How can i upgrade my pc?

adammo93

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Jul 15, 2014
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My PC specs:
Motherboard: Biostar P4M890-M7 TE
CPU: Intel pentium 4 cpu 3.00 ghz (2 CPU), ~3.00ghz
Memory: 1790 MB RAM
Video Card: VIA /S3G UniChrome Pro IGP 256.0 MB
Can i upgrade my pc to be better ?
 
Solution
adammo93, you should definitely upgrade your entire system; as your current system is towards the low-end spectrum in terms of specifications. I would ignore what everyone else has stated above; yes an i3 or i5 is obviously ideal, however they are not within your budget (no offence). Regardless that is not a problem, you don't need an i3 or above, you can always upgrade to those processors later when you save more funds; even the Haswell Celeron will provide a major, I repeat major performance boost over your current system. The integrated graphics of the Haswell Celeron will also completely annihilate your current graphics.

If you're willing to replace your current motherboard, processor, RAM and PSU and use your current case...
You have a PCIe X16 slot. This means you can add a video card. Your PSU may not have a PCIe power connector on it, and particularly if it is as old as the rest of your system, probably lacks sufficient +12V amperage for a powerful video card, but you should be able to add a GTX750Ti to your system. Your CPU would bottleneck a much stronger card anyway, but that one should allow you to play many games on lowered but still "enjoyable" settings. If your budget is tighter, then a GTX750 would still be a huge step up. If you budget is somewhat more flexible, I would not put any money into this aging system, but build new. If you buy the GTX750Ti now, it is still worth moving into a new system later.
 
I personally would not recommend GTX 750/750Ti for this build. It is quite old build. If OP plays not so much demanding games and at low-mid settings then 750 could be referred, otherwise. OP needs to build his budget and grab a new PC and even save spending on 750. MHO
 
Well, especially if paired with a decent CPU (i3 or better, or FX), a GTX750Ti can play even newer games on "Good" settings, so getting it isn't a waste of money.
OP, what is your monitor's resolution? If it is something like 1024x768 or 1280x1024, this video card would allow you to enjoy most games even on your older machine.
I agree that a new PC would be a great idea, but in the absence of a budget, realize that may not be remotely possible. Please let us know.
 
For that amount of money, you can get a GTX750Ti. A lot of things would benefit from more RAM (4GB), but I am very reluctant to suggest spending money on DDR2 RAM, which is essentially obsolete and cannot be re-used. Check the minimum system requirements of the programs / games you want to run, and see if the 2GB you have is enough.
 
OP: Please build your budget. Don't spend your money right now. Even going with i3 or i5 would mean you would need mobo as well. Be patient and increase your budget.

If still want to spend then you've two options: Buy either an SSD, doing this would give you faster OS and Apps load time or add GTX 750 as suggested by Onus.
 

Obnoxious

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Jul 24, 2012
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adammo93, you should definitely upgrade your entire system; as your current system is towards the low-end spectrum in terms of specifications. I would ignore what everyone else has stated above; yes an i3 or i5 is obviously ideal, however they are not within your budget (no offence). Regardless that is not a problem, you don't need an i3 or above, you can always upgrade to those processors later when you save more funds; even the Haswell Celeron will provide a major, I repeat major performance boost over your current system. The integrated graphics of the Haswell Celeron will also completely annihilate your current graphics.

If you're willing to replace your current motherboard, processor, RAM and PSU and use your current case; you can build something within your budget which will provide a significant boost in performance over your current system. For the record, your current motherboard is on socket 775 and will accept Core 2 Duo processors, regardless I wouldn't spend any more money on your current motherboard. Your motherboard also accepts SATA hard drives and optical disc drives; I'm assuming you're using IDE however? If I'm incorrect and you are NOT using the IDE connectors, please reply back and inform me (if this is the case, you must be using SATA). Once you reply with your answer, I will update the build below to accommodate SATA drives if you're currently using IDE.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Celeron G1820 2.7GHz Dual-Core Processor ($47.99 @ Mwave)
Motherboard: ASRock H81M-DGS R2.0 Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($46.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill AEGIS 4GB (1 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($39.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Corsair Builder 430W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($39.99 @ Amazon)
Total: $174.96
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available

The above build includes a new processor, motherboard, RAM, and a PSU (power supply). I would use your existing computer case, case fans and drives (if they're SATA); if you had a larger budget, I could have accommodated more components and even a new case.

The processor I've selected above is at least approximately 70% times better in performance than your current CPU, and the integrated graphics (Intel HD) will provide you better performance than your existing card. I have also included 4GB DDR3 RAM (your current system uses the elder DDR2), and a better PSU. The PSU should allow you to upgrade your system in the future, if you were to save up more funds and purchase a graphics card.

P.S. If you were to upgrade the build I made for you in the future (if you were to save up more funds), you could even upgrade to an i3, i5, i7 or Xeon processor. The motherboard will also accept a maximum of 16GB DDR3 RAM, in addition to supporting SATA3 and USB 3.0.

All the best. :)
 
Solution

joker50060

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Sep 25, 2013
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Wouldn't get that PSU -_-
 
In that [office] build, the "CX" with its inferior Samxon capacitors should remain safe.
The problem is, the IGP in the Celeron still cannot play modern games; do not be fooled, even though it is much better than the IGP you have now. You still need a decent video card if you expect to play games. If you can double your budget, start with Obnoxious' build, but add the video card, and get a 2x4GB RAM kit to operate in dual channel mode. What he has specified is not a bad starting point, and has plenty of upgrade options, but without the video card will be unsuitable for modern games. Check some benchmarks, but at the very least you'll need to add a $100 card to that, like a HD7750, R7 250X, or GTX750. A GTX750Ti or R7 260 would be better, but cost more.