JohnJSal

Hi all. I built my PC nearly two years ago (two years in March, actually) and I'm starting to get the itch to upgrade a bit. Perhaps the new Core i7 CPU, and maybe a new graphics card...

Anyway, as my first time to upgrade, I'm wondering what things I need to be aware of when I start looking for parts. The initial build was easy since I had to buy everything, but now that I'll be working with existing hardware, I'm wondering what I may need to know before I even start looking.

For example, I guess if I upgrade the CPU, I would need a new motherboard? Would I need a new mobo just to upgrade the graphics card, though?

I also plan to get Win7 soon, probably the 64-bit version, so would that affect hardware? I would definitely get more RAM, but would that mean having to replace my existing 2GB of RAM also, or would other RAM (if I can't find the same kind that I have) be compatible?

Anyway, you see my point. Upgrading, ironically enough, seems more complicated than simply buying everything anew.

Thanks.

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Case: Antec P182
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-EX38-DS4
CPU: Intel Core 2 Duo E8400 (3.00GHz)
GPU: EVGA GeForce 8800GT (512MB)
RAM: Kingston ValueRAM (1GB x 4)
Sound: Creative SoundBlaster X-Fi Xtremegamer / Logitech X-230
HDD: Seagate Barracuda 7200.11 (500GB)
Optical: Samsung 20x DVD burner
PSU: Corsair HX620
Monitor: LG 22" L226WTQ-BF