OK upgradeing my semi old pc

[hitman24]

Ok so i have an alright pc for right now but I want to squeeze some life into it. I only need it to last me about 2 more years and then I'm going to build a new one. Anyway i have this prebuilt
http://www.dealtime.com/xPF-Acer-Acer-Aspire-E360-Multimedia-Minitower-Desktop-PC-ASE360UA381M

and i'm thinking on upgrading the following

PSU
Video card
ram to a total of 3gbs
crt to a nice hd lcd
keyboard to a g15
cpu to get an amd 939 dual core if i can find a good one.

anyway what are the best to get im thinking about this psu
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817331002


one of these video cards
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814241038


http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130318


http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130062



would i be able to run gears of war and bioshock? thanks

 

[runswindows95]

Better off saving more money and rebuilding.

 

[hitman24]

how much do i need for a good system?

 

[rolli59]

Well it does not say what GPU you are currently running but a 1950pro would go well with your current CPU but HD3850-70 or GF8800gt are good options if you want to move them to a whole new system at a later date. Add another 1GB ram and you are good to go.
On the PSU you could go for this one and later build a new system around it an your new GPU.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139004

 

[hitman24]

so if i were to get a 1950 pro, 3gb of ram total and my cpu stays the same could i run bioshock at like med? same with gears or war?

 

[hitman24]

and get like 30fps-60fps on it

 

[lunyone]

What is your budget for this system? You could build your own, with these newer parts and be much better than the pre-built one.
CPU/Memory Combo - $140 shipped - $40 MIR = $100 Use Corsair $5 savings combo! Fast DDR2 800mHz CAS4!!!
AMD Athlon 64 X2 4000+ Brisbane 2.1GHz 2 x 512KB L2 Cache Socket AM2 65W Dual-Core Processor - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductCombos.aspx?Item=N82E16819103774&SubCategory=343&SortField=0&PageSize=10&page=1

Mobo - $92 shipped Phenom friendly and nice upgrade path
MSI K9A2 CF-F AMD Phenom Socket AM2+ 2000 MHz PC2-8500 (DDR2-1066) ATX Motherboard Retail
http://www.zipzoomfly.com/jsp/ProductDetail.jsp?ProductCode=10007272

GPU - $180 - $15 = $165!! Solid and will smoke the x1950pro!! Get 2 for 8800gtx (g80) performance
POWERCOLOR AX3850 256MD3-H Radeon HD 3850 256MB 256-bit GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 HDCP Ready CrossFire Supported Video Card - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814131071

Case - $40 - $15 MIR = $25!! Nice solid Case for the $
COOLER MASTER Centurion 534 RC-534-KKN2-GP Black Aluminum & Mesh bezel / SECC Chassis ATX Mid Tower Computer Case - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811119106

PSU - $75 - $10 MIR = $65! Nice solid PSU that will allow upgrades later
CORSAIR CMPSU-450VX 450W Active Power Supply Retail ***Free Shipping***
http://www.zipzoomfly.com/jsp/ProductDetail.jsp?ProductCode=10006428

HD - $65 shipped Nice perpendicular recording and it's the latest tech!
Seagate Barracuda 7200.10 ST3250310AS 250GB 7200 RPM 8MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive - OEM
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822148261

DVD Burner - $35 shipped! This is a retail package, which comes with all of the necessary software!!
LITE-ON Black 20X DVD+R 8X DVD+RW 8X DVD+R DL 20X DVD-R 6X DVD-RW 12X DVD-RAM 16X DVD-ROM 48X CD-R 32X CD-RW 48X CD-ROM 2MB Cache SATA DVD Burner - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827106057

Total ~$627 - $80 MIR's = $547!! Now that is definately a budget gaming rig!! We can make changes to drop the price down, if needed.

 

[hitman24]

wow thats about the price of my upgrades. i heard that am2's aren't as good as core 2's but i like amd in my current build. so if i get that 547 build ill be able to run bioshock and gears of war? it looks very tempting. my budget would be around $600-700bucks

 

[hitman24]

and i just looked i can get some cash and get a amd Athlon 64 X2 6400+ for a little more. thanks for this info

 

[hitman24]

is that psu good enough? like will it be able to crossfire down the road?

 

[geofelt]

The psu you listed is a tier 4 psu, there are better, for less. Pick one from this list: http://www.xtremesystems.org/forums/showthread.php?t=108088 The corsair 450/550 is good.

The critical component for gaming is the vga card, not the cpu. Get a good one up front, and it will satisfy you for some time. I suggest the 8800GTS-512(G92) http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130312

Both of these items can carry forward to a modern build.

I like the idea of getting to at least 2gb, or even 3gb. Just be certain that the new memory is exactly like the old, and that it will work on your system. Go to the memory web site and run their configurator to verify compatibility. It won't cost much.
Don't plan on crossfire/sli unless the fastest vga card then available will not suit you. It is twice the expense and only 10% to 50% faster, depending on the game. It is much better to upgrade to a single faster card if you can.

If this will hold you for a year or so, then good. By then nehalem will launch, and current mobo's and associated parts will be obsolete.

 

[hitman24]

ok for 600-700 bucks whats the best amd build and the best intel build thanks. this will be used for gaming i dont need a mouse,keyboard,monitor.

 

[lunyone]

ok for 600-700 bucks whats the best amd build and the best intel build thanks. this will be used for gaming i dont need a mouse,keyboard,monitor.

Do you need an OS? If so, we'll have to factor that into the build, which will change quite a few things. Also need to know if you are going to Xfire sooner than later. That will tell us if we need to make sure you have a decent PSU to cover the Xfire setup, when you get there. A decent PSU for Xfire would be the Corsair hx520w/PCP&C Silencer 610w. Both are close to $100 if not under w/MIR's.

 

[hitman24]

yea i need an os for crossfire most likely not right away ill add the second card in like 6 months time.