Hi considering buying this desktop need advice on how to upgrade it.

[Tom Peanut]

Hi everyone my first post here
I was considering buying this computer off ebay to use for games so that my laptop can just be for work. http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.d...#ht_3330wt_911
As far as I can tell it comes with:
2.8Ghz processor
1 Gb of ram
80 Gb of storage
GeForce 6200 (512mb) graphics card
Some usb ports
A dvd drive
Built-in fast Gigabit Ethernet Network
Built-in Fast SCSI Controller
1 x AGP 8X Slot
4 x PCI Slots

I have a few questions, Firstly I want to upgrade the RAM to about 4GB, the processor to at least 4 Ghz and the storage to around 250-300 Gb, does anyone have any suggestions on where I can buy the components to upgrade this and how I would go about installing them? Also im confused as to what the Ethernet network can do, I need to be able to connect to a wireless lan connection in my house to get on the internet will this component allow me to do that? Finally I have no idea what a SCSI controller is and what an AGP 8x Slot is used for.

Sorry for the long post but im not really dont know a lot about computers so any help you can provide would be most helpfull. Also do you think this is good value for a PC comparing it to other websites ive looked at it seems quite cheap considering it comes with windows 7 pre installed.

Thanks again.
Tom

[jlreich]

Welcome to the forums Tom.

You don't want that system. It is a rather old server system. In fact the way the seller tries to say it is a "great gaming machine" I wouldn't buy anything from that seller because he/she is very much full of it and I wouldn't trust him/her farther than I can throw my house.

Sure, eight years ago that would have been a great gaming platform, but right now you could buy a standard off the shelf cheap system for less and it would blow it away.

Xeon 2.8Ghz processor = old single core processor. We are currently on six core CPU's. Dual core is the minimum you want, with gaming quad core is highly recommended, six core if you are building new.

SCISI = big bucks

AGP = three generations old video card slot

6200 video card = can't get much lower than that. From the Sellers description -

With dedicated video 512MB RAM with Pixel Shader 3.0 support
Capable of playing the most popular games, including The Sims 3 and World of Warcraft

Maybe, just maybe it would actually be able to run The Sims 3, but only if you like slide shows at the lowest possible resolution.

1GB DDR-266 = I have 1GB ram on my video card alone. 2GB system memory is standard for an office computer these days. Gaming should be 4GB. Single channel DDR-266??, current mainstream memory is DDR3-1600 dual or triple channel! And even faster speeds for those with deep pockets. What a difference!

What is your budget? We can certainly help you find a much much better system than this old dinosaur.

You know what I would pay for that system? About $25 (about £12 ??). Maybe $50 if it actually had the second Xeon in it. That's about all it is worth. No joking in any way, I have given away better systems.

[Tom Peanut]

Thanks for the heads up, that could have turned out very badly then lol.

My revised budget is about £750 ($1,110)
Ive been thinking since I last posted and ive decided I either need a small desktop or a laptop due to transport issues however I have found this website who sell a few small form factor pc`s and id be grateful if you guys could have a look for me.
http://www.arbico.co.uk/Arbico-SFF-V...r-p-18440.html
That is the pc im looking at and I would customise it with the following specs and it would be fantastic if you guys could tell me how good it would be for games. They also sell a version that uses intel core processors rather than the AMD`s are these the same or is one better than the other?
I would leave everything the same as it already is in the customisation drop bars other than the following.

Processor-AMD Phenom II x4 955 Black edition 3.2 Ghz quad core 8MB cache
Memory-4GB corsair PC6400 800MHz DDR2
Graphics card-ATI HD4650 1GB
OS-Windows 7 Home Premium (64bit)

Then I would add the 19" Digimate monitor, a mouse and keyboard deal and some speakers. What kind of monitor cable would I need?

Im slightly concerned about the memory as the MHz seems lower than in other memory chips ive seen in gaming pc`s and most other say DDR3 would either of these be a liability if im trying to run modern games on mid/high graphics? Also a friend suggested that if I wanted to play the new games the 64bit version of windows 7 would be better is this true and could this set up support it?

Thanks again for the help its really appreciated.

Any other suggestions for small pc`s or laptops within my budget are also welcome.

Cheers
Tom

[Tom Peanut]

Another thing is the nVidia GT 240 worth the extra £25 over the ATI HD4650 and is it possible to upgrade the memory in these small desktops?

[jlreich]

The 240 is better. What games do you play or want to play?

DDR2-800 is older and it does concern me to buy an already aging platform. My system runs DDR2-800 but I built it over two years ago and even then it supports higher speeds (up to 1200) it's just that 800 was extremely cheap at the time and faster speeds were not.

I would much rather see you get something like this. At least it is DDR3 and an Intel i3 CPU. After adding windows it would still leave you room in your budget for a better video card and maybe a better power supply. Or am I overshooting your budget by not including the monitor?

Yes get 64bit windows.

Monitor should come with the cables you need.

is it possible to upgrade the memory in these small desktops

The one you picked out has a max of 4GB. The one I picked out has a max of 8GB.

Are you set on a SFF PC? The biggest thing that always concerned me about these SFF PC's is it seems like the cooling is going to be a problem. I have never worked with one of the square cases like these but all the many other SFF's I have worked with all had poor overall cooling.

What about something like this? Basically the same specs but need to add in the video card. And in a better case with at least somewhat better cooling.

Well, lets see what you think about all this, once you can decide on a particular base system we can get down to the particulars of each component.

[hackerballs]

if you have $1100 then jlreich is the better buy....save the GPU for last as sales come up all the time.........