I need some upgrades. help please.

[ccab]

What you see below are the current specs of my computer..I have about 400-500 dollars I can use to upgrade this stuff to make it faster. What do I need to upgrade? Specific items and links to them would be great. I play a lot of World of Warcraft so maybe something that will run it a lot smoother also. Should I upgrade to windows 7 or stay with Vista?


INTEL QUAD CORE Q9300 2.5GHZ RETAIL 1
250GB SATA II 3.GB 7200RPM 8MB 1
1G DDR2 PC6400 MEMORY 2
INTEL BRAND LGA 775+ 3.6GHZ CPU FAN 1
CASE FAN W/ 4 NEON LED 1
EVGA GEFORCE 9800 GT 1 GB 16X PCI-E 1
SUNBEAM 580WATT POWER SUPPLY 1
BLACK SAMSUNG 20X DVDRW 1
12-IN-ONE INTERNAL CARD READER 1
RAIDMAX SAGITTA II /BLACK /WIDNOW 1
INTEL GIGABITE BAST-T NIC 1
ASUS P5Q PRO P45 DDR2 CROSSFIRE MB 1
WINDOWS VISTA HOME BASIC 32-BIT SP1 1



Thanks for the help!

 

[sniperchang]

I'd say more ram (no point having more than 3 gigs if you have 32-bit OS though) or CPU and new graphics card.

Maybe a GTX260

You could also get a new processor, but I'd be worried about the power supply. Maybe get a new PSU first save to buy a new CPU later.

EDIT: You can check your PSU needs with this handy calculator.

 

[daisymtc]

RAM - Add extra 2GB if you upgrade to Windows 7 64bit. Or get another 1 GB if you stay with Vista
PSU - get a better brand
Video card - get 5850.

 

[ccab]

I'd say more ram (no point having more than 3 gigs if you have 32-bit OS though) or CPU and new graphics card.

Maybe a GTX260

You could also get a new processor, but I'd be worried about the power supply. Maybe get a new PSU first save to buy a new CPU later.

EDIT: You can check your PSU needs with this handy calculator.

I dont know that much about computers to where I could fill out all that information on that website. I just need to know if I just upgrade the RAM would it help some..and HOW do I do it? Do I just take out the old ram and stick the new ram in and im done? Someone told me on another site not to worry about upgrading to win 7 also...im really confused..

 

[linkin]

Windows 7 is better than Vista. it is what vista was meant to be. Upgrading RAM is simple:

Turn system off
Unplug from power
Take off side panel
Discharge static by touching PSU
Unclip the DIMMS from the motherboard, pull them out.
Replace with the new ones, make sure they are in the right way and clipped in properly
Replace side panel, power, and boot.
Verify the RAM is recognised, go into the bios and look, or check the POST.
Check in windows that all memory is seen.
Enjoy extra performance!

 

[ccab]

Windows 7 is better than Vista. it is what vista was meant to be. Upgrading RAM is simple:

Turn system off
Unplug from power
Take off side panel
Discharge static by touching PSU
Unclip the DIMMS from the motherboard, pull them out.
Replace with the new ones, make sure they are in the right way and clipped in properly
Replace side panel, power, and boot.
Verify the RAM is recognised, go into the bios and look, or check the POST.
Check in windows that all memory is seen.
Enjoy extra performance!

will I lose any of my data?

 

[mojo42]

you will lose no data at all. i just did a memory upgrade today. an entire extra gig on one of our other computers. i love the extra speed...

 

[mojo42]

however, if not inserted properly, it may not boot and may have problems if it does boot. but it's usually just that simple- open case, put in, close case, power up. it should be fine, but also you make sure to discharge yourself! any metal piece of the chassis will be fine too.