lowridinseirra

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Nov 13, 2009
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Hey new here and i have a decent computer and want to upgrade a few things. I have been out of the computer gaming scene for a while and want some suggestions on upgrading my current system..... I currently have a HP media center m7640n, AMD 64 X2 processor which is am2 socket, i want to upgrade graphics card, and RAM currently 2GB of ddr2 ram, and only 350w power supply so that needs upgrading as well. im not a gaming fanatic but i do love great graphics and was interested in getting an HD flat screen so HDMI is needed i believe. any suggestions would be appreciated. Looking to upgrade powersupply, RAM, and graphics card first and possibly the processor after i get the others.
 

ordos96

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Nov 3, 2009
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Usually if you are going to upgrade the processor you are going to want to upgrade the motherboard too. But as for the RAM i would recomend checking tigerdirect or newegg.com, or even pricewatch and look for a 4Gb set of DDR2. For the most part you don't need to be too particular about the brand. If you want and HDMI port you are going to need an ATI card, although you can still get HD from a DVI port. Also there is a DisplayPort option that also does HD. The makers of the DisplayPort are hoping to make it the default from VGA. I'm not too sure about a power supply other than you should probbly get a 450-600 Watt PS. Now for the graphics you probably arn't looking to get something too fancy, so i would recomend looking at the lower 4800 series, maybe 4830 for about $90. If you are looking for something a little better a 5750 would also be a solid solution for your needs. It will cost about $130 though.
 

lowridinseirra

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Nov 13, 2009
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18,510
thanks for the reply. I've noticed that theres not much available to upgrade in an am2 socket. Are PS fairly standard on the sizing to fit in my case? When upgrading my RAM should i just go and buy 4gb together or could i just buy two more 1 gig chips? i do have 4 slots for RAM. OS is XP. I will probably get the 5750 i was expecting close to 200 on the video card.
 

ordos96

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Nov 3, 2009
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For the RAM you can just buy two more chips, Just try to make sure that you buy the same speed of RAM that you currently have, with a Kit you don't have to worry about matching the speed as they will all be the same. Power supplies are pretty straight foreward, always read the reviews as there are still the occasional bad modles. As long as it is an ATX form factor you should be fine. Also if you are budgeting for 200 to spend on a graphics card the next step up is the 5770 which sells for about $160-$180. This is probably a bit more than what you need though. It wouldn't hurt just to look at it and compare to make sure that you get what you want. If you play or are planning on playing games i would recomend the 5770.