friend gave me a pc what should i upgrade?

smidge112 · Sep 9, 2014

ok so I got a pc today from a friend. it is not the highest end pc but im guessing its not bad either. just wondering what you guys suggest I do to upgrade. I do game, and play games like bf4, skyrim, dota, starcraft.
Windows 8.1 64 bit
AMD Athlon 64 X2 5200+
4.00GB Dual-Channel DDR2 @ 373MHz
ASUSTeK Computer INC. CROSSHAIR (Socket AM2 )
3071MB NVIDIA GeForce GTX 660 (EVGA)
ATAPI iHDS118 6 SCSI CdRom Device
ATAPI iHBS212 2 SCSI CdRom Device
Creative Audigy Audio Processor (WDM)

Eduello · Sep 9, 2014

The GPU is decent, so no need to upgrade that. The CPU however is not enough for modern gaming. The problem is that you'll need to change your motherboard, your RAM, and probably call Microsoft to get your Windows license working just to change your CPU.

How much can you spend on upgrading it? What is the model of the power supply?

smidge112 · Sep 9, 2014

why would I need to call Microsoft to change my cpu? and what would be some good ideas of parts to replace them with?

Eduello · Sep 9, 2014

When you change your motherboard, you need to re-install Windows. This will probably deactivate your license, so you need to call Microsoft to reactivate it.
How much can you spend on upgrading the PC and what is the model of the power supply?

smidge112 · Sep 9, 2014

not sure the model of the power supply, and maybe 2-400

Eduello · Sep 9, 2014

This should do:
PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-4460 3.2GHz Quad-Core Processor ($187.90 @ SuperBiiz)
Motherboard: ASRock H97 PERFORMANCE ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($74.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($72.00 @ Newegg)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($56.99 @ Micro Center)
Total: $391.88
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-09-09 07:38 EDT-0400

I also included a hard drive since I don't know if yours is SATA. If the hard drive is a SATA drive, then you don't need a new one.

Wisecracker · Sep 9, 2014

You should read your Windows 8.1 EULA, decide if your license is authentic and eligible, and ask your friend if the OS is installed on another motherboard. If it is, that would be wrong, and you should ask for a refund of your money.

OEM Win7 and below is tied to the motherboard/chipset on which it is initially installed -- you cannot legally under the EULA install the OS on a new motherboard/chipset except for maintenance purposes, i.e., it goes "Crash! - Boom!" and takes the system down. The replacement equivalent motherboard should be of the same chipset series/features and not a slide-ways upgrade to a new chipset with greater features and CPU support.

smidge112 · Sep 9, 2014

the version of windows is authentic, and only installed on this machine, was only activated a few days ago he said.

smidge112 · Sep 9, 2014

oh also, whatever I upgrade I want it to be able to be used for the next couple years. in the hopes of maybe later getting an i7 (or newer) processor down the road if that happens. also want to be able to upgrade the GPU later as well. so would you still recommend what you did before?

Eduello · Sep 9, 2014

Yes, although you'll probably have to change your power supply if you upgrade the graphics card.

smidge112 · Sep 9, 2014

pretty sure I have a 750w power supply... is that not good enough? Also would the cooler that I have on the current cpu, work with the new one?

Eduello · Sep 9, 2014

If you have the stock cooler, it won't work with an Intel CPU, although the Intel CPU does come with a cooler of its own.
As for the power supply, it depends completely on the model. If it's a decent one it'll be more than enough, but there are some PSUs that should be avoided.

smidge112 · Sep 9, 2014

so what do you think about this ?
[PCPartPicker part list](http://pcpartpicker.com/p/XB8Gf7) / [Price breakdown by merchant](http://pcpartpicker.com/p/XB8Gf7/by_merchant/)

Type|Item|Price
:----|:----|:----
**CPU** | [AMD FX-8350 4.0GHz 8-Core Processor](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/amd-cpu-fd8350frhkbox) | $179.98 @ OutletPC
**Motherboard** | [Asus M5A97 R2.0 ATX AM3+ Motherboard](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/asus-motherboard-m5a97r20) | $89.99 @ Micro Center
**Memory** | [G.Skill Ripjaws Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/gskill-memory-f312800cl9d8gbrl) | $79.99 @ Newegg
| | **Total**
| Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available | $349.96
| Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-09-09 22:43 EDT-0400 |

smidge112 · Sep 9, 2014

oh and figured out this is the PSU i have http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817339030

Eduello · Sep 10, 2014

That PSU should be fine for any single GPU configuration.
And that build would also be fine, but it's not upgradeable; You'll need to change the motherboard (again) if you want to get an i7 in the future.

smidge112 · Sep 11, 2014

are there no amd processors that are competing against the i7s? wouldn't it work with one of those. also why only a single gpu conifiguration?

Eduello · Sep 11, 2014

No, there aren't. The i7's outclass AMD's products easily; AMD is more about value than having the strongest CPU that you can have.

I'm not too confident about the quality of that PSU. Two GPUs should run fine, but I won't guarantee it.

smidge112 · Sep 15, 2014

so what motherboards would you suggest then? i want something that has support for dual GPU. At least 3 Sata hookups as i have 3 HDD. And usb 3.0 would be nice as well. i want this to be a good motherboard for gaming for the next few years

Eduello · Sep 15, 2014

For an FX-8350:
http://pcpartpicker.com/part/asus-motherboard-m5a99fxpror20
For an i7-4770/4790:
http://pcpartpicker.com/part/gigabyte-motherboard-gaz97xsli

friend gave me a pc what should i upgrade?

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