I have no idea what to do

[lillizzierae]

Need a bit of advice here from people who know what they're talking about.. so basically someone who isn't me! ha.

I'm a web designer. I run programs like photoshop, flash, dreamweaver, illustrator.. sometimes all at once with firefox and ie running too and of course itunes cause I have to listen to music Some programs have 3d involved and I can't even run that because my graphics card won't allow it. I don't do much gaming.. I leave that to my ps3.

With what I have now it's just not cutting it. (dell xps 400, Pentium D 820 2.80ghz, 1gb of ram, 150gb hard drive, RADEON X300 SE 128MB) I could be right or wrong with this but I think I can only upgrade to 4gbs of ram and unless I get another motherboard I have to stick within the Pentium D processors. And I don't know if it's worth upgrading to a faster Pentium D. I don't have a preference on pentium or amd. amd is definitely cheaper which is a plus in my eyes.

I definitely need a new graphics card, more ram and a much bigger hard drive (at least 650gb, and at the most 1TB) and with that wouldn't I need a better processor?

My question is: is upgrading worth it or should I just go out with buy a new pc? I've been looking around for two weeks for upgrades or a new pc and I'm getting burned out with it all. I don't know what to do..

*sigh*

 

[johnb35]

That is a very low end graphics card and for what your doing you don't have enough memory installed. Your better off at this point in building your own system. Whats your budget?

 

[daisymtc]

CPU - not worth upgrading as your mobo not support C2D/ C2Q
RAM - Add a 2 x 1GB to make it 3GB. Your OS would probably be 32bit, no point to get 4 x 1Gb
PSU - your current one only have 375W, you would need new PSU if you upgrade to high end video card.
Video card - depends on your budget.

However, I would recommend you get a new PC as your CPU bottlenecked the overall performance.
I do recommend AMD, unless you after core i7; coz intel is likely to change socket again in 2011

 

[lillizzierae]

Thanks for the quick responses.

My budget is round-about $1000 give or take a few. Did you have an idea on what I should be thinking of getting?

I have considered building a new computer, though I'm a little ify on doing that since I never have before. I was told it's not that hard. You'll see me coming on here asking questions if I do that!

I was looking at the i7 but if I can get a processor from AMD, which will most likely be cheaper, that can somewhat be compared to the i7 or close to then I would be happy with it. However, I haven't a clue which AMD processor that would be. With all the researching, the i7 I hear is sweet but pricey.


Thanks for the breakdown.

CPU - not worth upgrading as your mobo not support C2D/ C2Q
RAM - Add a 2 x 1GB to make it 3GB. Your OS would probably be 32bit, no point to get 4 x 1Gb
PSU - your current one only have 375W, you would need new PSU if you upgrade to high end video card.
Video card - depends on your budget.

 

[linkin]

For $1000 you have a lot of options. Do you multi task a lot? I'm guessing yes so i think an AMD Phenom II x6 system would suit you. (yes, that is a six core processor!)

And it is possible to build a decent computer for $1000, including a copy of windows:

CPU: (Phenom II x6 1055t - not released yet, price should be $295 at launch i think... maybe that's the 1090t?)

Mobo: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...&cm_re=AM3_motherboard-_-13-128-438-_-Product

RAM: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...0145285&cm_re=4gb_ddr3-_-20-145-285-_-Product

HDD: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136320&Tpk=caviar black 500gb

GPU: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...4150467&cm_re=xfx_5670-_-14-150-467-_-Product

PSU: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...cm_re=thermaltake_600w-_-17-153-114-_-Product

Case: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...129066&cm_re=antec_300-_-11-129-066-_-Product

ODD: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...ata_dvd_burner_samsung-_-27-151-188-_-Product

O/S: (Windows 7 Home Premium 64bit OEM) http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...home_premium_64bit_oem-_-32-116-754-_-Product

Total cost before rebates/shipping: $988.92

You could get cheaper RAM/Motherboards but what i've listed is pretty high end stuff. It will blow your current computer out of the water. only problem is you have to wait for the CPU to be released (a few days from now, some people have them already. check local stores!)

And of course our in-house guide to building your own computer:

http://www.computerforum.com/104641-how-build-computer-step-step-photos.html

 

[daisymtc]

AMD - AMD Phenom II X6 set-up

AMD Phenom II X6 1090T + G.SKILL Ripjaws Series 2 x 2GB DDR3 1600 combo
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.382682

GIGABYTE GA-770TA-UD3
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128419

or Intel - Core i7 860

Intel Core i7-860 + GIGABYTE GA-P55A-UD3 combo
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.360551

G.SKILL 2 x 2GB DDR3 1600
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231193



Seagate Barracuda 7200.12 ST31000528AS 1TB
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822148433

LITE-ON CD/DVD Burner - Bulk Black SATA Model iHAS124-04 - OEM
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827106289

MSI R5770 Hawk Radeon HD 5770 1GB
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814127490

OCZ ModXStream Pro OCZ700MXSP 700W + COOLER MASTER RC-690-KKN1-GP combo
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.362539

Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit 1-Pack for System Builders - OEM
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16832116754


Core i7 860 is a better CPU overall, however, with knowing intel changing platform next year, the upgradability.....
http://www.bit-tech.net/hardware/cpus/2010/04/21/intel-sandy-bridge-details-of-the-next-gen/1

http://www.bit-tech.net/hardware/cpus/2010/04/27/amd-phenom-ii-x6-1090t-black-edition/1
http://www.anandtech.com/show/3674/amds-sixcore-phenom-ii-x6-1090t-1055t-reviewed