Hey Everybody. I'm looking for advice on upgrading the family computer / my gaming machine. Specs below:
Approximate Purchase Date: Sometime in the next 12 months
Budget Range: I'd like to keep it under $500 or so.
System Usage from Most to Least Important:
The most important use is for budget balancing and writing (mostly on Word), but this is done less than 10% of the time the computer is used. Word and Excel are used a lot.
The machine is most often used for mid-level gaming and 'net surfing / youtube watching. Occasional DVD watching. No MMORPGs or online gaming. Strictly single person games. Occasionally download from Steam or the like, but I prefer to own physical disks when possible. The games I prefer are older, think Neverwinter Nights 2, the Dawn of War series, Icewind Dale / Baldur's Gate series, Command and Conquer series, etc. The most recent generation of games that I own but have not yet tried to play on the current system: The Witcher 1 and 2, Oblivion, Fallout 3, etc. I don't plan on buying any games that are have higher resource requirements than these for at least the next 5 years. I have a lot of games I haven't played yet, and I often replay old favorites.
No video processing or graphic editing will be done on this machine.
Parts Not Required: Starting with a Gateway DX4860-UB33P as seen here: https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16883113202
The only additions I have made is to install a GeForce 9500 GT and use a wireless keyboard and mouse. The onboard sound works fine, so a dedicated sound card isn't needed.
Preferred Website(s) for Parts: Newegg
Country: USA
Parts Preferences: I like Nvidia cards, no preference on memory brand, but would probably
Overclocking: Don't plan on it.
SLI or Crossfire: Nope
Monitor Resolution: I run a dual screen. Main screen is a HP W2072a at 1600x900. Second screen is a HP vp17 at 1280x1024.
Additional Comments: I don't want a new CPU, or to do a partial / complete rebuild. I want to maximize the potential available on this motherboard as much as possible within my budget. If I were doing this on my own I would do RAM and video card upgrades, and that's about it. However, I don't keep up with technology advances, so I have no idea what is too advanced for my setup given motherboard and processor limitations, much less what those limitations actually are. I also don't know what the best video card is that my system could accommodate, given that it's a PCIe 2.0.
Other than adding the GeForce, I haven't done a thing to the machine and it has served me well since I got it in 2013. Hopefully it can handle enough of an upgrade to serve for me another 4-5 years.
Thanks for taking the time to look over my system and for any recommendations or advice you might have.
Approximate Purchase Date: Sometime in the next 12 months
Budget Range: I'd like to keep it under $500 or so.
System Usage from Most to Least Important:
The most important use is for budget balancing and writing (mostly on Word), but this is done less than 10% of the time the computer is used. Word and Excel are used a lot.
The machine is most often used for mid-level gaming and 'net surfing / youtube watching. Occasional DVD watching. No MMORPGs or online gaming. Strictly single person games. Occasionally download from Steam or the like, but I prefer to own physical disks when possible. The games I prefer are older, think Neverwinter Nights 2, the Dawn of War series, Icewind Dale / Baldur's Gate series, Command and Conquer series, etc. The most recent generation of games that I own but have not yet tried to play on the current system: The Witcher 1 and 2, Oblivion, Fallout 3, etc. I don't plan on buying any games that are have higher resource requirements than these for at least the next 5 years. I have a lot of games I haven't played yet, and I often replay old favorites.
No video processing or graphic editing will be done on this machine.
Parts Not Required: Starting with a Gateway DX4860-UB33P as seen here: https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16883113202
The only additions I have made is to install a GeForce 9500 GT and use a wireless keyboard and mouse. The onboard sound works fine, so a dedicated sound card isn't needed.
Preferred Website(s) for Parts: Newegg
Country: USA
Parts Preferences: I like Nvidia cards, no preference on memory brand, but would probably
Overclocking: Don't plan on it.
SLI or Crossfire: Nope
Monitor Resolution: I run a dual screen. Main screen is a HP W2072a at 1600x900. Second screen is a HP vp17 at 1280x1024.
Additional Comments: I don't want a new CPU, or to do a partial / complete rebuild. I want to maximize the potential available on this motherboard as much as possible within my budget. If I were doing this on my own I would do RAM and video card upgrades, and that's about it. However, I don't keep up with technology advances, so I have no idea what is too advanced for my setup given motherboard and processor limitations, much less what those limitations actually are. I also don't know what the best video card is that my system could accommodate, given that it's a PCIe 2.0.
Other than adding the GeForce, I haven't done a thing to the machine and it has served me well since I got it in 2013. Hopefully it can handle enough of an upgrade to serve for me another 4-5 years.
Thanks for taking the time to look over my system and for any recommendations or advice you might have.
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