Help with computer upgrade.

I am looking to upgrade to be able to play games like Skyrim and Kingdom of Amalur: Reckoning.

I have a HP p6624y Specs on the box says:

AMD Athlon II 635 Quad-Core Processor
8GB DDR3 Memory
1TB Hard Drive
ATI Radeon HD 4200
Windows 7

Here is a link for more specs from hp if needed and shows a pic of the tower: http://h20000.www2.hp.com/bizsupport/TechSupport/Document.jsp?lang=en&cc=us&taskId=120&prodSeriesId=4269976&prodTypeId=12454&objectID=c02625685

I am a noob when it comes to hardware upgrades, I apologize in advance.. I'm sure I will need a graphics card but not sure which one and do I need a new fan to support the extra heat from the card or possibly a new case with more than one fan. How about my motherboard, processor, and ram?

If anyone can help I would appreciate it.

 

This all depends on how much you want to spend and how well you'd like the games to run,the good news is you have a PCI-E X16 slot for a video card,the bad news is you only have a 250W power supply,skyrim will be practically unplayable with any video card your psu can power so this is what you'll need to upgrade without question.

As for cooling you will need at least and intake and exhaust fan that's what i would consider a minimum for a gaming computer not including the psu fan. I can't see anything in the specs relating to cooling so you'll have to check your case to see how many fans you have,if you don't have at least a 120mm intake and a 120mm exhaust or space to install them I would also upgrade your case.

 

Adding to Rikky's good points, don't skimp on the power supply. I'd go with a quality one such as a high-end Corsair:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139023

For extra cooling of the new video card, the easiest solution is a PCI slot-mounted fan adjacent to the video card:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835192007

Hope this helps.

 

First I would like to say thank you and second Im not looking at the money issue really atm. I don't want the minimum just because the strain it will put on the computer and possible lost in life span for it. I would like fore the games to run with ease. If 250 is too low then what do I need? Is 500 the next one up? Not sure about the fans you was talking about so I took pics:
http://i1222.photobucket.com/albums/dd489/lakew20/DSC01289.jpg
http://i1222.photobucket.com/albums/dd489/lakew20/DSC01285.jpg

I guess what I am asking is what all do I need to buy and possibly the cheapest place to get them.

 

Thank for your feed back. ummmm im new to those fans so my question is does it matter which slot I put it in via the pic I provided?

http://i1222.photobucket.com/albums/dd489/lakew20/DSC01287.jpg

 

If you buy online, stick with reputable merchants. The three I have had good luck with are:

www.newegg.com

www.directron.com

www.amazon.com (preferably items sold directly by amazon instead of third-party vendors)

If you have a Fry's or MicroCenter nearby, they have a good selection and good prices as well.

For the fan, put it in the slot next to the video card.

Hope this helps.

 

Thank you... As soon as I figure out the best products of everything that I need (that isn't overkill, ie the most top of the line GC when there is a smaller one that will do its job to run various games smoothly without glitching) I will check them out to com-pair prices.

 

I would aim for something like a geforce 550ti,it will run skyrim at decent framerate,anything more would be a waste of money really as you'll be limited by your cpu,memory and motherboard.

The psu Gman posted will be fine for that card and your hardware,I really can't guess as to whether your case has enough cooling to run ANY video card that will run skyrim 'with ease' so I would recommend a case upgrade,something like this but any you like with a couple of intake and exhaust fans.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...sNodeId=1&Description=xclio+blackhawk&x=0&y=0

You could try installing the card in your case with your current cooling and only if its running too hot upgrade your case,I disagree with Gman that pci-e blower just blows air onto/into the card which modern cards don't need unless they don't have fans, it doesn't create airflow through the case,only good case cooling does that.

As far as performance in skyrim goes that will give you good performance at high quality settings @16X10

http://www.techspot.com/review/467-skyrim-performance/page4.html

 

Thank you for all your help. Since I'm not that familiar with GC's I was wondering if someone had time to post the top GC's that will run with my computer like the geforce 550ti and its competitors to find the best one that I can run please.

 

should I try to update this computer or just build another one? How much would it be to build a new one to run how I've asked? What would the best GC my computer can handle in y'all opinion?

 

Your specs indicate you have a decent processor and plenty of memory.

I'd do the upgrade first, keeping in mind you can always move the new power supply and video card to a new system if/when you build one. Just hold on to the old power supply and graphics card and reinstall them in the current PC if you decide to sell it off.

 

Ive been told this... You can technically use a 7950/580 but that would be bottlenecking your GPU. I would say a 560ti or HD6950 would be about the best you can use without a bottleneck.


Should I go with the 7950/580 or a 560ti/HD6950... anyone know the pros/cons and or which one is the best choice.

any advice would be helpful.

 

I wouldn't get more than a 550-560ti,it isn't really a question of handle there are too many factors to take into account,skyrim is quite cpu dependant when you crank up the detail to the maximum settings,be aware with your current computer you would have no chance of doing this while still being able to maintain playable frame rate which is another caveat what do you consider playable frame rate? And if you bought the best single gpu the gtx580 you would get slightly less than half of the performance from it when compared to a cpu like the I7,scan down to the table comparing cpu's yours isn't there but the next one up the 645 is.

http://www.techspot.com/review/467-skyrim-performance/page7.html

Play skyrim 'with ease' isn't really enough to go on for me,to me with ease means a constant 60fps,1080p@maximum settings for that you would need at least an I7 930 and a gtx580.

