Upgrading my desktop

[mustacheman8]

My desktop is an HP M8020N, an lately I've been wanting to upgrade it to keep up with the latest games.
Here are the specs:

Intel Core 2 Duo e6420 @ 2.13 ghz
3GB DDR2 RAM @ 533 mhz
300W power supply
NVIDIA GeForce 7350LE video card, 128MB DDR memory
2x 320GB SATA Hard drives @ 3.0 gb/s
MoBo: Leonite GL8E

The video card simply isn't going to do, it's the first thing I want to upgrade. To do that, I need a new power supply, and I've picked out a nice 500W PSU to supply the system.

The video card I have in mind is an EVGA GeForce 8800 GS Superclocked card.

So now for my questions:
1. Will my CPU bottleneck my Graphics Card?

If it does bottleneck it, I have a new question:
2. Is there a way to overclock my CPU? I've read it's possible to overclock an e6420 to 2.8 ghz easily without having to replace the stock fan.

It's an OEM mobo, but my understanding is that you can overclock anything...

 

[akhilles]

Google "pc wizard" to find out your specs if you don't know. It must have a PCI-E slot.

Open up the case, look at the label on psu, it needs 400W & 22A on +12Vs:

http://www.evga.com/Products/moreInfo.asp?pn=384-P3-N851-AR

1. I don't think so.

2. Restart pc, go to bios, check out each submenu for cpu ratio/multiplier & FSB speed. If they can be changed, it can be overclocked. Also, look for cpu & ram & NB voltage options. They will greatly help you o/c.

 

[mustacheman8]

Ya I've got a power supply chosen, it's a Thermaltake 500W with 2 12v rails, one at 15 A and the other at 14 A.
In Bios the options to overclock are grayed out, my motherboard is locked, but i've read there is a way to unlock any kind of mobo : ) does anyone know how in my situation?

also note this test on an E6420 being overclocked to 3.23 ghz with its stock fan: http://www.hardwarezone.com/articles/view.php?cid=2&id=2291

 

[ibp_john]

To make your motherboard overclockable you'll have to flash to a custom bios. I don't know of a good guide off hand but I'd assume it would be a little risky.

Could you link the power supply?

 

[mustacheman8]

Here's the power supply: http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=2932371&Sku=T925-1177

 

[dmoz]

PSU looks pretty decent. 500W will certainly be fine if you're not concerned about SLI/CrossFire (your motherboard likely only has one 8/16x slot anyway).

As for overclocking, you really don't have many options with an OEM system such as a Dell or HP. That said, your CPU should be fine for most games, but you could certainly think about upgrading. Not knowing whether your board supports quad core, the best processor upgrade for your system is probably the E6850 for abut $185. There are faster processors, but you'd only be gaining another 160MHz for an extra $75+.

Your video card is definitely the weakest link. Since you do have a 16x PCI-E slot, you have plenty of choices. The current best buy is probably the new ATI 4850 which you can get for $200. You'd probably double your performance compared to what you have now. The 8800 GTS is also a good choice.

 

[mustacheman8]

Thanks for the advice, I'm on a rather limited budget of about $200 give or take, and the power supply alone knocks me down to $140 (forgetting about rebates for a second). Optimally, a graphics card between $120-$140 would be great that's why i considered the EVGA 8800 GS Superclocked 384MB as i mentioned earlier. If anyone finds a better card for equal or less money, please tell me and I would greatly appreciate it

BTW, I think I'll be stuck with this processor and motherboard for quite some time.

 

[dmoz]

Did you check out the new article on the front page about video cards prices?

http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/gaming-graphics-cards,1965-3.html

9600GT for ~$140 would be a great choice to use up the rest of your budget, and it's on par with the EVGA 8800 GS you're looking at now. I'm having a hard time finding side by side comparisons but I'm pretty sure either card would be a good choice and much better than what you have now.

 

[mustacheman8]

Thanks for the heads-up, dmoz. I stumbled upon this card and im very impressed:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814150304