Upgrading aspirex1420

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miketmt69

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I have a amd athlon 2 x3 450 3.2 ghz with 4 gigs of ram and 1tb hd aspire x1420 I bought it not intending on really doing much gaming well things have changed. I play a couple FPS and Microsoft flight sim X. Have already upgraded the video card to a sapphire radeon hd6450 which is the best this system can take. So basically my questions are How much ram can this motherboard take. Can I put this motherboard into another case and add a better PSU and Graphics Card and If so What is the Best Graphics card can it take. And if that option is not something I can do Can I at least take this processor and put it on a better motherboard and it that case what are my options. Sorry for so many questions and thank you for your time. And very sorry if this is not the right place to place this question never posted on a forum before thanks. Believe it or not I do know a lot about computer have built 2 before just never tried to take existing and transform it. Thanks again

Mike
 
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clutchc

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According to this: http://support.acer.com/acerpanam/desktop/2011/acer/aspire/AspireX1420/AspireX1420sp2.shtml , you are maxed out on memory with both sticks totaling 4GB. Yes, you can move the board to a new case w/new PSU... but why? Moving the CPU to a better board is always an option. Your case appears not to be a low profile case, so you could always install a faster graphics card with a larger PSU. The weakest links in your system are the PSU and the limited memory of the board.
 
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miketmt69

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I have the micro case so all I can fit in it is the radeon hd 6450 graffic card. So what you are saying is that I can have a total of 8 gigs and if I put all the components into another case I can Up the PSU and put a better video card. So now my question is does this mother board hinder in anyway what type of graffics card I can use. Thanks for the help. Really Appreciate it. I have a baby and a wonderful wife so really working on a budget just trying to get the most out of this computer
 
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clutchc

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OK. The link I found ( http://support.acer.com/product/default.aspx?modelId=3708 ), made it appear to look like a full size mid-tower. But you're saying the case is 'low profile'? And you are restricted to low profile cards with a 3.xx" height? If you have the original 220W PSU, and require a low profile card, the HD 6570 is about the max you can use. It would be an improvement, however, at 1680x1050 or less.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductList.aspx?Submit=ENE&N=100007709%20600038364%20600083901%20600144218&IsNodeId=1&name=Radeon%20HD%206570&ShowDeactivatedMark=False&Order=PRICED&Pagesize=20 (they come with low profile back plates to swap out the regular size one)

If you move the board/CPU to a full mid-tower and get a more powerful graphics card (one that requires a separate PCIe cable), you'll need a much bigger PSU as well.

About the memory; your board can only address 4GB of memory, no matter what case you put it in. 4GB is enough for most games, but today most folks go with 6GB or 8GB. Your 3 core Athlon II should be sufficient for gaming. Since you have much more important things to spend your money on, you may want to try just moving up to the HD 6570 and enjoying the games. The HD 6570 would be a great improvement over the HD 6450:
http://www.hwcompare.com/10386/radeon-hd-6450-oem-1gb-vs-radeon-hd-6570-oem-1gb/
 
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miketmt69

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Thank you very much only one last question I read the spec from acer and it led me to believe that I could use 4 gigs per slot is this not correct. and thank you so much for the help.

 
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miketmt69

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I looked at the picture you sent me and yes that is the case but it is only 3 and 1/2 inches. So yeah stuck with a low profile card that is why I was hoping just to put this motherboard and components into another case add new PSU and Video card and since I thought I was allowed 4 gigs memory per slot thought I would have 8 but now I am thinking. If I cant put the 8 gigs memory then I have to find the best motherboard that will support this cpu and be able to have a better cpu put into it on a later date. Cause that video card you mentioned is only a little better and if that is all I can do with the current setup not enough. So if you can confirm that this motherboard is for sure 4 gigs that is it that is all and not that it is 4 gigs per slot and what is the best motherboard that can use with this cpu be able to put more ram and all that.
 
