Zion Raven

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I bought a budget computer (emachine T5048) over a year ago for $250 and I want to tinker with it and see what I can get out of it from minor upgrades while spending as little as possible. Sound like a challenge???

Its not like I am trying to play Bioshock, but would like it available for some of the older games. I know it needs more ram, but have been wondering about a budget GPU that will run with the current psu (300 watts).

Also, I have never seen brands like Kingson for Ram (found a gig for $49 after rebate) on this site. I suppose there is a very good reason for that????

Here are the specs.

CPU Intel Pentium 4
Processor Speed 3.06 GHz
Installed Memory 512 MB (pc 3200)
Bus Speed 533 MHz
Cache Size 1 MB
Memory Technology DDR SDRAM
Maximum Memory 2 GB
Number of Installed Processors 1
Maximum Number of Processors 1
System Chipset ATI Radeon Xpress 200
160 GIG HDD

Forgot to mention it has a PCI 1x and PCI 16x slot available

Curious what you might come up with (besides the obvious "throwing it away" :whistle: )
Not sure if this is the place to post this, but it is my first post, so have mercy.
Thanks for any Help.
 

Zion Raven

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Sep 7, 2007
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Are you using the Intel D101ggc board? Though it is a socket LGA775, It only has a 300 watt PSU. I would have to upgrade that to use any of those cards, but What about heat issues for the T5048? It only has one fan in it now (It is very quiet for a Pentium 4 541 set up, which is nice) and is very crowded. BTW, it still uses EIDE ribbons though it is set up for sata.

The big problem is spending too much on this (upgrade PSU, RAM, GPU, FANS) when I could put that money toward a new build later.

I just want to survive right now with as much style as I can with what I have! :ouch:

Oh, And what about the Kingson Ram?

Thanks for the reply!
 

Zion Raven

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Thanks! I tried that calculator (not sure if I got everything right), and it said i only needed 259watt PSU for the 7600 gt in my system. What is funny about that is the manufacturer says you need a 400watt psu minimum for that card....It might be 450 watt, correct me if i am wrong.

Now I am confused.....Maybe always was...heheh
 

Zion Raven

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By older games Im thinking battlefield 2 and older? You will be fine with 2gb ram and a 7600GT. I can actually play bioshock on low settings and 800x600 pretty well with my GT. If you want to play the newer games, get a X1950pro or xt or a 7900GS, whatever you can find cheaper. This card will do very well for bioshock.


What brand of 7600 gt are you using and what are you cooling it with. I hear it is an awesome chip set, but also hear of overheating and, from some manufacturers, a lot of noise.

Is EVGA a good card? How about XFX?
 

I

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No, 7600 is extremely easy to cool, the only way any heatsink would overheat is if it is a passive (fanless) heatsink and the case has poor airflow.

On the other hand, yes some 'sinks make an undue amount of noise, once you consider that being so easy to cool it does not need the fan running as fast as it does.

EVGA makes two versions, one of which looks to have the louder fan (pseudo squirrel cage type),
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130062
and the other which has the quieter traditional fan,
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130017

I also suggest 7600GT is a good choice, and especially in an eMachine it would be better to get one with a fan than without, and to leave the adjacent rear case slot cover under it off, and that slot empty, for more passive flow by air.
 

Zion Raven

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Thanks, I appreciate that additional info. It really helps.

I am going to get that card. Only concern is if the PSU is going to be enough. I used the calculator and it said it was "ok", but the manufacturer says it needs more. I guess i will find out....lol