What should I upgrade first on my PC?

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LawfulSarcastic

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Aug 14, 2013
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I shall never buy another prebuilt midrange tower again. T_T

Specs can be found here: http://reviews.cnet.com/desktops/hp-pavilion-elite-hpe/4507-3118_7-33968315.html

I know I'll need to upgrade the power supply, but should I prioritise a new graphics card next? It's actually not a terrible machine, but unfortunately its hamstrung by the resolution of my monitor. I'd like to run games (Guild Wars 2) at a reasonable, smooth frame rate at a higher resolution. I can run it in a window capably but I'd like to feel less limited. Any suggestions would be helpful, thanks!
 
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simon12

simon12

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May 18, 2010
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Definitely a new PSU and GPU would be needed for gaming and is what you should get 1st. It may be worth you getting a Phenom 965BE soon as they seem to be going out of stock everywhere and that is likely the last of the CPUs you can upgrade to.
 
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mcaalrington

mcaalrington

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Feb 1, 2010
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I did the same for my first PC, prebuilt POS. I think either the cheap PSU or mobo was the cause of a no-boot situation 1 year, 3 months later (after 1 year warranty ran out). The mobo died. Could have been a bad PSU. If you can ensure that your current PSU is a tier 3 or better, then you might be ok. The cheapest route is getting a GPU first. A good PSU as soon as you can. Questions though:

1. Has your rig been modified from your original link?
2. What type of monitor do you have?


PSU tiers: http://www.eggxpert.com/forums/thread/323050.aspx
 
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LawfulSarcastic

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Aug 14, 2013
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I haven't upgraded anything yet. I'm not sure how to check the PSU but the sticker on the back of the machine says 240V which is lower than I originally suspected. The monitor is a 22 Inch Samsung Syncmaster SA350. It never occurred to me when I brought the Tower that I'd end up hamstrung by a PSU, but you live and learn.
 
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computertech82

computertech82

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Mar 26, 2006
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To make it SIMPLE. power supply and the best video card you can afford (ati 5770 or better...i would strongly suggest a far better video card), . The cpu is weak, but you should be able to play many games with a far better video card.

It probably would be better building a newer system, but if you don't have money.....video card and power supply.
 
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