Should I buy a new PSU and Case?

Warrior328 · Nov 3, 2014

Hello everyone. I'm looking to upgrade my desktop, which is an Acer Aspire X1420g-5832. Here are it's specs:

Processor- AMD Athlon II x4 645 3.1 Ghz
Ram- 4GB
Hard Drive- HDD 1T/5400rpm/Sata 3gb/s
Graphics Card- XFX Radeon HD 6670 2GB GDDR3
OS- Windows 7 64 bit

I've had this PC since 2012 and it's stock graphics card was horrible. Recently, I became interested in playing PC games so I upgraded the stock NVIDIA GeForce 6150 SE to a XFX Radeon HD 6670. Before purchasing I saw that the recommended power supply is 400W. My PC's power supply is 220W and was assured that I could still purchase it by reviewers online who said they run the card on a 220w PSU with no problems.

When I got the card, I tried playing a few games I downloaded: Fallout 3, NBA 2k15, Minecraft, RE4. NBA 2k15 and RE4 both gave me audio and video issues - even when I play the game on the lowest settings possible. Minecraft and Fallout 3 I can play, but I sort of expect a smoother quality to the graphics considering the fact that I've seen many videos on youtube of people with the same card playing Battlefield 4 and other graphically-demanding games.

So I've come to the conclusion that I have to change something about the current rig I have. Can it be that the power supply isn't providing the sufficient power to the Radeon HD 6670? I'm currently inclined to buy a new PSU and case and my budget is 100 dollars.

Outlander_04 · Nov 3, 2014

The athlon processor is weak compared to newer processors , the graphics card is very basic

I do not think you should upgrade case and psu . They will not make a performance difference

To get an improvement you will have to start again , and the minimum budget for that is probably in the $5 - 600 range to get good gaming performance .

Warrior328 · Nov 3, 2014

In time I will end up purchasing a new desktop strictly for gaming. At the moment, I'd like to get the most out of my current setup. Thanks for the input though.

Outlander_04 · Nov 3, 2014

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

Video Card: Asus Radeon R7 260X 2GB DirectCU II Video Card ($104.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Corsair CX 500W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply ($34.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $139.98
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-11-03 13:47 EST-0500
Are hardware upgrades that would allow OK gaming , but will not fit your current case

Your case is not ATX or m-ATX [ assuming this is it ]
http://www.cnet.com/products/acer-aspire-x1420g-u5832-athlon-ii-x4-645-3-1-ghz-4-gb-1-tb/specs/
It is possible the motherboard is a proprietry design that will not fit in any other case
You would need to research to see if the motherboard is a standard m-ATX unit .
Even the location of the mounting holes is standardized . But yours might not be .

Google "m-ATX standard motherboard " and see if the board in the case is the same lay out . If its not you are stuck and need to start from scratch with a new build .
If it is then something like this is a budget option
http://pcpartpicker.com/part/silverstone-case-ps08b

Warrior328 · Nov 3, 2014

Hey, thanks for your response. I will definitely keep that video card bookmarked. I just did a bit of research and found out that the case is indeed mini-itx form factor. I found a pic of the exact motherboard I have. Right here- http://i01.i.aliimg.com/img/pb/791/773/592/592773791_913.jpg
I was googling pictures of M-ATX but couldn't determine whether the motherboard was the same or not.

Outlander_04 · Nov 3, 2014

mini-ITX is another standard for smaller boards .

You could use a mini-ITX case which might limit which power supply you can use . It also might not since a few mini-ITX cases can mount an ATX power supply .

But the simplest solution, if you can confirm it is a standard mini-ITX board, is to mount it in a m-ATX case that can accept the smaller motherboard . The case I linked has mounting points for mini-ITX , as well as the larger m-ATX board

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mini-ITX
http://www.formfactors.org/developer%5Cspecs%5Cmini_itx_spec_v1_1.pdf

Warrior328 · Nov 3, 2014

okay. I found my computer's manual online and it says the mainboard form factor is Micro-ATX with dimesions of 244x220mm.

Outlander_04 · Nov 3, 2014

A slightly narrower board than the m-ATX maximum , but if it says m-ATX you can ssume all the mounting points are standard and it will fit in the larger m-ATX case I included

If you want to pay more it should also bolt right in to 99% of the ATX cases available too

Warrior328 · Nov 3, 2014

Thanks for your help man. I just have one more question if you can help. I want to buy a new PSU as well. When buying I know i need to make sure it will fit in the case. I looked in the manual and found out that the PSU has a 24 pin connector and a 4 Pin connector. Is that a standard when buying PSU's or do I have to make sure it comes with that?

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