Computer Upgrades

Shibber · Aug 19, 2011, 11:09 AM

I have a question. I want to upgrade my computer but am not a hardware specialist so here are my question.

I have a XPS630 with the following specs:

NVIDIA GeForce GTS240

ACPIX64 Motherboard
4X Intel(R) Core(TM)2 Quad CPU Q8300 @ 2.50Ghz
8 Gig. RAM
2X Seagate 500 Gig. 7,5K SCSI Disk Device

I'm wondering if any of you know were I can use some upgrades?
Maybe (when possible) I want to use some SSD drives. I use my PC primairaly for gaming.

Thank you for awnsering my questions.

Tipstaff · Aug 19, 2011, 12:15 PM

In all honesty the only 2 areas for potential would be the graphics card, and the hard drive. You have the rest pretty much covered, at least as far as that platform can go without changing to a more current chipset, processor, and RAM.

Notes:

Going with an SSD won't buy you any real gaming performance, just overall system performance, such as faster loading of Windows, loading games (especially ones with large textures, or ones that do a lot of caching), loading of applications... that sort of thing. People that see the most performance, at least in a single SSD drive situation, are those that do editing of some kind. Not to say it's not worth having an SSD as your main drive, it is. Having applications load up faster, Windows being more responsive, not to mention having it also boot up damn fast.. I love it.

At the moment your biggest potential gain would be the graphics. Bumping the card up to something like the Nvidia GTX560, or even an AMD HD6870 would net you a whole lot of gaming performance over your current setup for very little money (well.. relatively little.. say $150-$200 depending on the card).

Edit: BTW, what OS are you using? Windows 7? 32 or 64 bit?

Takaharu · Aug 19, 2011, 03:02 PM

I'm with Tipstaff on this - a replacement graphics card will do you justice. Anything else wouldn't be necessary.

The choice of graphics card will vary depending on a few aspects:

What sort of games are you looking to play?
What screen resolution do you use?
What level of graphics are you going for - full whack or just a decent gaming level?
Do you intend to go 3D?
What's your budget?

Aug 19, 2011, 11:09 AM	#1
Shibber HardwareHeaven Newbie Join Date: Aug 2011 Posts: 1 Rep Power: 0	Computer Upgrades I have a question. I want to upgrade my computer but am not a hardware specialist so here are my question. I have a XPS630 with the following specs: NVIDIA GeForce GTS240 ACPIX64 Motherboard 4X Intel(R) Core(TM)2 Quad CPU Q8300 @ 2.50Ghz 8 Gig. RAM 2X Seagate 500 Gig. 7,5K SCSI Disk Device I'm wondering if any of you know were I can use some upgrades? Maybe (when possible) I want to use some SSD drives. I use my PC primairaly for gaming. Thank you for awnsering my questions.

Aug 19, 2011, 12:15 PM	#2
Tipstaff HardwareHeaven Extreme Member Join Date: Jul 2002 Location: Real capital of Canada: Torauna Posts: 6,773 Rep Power: 190 System Specs	Re: Computer Upgrades In all honesty the only 2 areas for potential would be the graphics card, and the hard drive. You have the rest pretty much covered, at least as far as that platform can go without changing to a more current chipset, processor, and RAM. Notes: Going with an SSD won't buy you any real gaming performance, just overall system performance, such as faster loading of Windows, loading games (especially ones with large textures, or ones that do a lot of caching), loading of applications... that sort of thing. People that see the most performance, at least in a single SSD drive situation, are those that do editing of some kind. Not to say it's not worth having an SSD as your main drive, it is. Having applications load up faster, Windows being more responsive, not to mention having it also boot up damn fast.. I love it. At the moment your biggest potential gain would be the graphics. Bumping the card up to something like the Nvidia GTX560, or even an AMD HD6870 would net you a whole lot of gaming performance over your current setup for very little money (well.. relatively little.. say $150-$200 depending on the card). Edit: BTW, what OS are you using? Windows 7? 32 or 64 bit? __________________ Portal: The Flash Version _________________________________ Brain: So, you sacked the cocky khaki Kicky Sack sock plucker? Mr. Sackett: The second cocky khaki Kicky Sack sock plucker I've sacked since the sixth sitting sheet slitter got sick.

Aug 19, 2011, 03:02 PM	#3
Takaharu I can fart in 7 languages Join Date: Aug 2009 Location: England, UK Posts: 1,850 Rep Power: 113 System Specs	Re: Computer Upgrades I'm with Tipstaff on this - a replacement graphics card will do you justice. Anything else wouldn't be necessary. The choice of graphics card will vary depending on a few aspects: What sort of games are you looking to play? What screen resolution do you use? What level of graphics are you going for - full whack or just a decent gaming level? Do you intend to go 3D? What's your budget? __________________ I don't get paid to know the answer, therefore I'm far more likely to give you a straight and honest answer. Mods Rig, Box Mods Rig, Folding details