help me build a new desktop.

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emd023

Member
It's time to build a new desktop. I would like to upgrade from my old pc which has an AMD phenom II 940 3.0 ghz processor and an ATI radeon HD 4870. both are 7.3 on the windows index. I would like my new pc to be around the $500 range. Is this possible? Any recommendations? I will be doing some casual gaming but nothing hardcore.

Thanks
 
its old and I want to get rid of it. And when i say casual i mean I want it to be able to play the best games but it doesnt have to be on super high graphics.
 
Your CPU is fine, I think all you need is maybe a GPU and PSU upgrade. Get a CX 600 and a 7850, should do you good for a long while. :) And a 7850 should play games at high. :D
 
$500 won't get you a system better than what you currently have. Put the 500 bucks into some upgrades for it.
 
Twiki said:
$500 for a whole new system? Don't expect much then.
Click to expand...

I just built a nice system for £300. Quad core, 8GB Ram. Fair enough there is not graphics card for gaming but the processor has dedicated graphics on it. Really sleek system for £300. 1TB HDD also. So for £500 I think he could build something which will suit his needs. Plus he could sell his old one to get some extra money to put on top of that.

Having said that, upgrading would be a better option!
 
All we know about your current one is that is has a 940 cpu, for which there may be diff models unless they were all Black. And a 4870.

But to buy everything for and including the case, and Windows, for a similar performer, 625ish.

But why similar performing?
 
I wouldn't buy a gaming PC for less than $800.
The gear you get when going below is usually bad at performance/price and the sweet spot is usually around $800-1200.
 
ok forget it. ill just upgrade. maybe you guys can help me pick what parts i need most. Sometimes my computer shuts off for no reason. just like someone pulled the plug. is this a PSU problem? also my CPU fan is pretty loud. is there some kind of program that lets me know how well my CPU is performing? also my hard drive is a 5.9 on the index. would getting a newer one speed up boot time and make the computer faster?
 
Jiniix said:
I wouldn't buy a gaming PC for less than $800.
The gear you get when going below is usually bad at performance/price and the sweet spot is usually around $800-1200.
Click to expand...

I mean buying something now for around 600 would still outperform my old pc right? I mean the thing is 3 years old.
 
emd023 said:
ok forget it. ill just upgrade. maybe you guys can help me pick what parts i need most. Sometimes my computer shuts off for no reason. just like someone pulled the plug. is this a PSU problem? also my CPU fan is pretty loud. is there some kind of program that lets me know how well my CPU is performing? also my hard drive is a 5.9 on the index. would getting a newer one speed up boot time and make the computer faster?
Click to expand...

Don't worry about the Windows Experience Index, it's useless.

If you want faster boot times, go for an SSD. Not sure if your board has SATA 6GB/s though, but even an SSD on SATA 3GB/s is definitely fast enough!

I think a new graphics card and PSU would be the best upgrade for you though, and maybe a new cooler if you want to overclock your CPU (it's a Phenom II X4 940 isn't it?)

So, your upgrade list:
SSD: Crucial M4, Samsung 840, OCZ Vertex 4, SanDisk Extreme - all good. Get at least a 120GB model.
GPU: 7850, 7870, 7950 depending on budget
PSU: Corsair CX 600 or Corsair TX 650 V2

And I think that would all be good.
 
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