which parts to upgrade first & in what order?

Hi, my question is for general information, not for a specific pc, though if you must know which pc I'm talking about, it's this one: http://support.gateway.com/s/PC/R/1014737R/1014737Rnv.shtml?rdr=v1368

When upgrading a PC part by part, how do you determine what must be upgraded first to bring it up to modern day's standards & to make sure nothing goes awry? what is/are the critical piece/s of hardware one must buy first, in what order should it/they be installed, and how do you determine if the part/s will be compatible with the other piece/s of hardware?

I'd like to have this information to make sure that if I do this, I do it in a proper/safe way to not damage the pc once all the parts are put together.

I've heard/read the horror stories..."I bought a new motherboard, but the graphics card was a missmatch," or "I upgraded to windows vista with a new hard drive, but the motherboard/ram couldn't handle it & the pc became unusable..." etc, etc...

Thank you in advance for your help!

 

Depends what u use the PC for if its a gaming PC then the GPU(Graphics card)would be first on my list.If you do that then you would also probably need a better CPU(power Supply)The actual CPU and memory on that PC look to be OK.You could basically get any GPU you want or can afford just make sure tho that it will fit as alot of the newer GPU are HUGE.

 

Cpu compatibility is generally determined by the "socket" type, for example Intel's socket 775 or AMD's AM3. Just make sure your motherboard cpu socket matches up to your cpu, if you want to be 100%, then check the manufacterers website for the compatibility list.

GPU's are pretty simple, if you have a MB with a PCI-E slot, then a PCI-E gpu is what you need, just make sure it fits your case and you have an ample psu (that allows you to fill all required connections without using molex converters)
If you are looking to install dual gpu's make sure your MB has atleast 2x PCI-E slots, If your motherboard supports Crossfire then you can install 2x ATI gpu's, and if its sli ready, then look into some Nvidia gpu's.

Ram is relatively simple too, most nowadays are 240 pin, either DDR2 or DDR3 depending on your motherboard. I suggest you visit Crucial and run the free scan for %100 compatibility guarantee.

PSU's are in my opinion the most important component of a pc, it connect to everything and if it blows, can take anything with it. You should be looking at something like one of these,

SeaSonic SS-400ET Bronze 400 watt

Corsair 450-VX 400 watt

SeaSonic SS-550HT 80plus 550 watt

Corsair 550-VX-550 watt

OR if you've got a bit more cash, try one of these,

Corsair 650-TX -650 watt

Thermaltake Toughpower 650w


CORSAIR CMPSU-750TX 750W


Thermaltake toughpower 750w

As for the order of purchase, its up too you, makes no damn difference, to improve gaming performance, generally a gpu upgrade is required, but only if your RAM and CPU arn't bottlenecking.

Ignore them, just post what you are planning on here and one of use will make sure you are looking at the right bits. But for sure, check the manufacterers website for a compatibility list.

 

From the link you posted you have a 2.4Ghz quad-core cpu, 3Gb of ram, 8500GT 256mb onboard video and a 400 watt power supply, and 1 available PCIe slot for a video card.

If it's a better gaming experience you're after, go with a new
video card and a higher wattage power supply (say 600 watt minimum).

Your CPU is a socket LGA775. It would cost you over $250 to go up to a 2.66ghz, well over $300 to go 2.8ghz or higher.

I would upgrade video card and power supply first then only do a cpu upgrade if it becomes the bottleneck.

Sam

 

Just saw a Core2 Quad EXTREME 3.0GHz on eBay for $310 ( buy it now price) and free shipping.

 

I wouldn't even bother upgrading something that old for a little more you could build a whole new machine

 

G`day I`m running a q6600 cpu as well and it`s ok for me. I`ve got an old p35 motherboard and 4 gig of ram with an AMD 4870X2 vid card. This is why the system you`ve got is good to upgrade :
1. You have a pcie x16 slot
2. you have 3gig of ram

My vid card would run good in your system But the cpu would be the bottleneck. My cpu is overclocked @ 3.2Ghz. Also as my card is crossfireX with 2gig vram 3 gig system ram would slow windows down as the vram is shadowed to system ram.

My advice is buy a card around the nvidia 260-280 mark or better an AMD 5850. You could save some bucks and settle for a 4870 single or 4890 if you can find the in the shops still.

If you could overclock that cpu to 3ghz min then the vid cards I`ve mentioned will run well. If not then they`ll run good but as I said the cpu will be the bottleneck.

 

Like clearly stated what is the machine being used for?

If gaming then Video Card is needed.

I agree with throwing money into a LGA775 & DDR2 system, it isn't worth it unless it can be readily transferable to later systems.

With that said a nice boost can be two identical Hard Drives (HDD) striped in RAID0. This can double HDD read/write times and make the system "move". Moreover it can be readily transferable to later systems.

 

Thank you for all the responses guys. Just to clarify a few questions you guys had to better help in the discussion:

It's for gaming first - everything else secondary.

I already upgraded the Video Card & PSU.
Video Card is a BFG - NVIDIA GeForce GTS 250 OC 1GB GDDR3 PCI Express Graphics Card.
PSU is a Rocketfish 700-Watt ATX CPU PSU.

I'm going to upgrade the cooling fan next, & when the time comes I will buy a new motherboard/chip.

The computer runs fantastic as it is, but I know eventually it'll start slowing down with newer games, etc...

Whenever I decide to upgrade the motherboard/chip I will come back here & ask questions for advice.

Thank you for all your responses & you guys have a great day!

 

Agreed, upgrading the CPU would be incremental at best for a lot of money, upgrading the video card is a viable choice but that could also mean an upgrade in PSU too. I have a similar machine to the poster's except that I have a pair of 9800GTs and there is no point in going any further on this machine.

One has to look at a machine as a total interactive system, and your's is near the top of what you can do. I'd save my money and go to the next level and invest in an Intel i series CPU.:major

EDIT: Oops, I was too late. Enjoy your machine. A 250's not bad at all.

 

Personally I would not trust that PSU as far as I could throw it. It is a noname brand that could have been made from any old bits of hardware without anyone thinking about the design properly.

If that thing dies, it could take our everything attached to it. It might even explode if you are unlucky.

Please take the time to read this canned text that has kindly been provided for reproduction by Digerati:

 

Thank you for the article. At the time I wasn't very knowledgeable about PSUs but now I'm becoming more aware of what to get and what not.

 

Hey, Ty for your response I just don't see the point in buying a brand new PC whenever that time comes if I can just buy the parts I need & upgrade the same computer little by little as the requirements for whatever I use it for go up. What's your take on it?