Also be aware that the testing done in the previous page I posted with the Ti550 was done using an I72600K in which it averaged 65fps @ 16X10,I estimate your cpu will average around 40-45fps at high video settings 'not maximum' which many people would still say is excellent performance,I don't play games at less than 60fps though.

 

as long as i can pump out more fps on my computer than my xbox 360 can i will be happy (noticed freezing on the 360 under high graphic battles). i played skyrim for about a week before i had to give it back to my friend.After that I asked around and everyone liked it better on the pc due to downloadable mod content, 2nd if i got it for the 360 my wife would kill me unless i bought a new tv, which will be 800 bucks since i can't hog our only tv for a game.

 

Well that would be easy,xbox's and playstations usually lock the framerate at 30fps and crank the detail up until it doesn't drop below or go above and you don't have much say in the matter.

You have many more options to tweak the performance on pc games to find a balance between image quality and frame rate you find most comfortable

You may find this of interest if there are other xbox games you wish to play without being nagged by your wife 'no its not a shotgun:-D'...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fkb8itDWQ8M

 

I would like to personally thank you for all your information Rikky. It has been very informative. Nun tha less I would still like to up my computer due to the lag i mentioned about with the 360. Just a last min check... I will need a 600w power supply, a new computer case w/ plenty air flow, and a 550-560ti GPU. Would any products of the 3 work or are there certifiable name brands that I should consider. What would you recommend I should get of the 3 if you was in my shoes to play both skyrim and Kingdom of Amalur: Reckoning.

 

I was thinking about going with the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 560 Ti GPU... Also you mentioned the the game cpu dependent mainly. Would my
AMD Athlon II X4 635 be fine or should I look into replacing it also?
http://http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814127565&nm_mc=AFC-C8Junction&cm_mmc=AFC-C8Junction-_-RSSDailyDeals-_-na-_-na&AID=10521304&PID=4169961&SID=x0ad8gx2qgo4

 

No problem don't forget Gman:-D

The case I posted because its the cheapest one with decent airflow,that's my preference money spent of perdy cases is wasted money IMO,550ti,and the 600w psu Gman posted,corsair make good psu's.

I also agree with Gman,change your psu and video card then see how hot it runs,modern video cards suck air from inside the case and blow it outside the case there may be just enough cool air inside to keep it cool.

 

Update- purchased the following:

GPU: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814127565
PSU: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139010
Case: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811133192

I spent more on the case than I wanted but I wanted something I wouldn't get board with and that was built/ designed well. Plus it looks like R2D2 :-D

Note: This will be the first time for me changing parts and cases. I been watching this how to build video hosted by new egg. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d_56kyib-Ls&list=PLB029F381E29C6002&index=2&feature=plpp_video If you have any helpful info I can sure use it.

Now to my question... long story short. With the motherboard that I have, will I be able to run all the extras that comes with this case (controls, fans, front ports) I know the USB 3.0 is out when it comes to this one.

In the how to video he mentioned to have your motherboard manual available but I can't find it and was wondering also if this will will be sufficient enough for the build process.

Motherboard: http://h20000.www2.hp.com/bizsupport/TechSupport/Document.jsp?objectID=c02560084&printver=true

 

The only thing you need your motherboard manual for is identification of The front panel connectors,reset switch,power switch ect.often they have brand specific colour codes but its not the end of the world,you can guess them by trial and error,or follow the cables to the front of the computer in your current case and write down where each wire goes,in either case take a close up photo of it,I can't see the front panel connectors on the motherboard diagram,I can't find a website for your mobo manufacturer either.

The case fans are connected via 4 pin molex connectors on your psu which is pretty simple.

I recommend you take a couple of photo's of your motherboard as well since its your first attempt so you know where everything goes and it will be easy to identify connectors you have forgot.

Make sure you ground yourself to prevent static discharge by touching the case or water pipe.Once you've disconnected the AC prior to disassembly press the power button to completely discharge the psu.

That's a lot of money on a case,I would have got a used one and a better cpu.:cool

 

I didn't update the cpu atm due to at a later date when I learn more about everything in general and I was wanting to do a complete build and use the case I bought now for it... I just wanted to buy what I needed to play the games.

would it be a worth buying the Cooler Master Hyper 212 Plus or not?

 

Only if your gonna overclock it,its something you may wish to do in the future but your can only overclock it if your motherboard will let you,enter the bios by hitting del. as your computer is booting and look for overclocking options,the will be labelled such as CPU frequency control,core clock,memory clock,cpu clock and similar and will be located in some subsection of a cpu features menu.

If you haven't got overclocking options there really isn't much point unless your really want to have a go,your cpu will run cooler than the stock cooler but it won't perform any better.

Does that case come fan speed controls?I can't tell,if you have a few bucks left I'd get a fan controller to shut the fans up there only about $10.

That case looks like R2D2 and ASIMO's love child:-D

 

Yes it comes with fan speed control. Also I wish I seen this before I bought it but I thought it was an ATX not a uATX..... will my motherboard fit?

Motherboard Compatibility
Micro ATX / ATX / Extended ATX

My motherboard
N-Alvorix-RS880-uATX (Alvorix)

 

Yeah,Uatx is another name for micro atx

 

Greetings...

Just tagging along, watching you guys work. By the way: while looking at your board, I found this diagram for the connectors - might come in handy...

Also, a useless tidbit: Mu (μ) is a prefix in the metric system denoting a factor of 10-6 (one millionth) - hence, in electrical and electronics terms, micro...

 

Sweet link,your all set then will have fun

 

Awesome, thanks mate! I got all my stuff in today (shocked at how fast it all got here) so I just printed off that link and about to give it a shot. :-D