Upgrading processor

[Guest]

hi,actually i dont know much about computer hardware.would be great if someone tell me if thats possible to upgrade processor without changing the motherboard.i am having acer desktop Aspire T180 having AMD Athlon 64 X2 2 GHz processor.thanks

 

[o1die]

I recommend an amd 5200 or 5600 cpu rated at 65 watts. Your board has an older chipset; 65 watts is probably the limit, and these cpus will run cool enough that your old cooler should work with them. The core name is "brisbane" and newegg has the 5600 for $58.99 oem.

 

[randomkid]

Yes, you may.

But what is the reason for your upgrade? Do you feel your PC is lagging when you run your most used application ( gaming or office work... )?
How much RAM do you have now? DDR or DDR2? If you have only 1GB I suggest you buy 1GB more ( exactly the same specs as the one you have ) and see first how it affects the performance before you buy the processor. If still lagging after additional RAM, then it must really need a processor upgrade.

The additional memory you bought is not wasted since you will probably need it anyway even after the processor upgrade. But trying the additional RAM first gives you a chance to save on a processor upgrade.

 

[Guest]

thanks guys for the reply,reason is, i have blown my second play station 3 recently.realized they are not worth paying money for.so have decided to upgrade my pc and try playing games on it now.trying to buy a decent graphics card and new psu aswel as having nvidia on board graphics and 250W psu.got 4G ram(DDR2 SDRAM) which is maximum my board can take.i am not sure but i have seen system requirements some newer games they do need better processor then the one i am having.so need your suggestions to convert my internet and word pc to a gaming one.thanks

 

[o1die]

Look for a 4750-4770 chipset graphics card, some for under $100 which may work with a low end power supply. I recommend at least 380-500 watts for the long haul from companies like antec, pc power and cooling, corsair, ocz, seasonic, or enermax. All are a good investment.

 

[randomkid]

Since you got lots of RAM capacity, it might just be the graphics card that's bottlenecking your PC.

Since you came from PS3, I expect that you are playing on a full HD meaning 1920x1080 resolution. If you do, you seriously have to get a graphics card better than ATI HD4770 like an HD5770 or HD4870. But if you do, you will need higher capacity PSU and more powerful processor so you might as well replace the PC altogether with a new build and keep the Aspire for light PC use ( to save electricity ).

However, if you are willing to play at resolution 1360x768 or less, then I think the HD 4770 will do and you might not even need to replace the CPU.

 

[Guest]

OK have bought NVIDIA GeForce 7900GTX-512 graphics and Corsair VX 550W Power Supply.dont know if they are any good but being a starter i am just experimenting.now what you guys say about CPU.can buy, AMD Athlon 64 X2 5200+ Brisbane 2.7GHz OR AMD Athlon 64 X2 5600+ Brisbane 2.9GHz.both of them cost same( 46 pounds ).but do i really need to change CPU to play games on computer.if yes ,which one is better and if they fit my motherboard or not.one more thing,after changing CPU, do i need to make any changes in the BIOS.Thanks

 

[randomkid]

If price is the same, go for the X2 5600+, the additional 200Mhz will make a difference in your game play.
Why did you get the 7900GTX-512? Yes, it was top of the line but that was 4 years ago. It is quite an outdated model. I don't think it will play good on your full HD. Or are you playing at lower resolution?

 

[jsc]

The Corsair 550VX is an excellent power supply. It will power any current CPU and any single video card now on the market.

 

[Guest]

sorry but someone told me it will make a good graphics card.so you mean it wont play crysis or Battlefield: Bad Company 2 at high resalution.if not it will end up in a bin as just spend about $20 on it.ok what do you think about Inno3D Nvidia Geforce GTX 260 or Power Color HD4870.which card shall i go for or any other recommendation that is not too expensive.

 

[randomkid]

If the price is the same, go for the GTX 260. It is a little bit better. Got some questions:
1. What is the size of your case? These cards are at least 10" long ( the GTX 260 even longer ). Check first if it will fit.
2. What is your monitor resolution? Is it 1920x1080 as I suspected?

 

[sui8o8]

maximum resolution of my current monitor is 1440 x 900 ( Samsung 932GW, 19" ) but i am planning to buy 27" that can play things in high definition.considering current state of my pocket,samsung probably will stay for a while. have checked,got lots of space for the graphics card. Is BFG 9600GT OC 512mb Graphics Card good enough to play games like crysis or other new ones.one more thing,after upgrading PSU,processor and graphics card do i need to make any changes in the bios or any changes in the bios can make them work better.sorry lots of questions

 

[randomkid]

If you get the 5600, I think no need to change anything in the BIOS except when you want to overclock it.
9600GT OC will not be good enough for a full HD 1920x1080. Ideally you should, get an HD5770 for full HD but if you are on a tight budget you may get an HD5750 but you have to lower some video settings when you play.

As I said earlier, don't rush into buying a new processor yet. It will be good enough for 1440x900 games. Focus all your budget to a better video card and PSU since you can bring these to your next build.

 

[sui8o8]

thanks bro for your help.have already bought Corsair VX 550W Power Supply and ordered ATI Radeon HD5770 aswel.atleast now i know what to do if i want to play quality games on the computer plus find out for the first time whats really inside the computer.for the time being, will leave processor and monitor till next month.learnt alot from you guyes specially randomkid.thanks again

 

[randomkid]

Your welcome... hope everything goes well in your upgrade and let us know how it improves your game play. If you encounter any problem we are here to help...