upgrade or build new?

cripes0103

New Member
im currently using a dell dimension 4400 with a 1.6ghz intel pentium 4 processor, integrated grafix, integrated sound, 768mb of ram, and 2 38gb hard drives. i was wondering if i should just buy a new grafics card, or if i should just completely build a new computer. the computer will be used primarily for gaming. i am looking to spend under 700 dolars if i were to buy/build a new computer, and if i were to just buy a grafics card i would look to spend under 130 dolars. and i live in the U.S.
 
Personally I would look at buying a new CPU, Graphics Card, and maybe another stick of RAM as a suitable upgrade. My personal choice in your shoes would be to upgrade, since on that budget you would be able to do more with just upgrading nessecary components.

Read Computer Specs 101 for ideas, though if you are looking to overclock, you'd need a new motherboard since Dell locks their features.
 
thnks for the reply, any more suggestions? and also, if i were to buy a new grafics card and cpu, what type would you suggest?
 
That computer is pretty outdated. If you did buy a gpu, it would probably be AGP.

What are you doing with the computer?


I would sell your current comp for 200ish maybe maybe. then put that towards a new comp and you might get something decent.
 
ill be playing half life/hl2 based games mostly with some other games thrown in there such as WoW and possibly oblivion and morrowind. so baisicly it will be a gaming computer.
 
Yea so i would sell ur current comp and take the money and you could maybe get, just off the top of my head:

-Athlon 3000+ or 3200+
-Nvidia 6600gt or 6800GS or X800GTO
or depending on the money even a X2 processor

Read this PC101
 
monkeysims said:
i would upgrade, you system doesnt seem that old, and you'll save some cash this way too

Maybe not old, but outdated. I would sell and upgrade. You would get a better computer that way. If you did build a new computer, what would you do with the dell anyway?
 
That computer is not worth keeping. It's probably a socket 478, so that means new motherboard and processor. A graphics card is a must, which means that your power supply is not good enough. If that is one of those non form factor cases, that old one will have to go as well. A 160GB+ hard drive isn't that expensive. Your old memory might not work as well. Look at Computer Specs 101 for more info on some choices
 
maybe not guys.... he could get a new cpu, gpu, and ram and that would proly be cheaper and better for now - but u got to tell us ur socet type on motherboard for new cpu
 
holyjunk125 said:
maybe not guys.... he could get a new cpu, gpu, and ram and that would proly be cheaper and better for now - but u got to tell us ur socet type on motherboard for new cpu

He has a socket 478. With what you said, that is practicaly building a new system. With many OEMs, the mobo only accepts OSs by that manufacturer. So he would have to buy the OS as well.
 
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