Power Supply / Video Card / Processor Help!

Quick Spec Overview:

Hey guys your forum looks like a place where I can find the exact info I need.
I recently got this computer (Compaq Presario SR5448F) on the cheap a year ago and now I'm finding I need to get a bit more punch out of my system.

I'm looking to upgrade my CPU and Video Card and possibly RAM if it is required. So far people have recommended the Intel Core 2 Quad Q8400 CPU and various video cards.

I hope you guys can clear up some of my questions ...

• If I upgraded my CPU to the Q8400 and then upgraded to a new video card, would I need to also buy a new power supply?
• Is 2GB RAM sufficient for 3D rendering, video editing, photshopping and medium gaming?
• What are some good video card suggestions?

Thanks guys looking forward to your replies.

 

It depends what power supply you already have in there 'you'll have to open it up and post what it says on the side'what video card and CPU combo you end up going for and what kind of games you play,the CPU alone will require 35 more watts of power which you should get away with,a good video card upgrade could easily draw twice that bumping up the added wattage to close to 100watts and then your pushing it,pre built computers don't employ quality power supplies.

If your upgrading to play modern games then you really need 4gb of memory especially if you want to play the games released in the near future,its better to buy it in one go as a matched set.

Most games that are released now have a recommended memory requirement of 2-4gbgb and they are always optimistic.

EDIT for reference

http://h10010.www1.hp.com/wwpc/ca/e...8260-78308260-78308260-81670541-81979350.html

 

As said before, you should really be looking at 4Gb RAM, as it is really cheap nowadays anyway.

And about the GPU, it really depends on your budget, probably something like a 9600 GSO from NVidia.

And the PSU (Power supply) depends on what you already have.

 

Alright I opened up my tower and found I have a ATX 250W power supply. I'm not sure how to calculate how much power supply I'm going to need. Is it video card requirement + CPU? or something different ..

 

The video card you require depends on how much you want to spend and what games you wish to play.

Your probably going to need a new power supply.

http://extreme.outervision.com/psucalculatorlite.jsp

 

I would like to be able to play most modern games comfortably, I'm willing to put down up to $200. I'm starting to think just buying a new PC might be more cost effective (read 'easier') than upgrading. (CPU + Video Card + RAM + Power Supply)

 

Alright I've found 4 products on newegg.ca that I'm interested in.

CPU
http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115057&cm_re=Q8400-_-19-115-057-_-Product

GPU
http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130339

Power Supply
http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817371033

RAM
http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820211188

How do I know if my motherboard will support all these products? and does anyone have any alternative suggestions?

Sorry for double post, I couldn't find an edit option.

 

Looks good to me but I would look at a good 500-550 Watt power supply.


Antec makes good psu's but 380 isn't enough to power that system.

http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130539

Would pickup a GTS 250 tho.

 

How much wattage do you think my system would pull? I did the calculator thing and it said I would need something like 311W but I'm sure I did it improperly. Thanks for the card suggestion, the one I posted was just one of the highest rated ones on newegg, what makes this card better?

 

Card is faster and newer.

 

Hmmm that's kinda the first thing your should have checked I assumed you already knew it had a PCI-E X16 slot this is my fault sorry,this is what your motherboard has to have to run any of the latest video cards,unfortunately the specs page for your computer doesn't list the motherboard model so you'll have to open the side of the case and post the make and model of the motherboard and we'll check it for you

At the moment your chipset has integrated video whether you can install a video card depends upon the motherboard model,doing some quick research some 630i chipsets 'motherboards' have a PCI 16X express slot while others are micro ATX 'a smaller board' which only has the basic PCI-E slots.

Alternitively you can look for it on your motherboard,this is what your looking for,it should say X16 next to it somewhere.

http://www.techspot.com/articles-info/61/images/ASUS_P5K_Deluxe_06.jpg

That memory in your link should work fine in your computer DDR2 800.

 

I don't like this one bit, putting a quad into what is probably a mATX motherboard with on board graphics. These cheap OEM boards do not upgrade well. Just for the heck of it, run Everest Ultimate (free trial) and post main results here.

Heck, I mean add a current motherboard and a cheap case and there you have a new computer! Why saddle yourself with the current limitations?

 

Here's a mobo that I know very well as I have the Pro version, ASUS P5Q SE PLUS LGA 775, for $110 and you can re-use your DDR2 memory with plenty of RAM slots for expansion, has the PCI-EX16 slot for the video, the only other thing you would need is a copy of Windows 7 X64 if you're thinking of using more than 3GB of RAM.

Then there's the AMD side of things to muddy the waters. One can spend less for a comparable system.

 

If I buy a new mobo I'm essentially replacing absolutely everything in my computer, and the price of replacing is getting to the point that buying a new up to date computer seems like the more attractive idea. Do you guys have any suggestions on that front? or do you only recommend building your own?

 

No we recommend the best PC custom or pre built ,if you buy a new one though your gonna be in same situation as you are now you'll have an up to date computer that still can't play games.If you buy a pre built gaming rig that will play modern games for the next year or so you'll have to spend over $1000 or something like that.

The most important factor is money,post how much you wish to spend and I'm sure someone will be able to help you out.

 

Well I'm willing to spend up to about $800 (Canadian) I don't need to be able to play Crysis on max, but do need power to smoothly handle some really intensive CG work / 3d rendering

 

I'd be aiming for something like

http://www.cyberpowerpc.com/system/Mega_Special_I/

I'd go for an AMD rig with with something like a GTS 250 you'll be able to play crysis at medium settings,I would prefer a box with a GTS 260 if you can get one for the price unfortunately I live in the UK so I don't know who has the best prices at the moment.

Here's a much better one from Newegg that I can't see on the Cyber power website,its $100 over budget but its MUCH better,you'll be able to play Crysis on high detail settings and it will handle any CG you throw at it.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16883229196

Stick around see what other people say regarding what offers are on ATM