-Power AK 850W 20+4-pin ATX PSU w/SATA & PCIe (Black) computer: Electronics

Because it lacked a hard drive I purchased a 1TB 7,200RPM and it's currently running on Windows 7 Ultimate 64-bit. Been trying to load Ubuntu 10.10, but no dice for some reason. Been getting a BusyBox error of some sort, but I'll figure that out later.

Here's where I need some real advice as I'm simply a novice at all this. I downloaded GTA IV to see how it would do and it was horrible. Choppy video and just way to slow. I figure the issue has to be the video card. Did some light research and it's a crappy integrated unit that fails miserably at anything worth playing.

Other upgrade I'd like to do is memory wise. It's only 4 GB and considering I'm running 64-bit Windows I believe I'm limited to 16 GB right? I'd be more than happy with 8 GB. I know this is a simple remove and install deal, but not sure what memory to buy.

Last thing I want to upgrade are the cooling fan(s). It has one fan over the CPU and that's it. I'd like to upgrade that one plus add at least one more. Again, not sure what to buy.

Looking for recommendations that are budget friendly and that will give some good results for someone who's not a total gamer, but wouldn't mind playing some decent games once in awhile.


Below are the stock specs just so folks know what I'm dealing with.

Takaharu

I'm basing this on being price-friendly whilst keeping a decent compatibility but this would be my idea.

RAM - DDR2 is a fading technology, particularly considering the price of DDR3 now. 4GB you can't really go wrong with so I'd be inclined to save money here on something more useful and future-friendly.

PSU - Go decent-branded, not OEM. An 850W PSU should not be that cheap and would be overkill for your system anyway. 320W would suffice but I'd be inclined to go 650W as it'll keep you going for a good few years. If the budget won't stretch that far consider a 500-550W. Manufacturers to look for: Corsair, OCZ, Thermaltake. If in doubt, ask.

GPU - The Nvidia 550 is a good choice, balancing price & performance rather well.

OS - Unless you really hate Windows, keep the OS that it has. Windows 7 Ultimate x64 is the highest price for a non-server Windows OS and should serve you well.

Cooling - The CPU fan will suffice but if you want more cooling that's not a bad thing. My personal favourite at the moment is the Akasa Apache Black but also the Scythe Gentle Typhoon. I will, however, stress that I do not have much experience with fans; those two were chosen by me for their silence more than anything.
A replacement CPU fan wouldn't go amiss but I'd recommend holding off on that until you get a more modern system.

Could you provide us with a budget, motherboard make & model and also the size of the case fans that your case can accommodate?

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DreamN

The PSU isn't OEM, simply the seller put Gateway in the title. Though it is some Chinese company. Was wondering why others with similar specs were a lot pricier so once I found out it was a Chinese branded one it made sense. I will look at the recommend brands though.

Budget would probably be limited to $250 as I really wouldn't want to invest to much money into a PC that I know isn't much to begin with.

Motherboard is a stock replacement similar to the one below:

ACER MS-7399 GATEWAY DX4720 DX4640 MotherBoard MCP73PV | eBay

DreamN

Also, uncertain what fan size the case would be able to hold, but there does seem to be spot available next to the PSU.

synthesis204

For $250, I would recommend:
Newegg.com - CORSAIR Enthusiast Series CMPSU-550VX 550W ATX12V V2.2 SLI Ready CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS Certified Active PFC Compatible with Core i7 Power Supply

($90)

Plus

Newegg.com - PowerColor AX6790 1GBD5-DH Radeon HD 6790 1GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.1 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFireX Support Video Card

($150)

OR

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...-625-_-Product

(also $150)

Both are similar, depends on which you prefer (I would go with the EVGA, but to each their own)

=$240, add in shipping (~$10 to most places in US). Using these and your current settings, you'd not only get a decent rig, you'd probably be able to play most games on the market at medium settings if not higher.

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OldBuzzard

I looked at the specs of that Gateway PSU from you link, and it scared me.

The bolded part above tells me that it's an over rated POS. Those are specs of a REAL 500-550w PSU. Shucks, my AX750 (admittedly a higher end PSU) has 62A on the +12, and the AX850 has 70A.

