Please help, computer novice here and want to upgrade my existing 2008 alien ware to play latest games.

Jimmy cccc

Reputable
Jul 6, 2014
10
0
4,510
Ok this is my current spec:
Area 51 R6
Nvidia nforce 790i ultra sli motherboard
Yor intel Q9450 CPU 2.66/1333, 12, 4C
Patriot 1GB DDR3 1333MHZ x2 ram
Seagate 250gb sata 7200rpm 16mb cache
ATI Radeon HD3870 X2 1024mb Pci-e 2
750w oem ATX PSU.

Now I was thinking of upgrading my ram from 2GB to 8GB and changing graphics card to Geforce GTX 750 ti.

Is it worth me upgrading, will I be able to play latest games? Is the processor up to it? Plus I think I could overclock this machine but have no idea how.
 

Jimmy cccc

Reputable
Jul 6, 2014
10
0
4,510
Full PC spec

AREA-51 R6
FULL-TOWER GREEN CASE 2,0B
NVIDIA NFORCE 790I ULTRA SLI MOTHERBOARD
YOR, INTEL Q9450 CPU ,2.66/1333,12M,4C
PATRIOT 1GB DDR3 1333MHZ LL PC3-10666 AW110
SEAGATE 250GB SATA 7200RPM 16MB CACHE
LG 20X DUAL»LAYER DVD RE·WRITER NON-LIG
INTEGRATED HIGH-DEF AUDIO NVIDIA C72-MB
AMD ATI RADEON HD3870 X2 1024MB PCI-E 2
6PIN TO 8PIN MOLEX
AL6IENWARE MOUSEPAD
ALIENRESPAWN V2.0 FACTORY INSTALL
VISTA PREMIUM COA 32 BIT R1
VISTA HOME PREMIUM SP1 X86 REC DVD 3.0
VISTA SUPPORT CD - AREA-51 R6
NERO 7 R5.9
POWERDVD 7 FOR VISTA 8CH
WINDOWS VISTA HOME PREMIUM UK
ALIENWARE DESKTOP BINDER UK
ALIENWARE MAIN BOARD RGB REV 4
CONTROL ELC CARD PASSIVE R5.1
TC LCS SINGLE PROCESSOR LIQUID COOLING SYSTEM PANAFLOW FAN
TC LCS COLD PLATE RETENTION MECHANISM INTEL KIT W/VREG
750 WATT OEM ATX PSU
I KILOWATT MOUNTING BRACKET AMTEK
SATA DATA CBL 60 CMS ST TO R ANGLE
ELC RED
2-YR 24/7 WARRANTY
CUSTOMER SUPPORT WARRANTY (NO CHARGE)
NO MONITOR
AVATAR: ALIENHEAD 3D
 

Jimmy cccc

Reputable
Jul 6, 2014
10
0
4,510
Is my pc still capable of playing latest games?
I know I will need to update some parts but don't won't to spend much.

Now I was thinking of upgrading my ram from 2GB to 8GB and changing graphics card to Geforce GTX 750 ti
Is the current processor up to it? Plus I think I could overclock this machine but have no idea how.
Full PC spec

AREA-51 R6
FULL-TOWER GREEN CASE 2,0B
NVIDIA NFORCE 790I ULTRA SLI MOTHERBOARD
YOR, INTEL Q9450 CPU ,2.66/1333,12M,4C
PATRIOT 1GB DDR3 1333MHZ LL PC3-10666 AW110
SEAGATE 250GB SATA 7200RPM 16MB CACHE
LG 20X DUAL»LAYER DVD RE·WRITER NON-LIG
INTEGRATED HIGH-DEF AUDIO NVIDIA C72-MB
AMD ATI RADEON HD3870 X2 1024MB PCI-E 2
6PIN TO 8PIN MOLEX
AL6IENWARE MOUSEPAD
ALIENRESPAWN V2.0 FACTORY INSTALL
VISTA PREMIUM COA 32 BIT R1
VISTA HOME PREMIUM SP1 X86 REC DVD 3.0
VISTA SUPPORT CD - AREA-51 R6
NERO 7 R5.9
POWERDVD 7 FOR VISTA 8CH
WINDOWS VISTA HOME PREMIUM UK
ALIENWARE DESKTOP BINDER UK
ALIENWARE MAIN BOARD RGB REV 4
CONTROL ELC CARD PASSIVE R5.1
TC LCS SINGLE PROCESSOR LIQUID COOLING SYSTEM PANAFLOW FAN
TC LCS COLD PLATE RETENTION MECHANISM INTEL KIT W/VREG
750 WATT OEM ATX PSU
I KILOWATT MOUNTING BRACKET AMTEK
SATA DATA CBL 60 CMS ST TO R ANGLE
ELC RED
2-YR 24/7 WARRANTY
CUSTOMER SUPPORT WARRANTY (NO CHARGE)
NO MONITOR
AVATAR: ALIENHEAD 3D
 

oxiide

Distinguished
Skip the GTX 750 Ti, its slow for its price. Get the AMD Radeon R7 265 instead as a baseline, or R9 270X if you can afford it.
This buyer's guide is a great resource to help you find the best video card for your budget: http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/gaming-graphics-card-review,3107.html

Your processor is very old and cannot be upgraded practically without also getting a new motherboard and RAM. It will probably be a problem in some games, but unless you plan on buying almost an entire new system there's not much you can do about it.
 

Jimmy cccc

Reputable
Jul 6, 2014
10
0
4,510
Thanks for replies, so if I kept my sata hard disk and case, power supply and replaced the motherboard, GPU, CPU and RAM, it would be ok?
Plus is it easy to replace mother boards and CPUs?
 

popatim

Titan
Moderator
going from 2gb to 8gb would probably mean reinstalling windows 64bit since you probably have 32bit installed.
But a new motherbd would necessitate that anyways.

List your budget and I'm sure these guys will have a solution for your pretty quick :)
 

Jimmy cccc

Reputable
Jul 6, 2014
10
0
4,510
Thanks for all replies, I have self schooled myself a little since my original post so have more of idea of what I'm trying to achieve.

Aim - Gaming PC capable of playing latest games on high settings as a minimum.
I'm looking at a budget of £450 - £500, with a view of keeping my existing case which supports ATX mobo and existing 750w power supply. Also I would look to retain my 250GB SATA 7200RPM 16MB HD to save money if still any good? I will be looking at a minimum of 8GB of ram but would like to be able to upgrade that in the future, so need a mobo that supports more. Finally my current operating system is Vista 32, as popatim mentioned in his last post I will need to upgrade, what is the cheapest OS I can get that will support my new gaming rig...

If people would be kind enough to provide a build list for above I would be extremely grateful.

Thanks