Help turn my prebuilt into a gamer/HTPC

[clusterfunked]

So, Im trying to turn my Lenovo K230 into a decent gaming and HTPC. After A LOT of reading I cant make up my mind on what parts I really need. This is what i have now:

Intel G33 express chipset / GMA 3100

Intel Core 2 Quad Q8200 @ 2.33Ghz

6GB PC2-5300 667MHz DDR2

640GB SATA 3GB/s 7200 rpm

Some shitty 280w PSU

Here is a link to Newegg, in case i missed something.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16883108233

I guess my question is: Can i get away with putting in a quality 550W+ PSU and an HD 6850 and have a decent gaming PC? Or, what would you suggest without changing the mobo/CPU?

 

[rolli59]

I would go with a Antec EA430 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817371034
And a HD5770/6770 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102941
Anything faster is going to be held back by the slow clock on you CPU

 

[rwpritchett]

Yes, that should work just fine. You could even get away with a good quality 400-450W PSU if you go for the good brands. Look at Seasonic, Enermax, Corsair, and Antec to name a few.

 

[clusterfunked]

I would go with a Antec EA430 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817371034
And a HD5770/6770 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102941
Anything faster is going to be held back by the slow clock on you CPU

Thanks for the fast response, i was hoping the CPU would be able to keep up with the GPU i wanted. I guess im asking too much from a $400 prebuilt.

I have never overclocked and probably wont (too scared) but if i wanted to go that route, would it be worth it?

Also, I dont care about playing games on MAX settings, but this PC will be in the living room connected to a 42" LCD.

 

[sadams04]

Well... You would be a whole lot better off by replacing the GPU and PSU, but the 2.33GHz CPU clock speed would still be holding you back (assuming you can't overclock). The good part of your proposed upgrade is that the GPU and PSU could be used in a future build and not a "waste upgrading an LGA775 system". Stick wtih XFX, Antec, Corsair or Seasonic for a good quality PSU... 550W is fine, but a "safe" recommendation would be a 650w PSU for a single GPU, or 850w for dual GPUs on a good gaming rig.

 

[rolli59]

Thanks for the fast response, i was hoping the CPU would be able to keep up with the GPU i wanted. I guess im asking too much from a $400 prebuilt.

I have never overclocked and probably wont (too scared) but if i wanted to go that route, would it be worth it?

Also, I dont care about playing games on MAX settings, but this PC will be in the living room connected to a 42" LCD.

HD5770/6770 are still a powerful card and handle things well even at 1080P resolution.

 

[clusterfunked]

Sweet, thanks a lot guys. Am i missing anything as far as components go, i only have a small window of time while im in the states to build this thing. i would like to have everything ordered before i land.