The AMPS on the +12 are more important that the wattage when it comes to powering your video card. A lower wattage (with in reason) with a high +12 rating is always better.


Do yourself, and more importantly your SYSTEM, a favor and follow synthesis204's advice. Go with the Corsair.

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Judas

or Go with Coolermasters Extreme Power PSUs (PCAR-A3 model) 500watt at your base factor psu..... they are a great cheap alternative that are quite reliable.

think last time i did a newegg price check on them.. 28 bucks ....

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DreamN

Thanks for the great advice folks. Judas, I'll look into that brand of PSUs as well.

Still researching, but a little less confused at least.

Quick questions about that graphics card though. It's a PCI Express x16 2.0, but I believe my motherboard is simply a PCI Express x16. Been reading up on PCI and I know I can install it, but will it be worth the purchase if it can't run at it's full capacity?

Should I look for a PCI Express x16 card instead? If not, then I really wouldn't mind buying that EVGA card as there's a coupon for a free copy of Mafia II if purchased from Newegg.

I'd like to get to the point where I can run GTA IV without any issues on decent settings within my budget. As it's probably the only game I'd like to be playing for awhile on my PC (I'm a huge Gran Turismo fan so it's keeping me occupied), but I'd like to have the option to play on-line racing simulators. I feel if this PC can do well with GTA then it should be more than adequate for the simulators I've been looking at.


Also, was able to find the specs to the motherboard I'm running (90% certain it's the right one).

http://www.skyline-eng.com/index.cfm...roduct_ID=6943

Jac

The PCI express slots should be backwards compatible and most GFX cards available today will be at least PCIe 2.0. This shouldn't be an issue for you - my 2.0 card is running in my 4 year old moboard just fine.

Takaharu

Evidence shows that there's next to no difference between a PCI-E 2.0 slot and PCI-E 1 slot if the other components are the same. I can't recall where I saw that, however.
The processor and memory will make a greater difference when gaming, which is something I'm sure you'll try in the future. For now, the graphics card and PSU are your best bet.

The 550 should run GTA IV quite well.

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blibbax

All advise above is solid.

Don't splash too much cash, and don't buy things that won't be useful if you get a more modern system in the near future (e.g. DDR2 RAM, LGA775 specific fans).

4GB is more than enough for the moment.

You need seriously high end GPUs to notice the jump from PCI-E 2.0 x16 to PCI-E 1.0 x16 (or equivalently PCI-E 2.0 x8), don't even worry about this.

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Judas

yeah PCI-ex 1.0 and 1.1 and 2.0 and 2.1 really have no major impact on the video card and it's performance unless it's bandwidth starts to exceed which ever spec your running..

Most video cards still fall within the 1.0/1.1 spec..... the higher end models however break that barrier and require 2.0/2.1 to suit..

and 3.0 is around the corner and actually shown to be on a few new motherboards... which i'm sure in the next year or 2 we'll see a top of the line video card try to expand and fill it's new bandwidth cap.

There are only a FEW motherboards with the older 1.0/1.1 spec that REFUSES to run the newer video cards in them.... the way to find this out is stick in the video card.. and if you get a no video card detected BEEPs from your computer.... good chance you found one... (but you can hope that hte new video card is DOA.... well don't hope that.. but you know)

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DreamN

Thanks to all the advice. Feel much more comfortable with the purchases I'll be making shortly.

Great to know. Will definitely be going with a 550 Ti card. More than likely going with the EVGA seeing as it's a heavy favorite so rather go with the sure thing, but others are a bit more appealing due to pricing.
Thanks. Big reason why I wanted advice was to make sure I'm not simply buying stuff to get by and that could potentially be used in a more modern PC if I end up getting the itch to actually build one.
Well hoping mine doesn't refuse it. ::crossesfingers:

synthesis204

The reason EVGA is a favorite is for a few reasons. First off, it's one of the few non-Asian (it's American) graphics card makers, and they have decent quality. But where they really shine is their awesome customer support (3 sec wait time, based outa Cali) and excellent warranty.

__________________
Donate the spare computing power of your PC to help to cure alzheimers, ALS, huntington's, parkinson's disease and cancer:
Fold for HH!