Help plz :). Upgrading PC.

[Anonymous66]

Looking at upgrading my PC. Im either looking at placing a few items into it or just buying a new tower and working with what i have in it atm and some new bits to upgrade it. Either way, I have looked into things a bit and have found a few products that i like the look of, Will these work together in either of my situations??

MY PC: Compaq Presario CQ3250AN

Processor: AMD Athlon II X3 44 Processor 3.00 GHz
RAM: 4 GB
Video Card: ATI Radeon HD 4350
PC: Running on 64 - Bit
Motherboard: No idea.



Looking at buying these products:


*Sapphire Radeon HD 6850 Video Card - 1024MB 256-bit GDDR5 RAM - 775 / 4000Mhz Clock - PCIe 2.1 - DVI, DisplayPort, HDMI - CrossFire Ready

*ASRock 880GM-LE, Socket AM3, Dual DDR3-1800, AMD 880G+SB710, HT 3.0, Onboard Radeon HD 4250, VGA, DVI, 6x SATA (6x SATA3), 1x IDE, 1x FDD, 1x PCIe x16, 1x PCIe x1, 2x PCI, 14x USB (1x USB3), Gigabit LAN, 5.1ch ALC662, Micro ATX



As i said above, Will they work together?? Feedback would be helpful Thanks. (Also im in AUS, so im having to use sites that ship to AUS. Currently using http://www.mwave.com.au)

Cheers, Anonoymous66

 

[Maziar]

Yes,they're compatible with each other
Just make sure you have an adequate PSU for the 6850

 

[ATi RaDEoN]

they are compatible, but I would recommend you to upgrade your CPU as well because you are going to have several bottlenecks with athlon II x3.

I agree with Maziar to check your PSU, most probably your PSU won't be that good, get something like Corsair TX650 or TX750

 

[geofelt]

What is your objective?
If it is gaming, then a graphics upgrade is in order.
But first, run these two tests to clarify your options:
1) Run your games, but lower your resolution and eye candy.
If your FPS increases, it indicates that your cpu is strong enough to drive a better graphics configuration.

2) Limit your cpu, either by reducing the OC, or, in windows power management, limit the maximum cpu% to something like 70%.
If your FPS drops significantly, it is an indicator that your cpu is the limiting factor, and a cpu upgrade is in order.

It is possible that both tests are positive, indicating that you have a well balanced system, and both cpu and gpu need to be upgraded to get better gaming FPS.

I see a few issues.

As best I can tell, your psu is a 300w unit, and will not support a much stronger graphics card. Every psu must have a specs label. Look at yours and tell us what you see. In particular, what is the amperage on the +12v rail?

The case looks like a standard ATX case. Good.
The Motherboard looks like a micro-ATX with the usual 4 slots.
Do you have anything installed in the optional slots? Many upgraded graphics cards like the 6850 need two slots for the cooling solution.

Why do you want to change the motherboard? The usual reason is only to support a different cpu. You will not get any better performance out of your current cpu.

What is your budget?

 

[k1114]

Changing your mobo will most likely need a new windows key as OEM will lock it to your mobo. The x3 will not cause a bottleneck with a 6850 but you will need a power supply that can handle it.

 

[Anonymous66]

Alright. Im using the site Mwave.com.au (Due to it being able to deliver to my house for cheap since im in AUS).

Budget: No more than $600

Purpose: Gaming

I'm looking at upgrading pretty much everything, I have a build i am looking into...


CASE - Aywun Game Series G03 Black Mid Tower ATX Case with Side Window, 0.6mm SECC 2 x 120mm LED fan, Screwless Design Mesh Front Panel, 4 x 5.25" and 1 x 3.5"external bays, 5 x 3.5" internal bays, 7 expansion slots ($52.10)

CPU - AMD Phenom II X4 955 Black Edition, 3.20GHz, Quad Core, Socket AM3, 125W TDP, 4x512KB L2 Cache, 6MB L3 Cache, Stepping C3, Boxed, Deneb ($149)

MOTHERBOARD - ASUS M4A87TD/USB3, Socket AM3, Dual DDR3-2000, AMD 870+SB850, HT 3.0, 6x SATA (6x SATA3), 1x IDE, 1x PCIe x16, 1x PCIe x4, 1x PCIe x1, 3x PCI, 14x USB (2x USB3), Gigabit LAN, 7.1ch VT1818, ATX ($115.80)

FAN - Arctic Cooling Alpine 64 GT CPU cooler, Ultra Quiet, for AMD Socket AM3 / AM2+ / AM2 / 939, to 70 Watts ($17.40)

PSU - Antec EA-380D Green 380W ATX Power Supply, 80mm Low Noise Cooling Fan, 80 PLUS Bronze Certified, Dual 12V Outputs, 1 x 20+4 Pin, 1 x 4 Pin ATX 12V, 1 x 6 Pin PCI-E, 4 x SATA, 6 x Molex, 1 x Floppy ($66)

GRAPHICS - ASUS Radeon HD 5770 CUCore Video Card, 1024MB 128-bit GDDR5 RAM, 850MHz / 4.8GHz Clock, PCIe 2.1, VGA, DVI, HDMI, HDCP, CrossFire Ready ($140)

TOTAL - $540.29
Shipping - $15.25
TOTAL Inc Shipping - $555.54

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Anything else that can be increased / decreased in performance / price please provide some feedback Thanks.

 

[k1114]

You will see no difference from the x3 + 5770 vs a whole new build + 5770.

Just get the 5770 with what you have. If you need more afterwards, bulldozer comes out in June.

 

[Anonymous66]

Hmmmk, Radeon 5570??

Also i was looking in another thread i posted in motherboards...

Im currently have a M2N68-LA - (http://h10025.www1.hp.com/ewfrf/wc/document?docname=c01925548&tmp_task=prodinfoCategory&lc=en&dlc=en&cc=us&product=4184707#N94)

I was looking at just putting in:

GRAPHICS - Sapphire Radeon HD 6850 Video Card - 1024MB 256-bit GDDR5 RAM - 775 / 4000Mhz Clock - PCIe 2.1 - DVI, DisplayPort, HDMI - CrossFire Ready

PSU - Corsair CX-500 Builder Series 500 Watt Power Supply - ATX/EPS - Silent 12cm Fan - Black

And if needed... CPU - AMD Phenom II X4 955 Black Edition, 3.20GHz, Quad Core, Socket AM3, 125W TDP, 4x512KB L2 Cache, 6MB L3 Cache, Stepping C3, Boxed, Deneb

Will these work together with my motherboard??

 

[geofelt]

If you are going to change your motherboard, consider a sandy bridge based system. Today, nothing else comes close at the $125(US) to $200 price range. The sandys are 20% faster, clock for clock, and overclock higher.
You might want to review this article on gaming with <$200 cpu's:
http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/best-gaming-cpu-core-i3-2100-phenom-ii-x6-1075t,2859.html