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clutchc

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Win7 System Information may ID the board.
But without knowing the make/model of the motherboard, all we can go on is the wording of the specs. But from the specs' statement of "Up to 4 GB of DDR3 1333 MHz SDRAM (single-channel support on two DIMMs) ", I can only assume they mean 4Gb max using 2 x 2GB sticks of memory. Of course, their wording could be misleading. And I'm curious what kind of board only offers single channel support when using 2 DIMMs. If you have other info, pass it on. Maybe if you open the case and look at the board, there will be a name and model printed on it. And you can get a rough measurement of it, too.
It seems to be a microATX board, judging from it only having 2 expansion slots. MicroATX boards usually measure 9.xx" X 9.xx", and ATX boards measure about 12.xx" X 9.xx"

If you decide to replace the board and PSU, the AM3 socketed boards that your Athlon II requires start at very reasonable prices:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductList.aspx?Submit=ENE&N=100007625%20600007943%20600009017&IsNodeId=1&bop=And&ShowDeactivatedMark=False&Order=PRICE&PageSize=20
And I've used this inexpensive PSU in several budget builds with no problems to date:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817371030
 
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miketmt69

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talked to acer but not sure how correct there infor is since the person read off what me and you found on there website and told me that this computer can only handle a 1tb hard drive which I find hard to believe but they did give me this motherboard is a mb.sg901.003 but having hard time finding anything on it again thank you for all your help. Its nice to talk to people who actually know something about computers.
 
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clutchc

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You can use any motherboard that fits your old case. If you are going to use the old case, see if it has room for a 12.xx" X 9.xx" board (ATX) and the necessary threaded standoff holes.
If you are going to buy a new mid-tower case, no problem. I have yet to see one that doesn't accomodate both ATX and microATX boards. Those are the two std. size boards. And, Yes, you can use that CPU on any board with an AM3 or AM3+ socket.

Have you treid running 'System Information' in Win7 to see if it IDs your board?

If you have any more questions, feel free to ask...
 
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clutchc

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Gigabyte makes excellent boards. And that one is no exception. http://www.gigabyte.us/products/product-page.aspx?pid=3425#ov
You did notice that it was out of stock though, right?
If price is an issue, you can go less $ and still get a good board for that CPU and memory and any PCIe graphics card you choose. By the way, here's a hierarchy chart to give you some idea of where each card falls in relation to others:
http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/best-graphics-card-gaming-performance,3042-7.html
 
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clutchc

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The PSU was the Antec NEO ECO 520C for $55 + shp at Newegg. There are many good ones to choose from. I was just recommending a good unit big enough to run a fast graphics card that didn't cost an arm and a leg.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817371030&nm_mc=AFC-C8Junction&cm_mmc=AFC-C8Junction-_-RSSDailyDeals-_-na-_-na&AID=10521304&PID=4176827&SID=10cfn7vg2y5bb

Another good one at that price range w/free shp. is the CORSAIR Builder Series CX500 V2 500W (May even be a better unit than the Antec)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139027

They are both single rail PSUs. My choice, but not everyone's. Some folks prefer split rails. Either way, you will be fine if you stay at 500W or greater. I wouldn't go any lower than 500W.
 
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miketmt69

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this is the system I am looking into motherboard http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813138179
case http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811133094
psu http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817152035
video card http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814150578
ram http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820145218
does these componets all work together two things my motherboard needs 24 pin and the PSU says 20+4 does that mean it does a 24 pin and with the memory since the motherboard has 4 slots would i be able to use the memory mentioned above and and the memory that comes with my aspire x1420 together to give me 8 gigs
 
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clutchc

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Lots of expense for a Athlon II X3, but it will definetly improve your gaming...
You should always try to match memory when you install it. You may get lucky and have your 2 sticks from the Aspire work with the 2 new sticks, but you'll take a chance. The problem is basically timing and speed. Your best to use the same brand/speed/etc. for each slot.

The components you picked are all acceptable and will work together. But...
The graphics card you chose is less powerful that even the low profile one I linked you to. And you don't need a 2GB card for a single monitor. If you're going to spend that much money on a nearly new build... get a more powerful 1GB card.
GTX 460 768 MB, GTX 460 SE, GTX 550 Ti
-or-
HD 5830, HD 6770, HD 6790

MINIMUM.
 
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miketmt69

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The only reason for the expense which is only 271 when I paid 320 for the aspire so 600 (for a decent computer not to bad obvisouly I could have done better just building the thing from scatch but hey we all make mistakes) is that I want to be able to upgrade later to the pheneom ii x6 card so I am trying to get components around that I will check out those cards thanks
 
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miketmt69

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heres one more question what is better stick with the setup gtx 460 and all the other stuff or get the other stuff and get better processor cause I do already have a low profile hd 6450 1 gb sorry for all the questions just trying not to make anymore bad judgement calls thats all this will be both my birthday and christmas combined sort of thing so want it to be a good choice
 
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clutchc

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Yes, very good choice. That's a fine card. May I ask what resolution your monitor is that you game at?
 
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clutchc

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Card first, processor upgrade later. The new graphics card will make all the difference in the world for gaming. Even with the Athlon II X3. Actually, that processor is not that bad.
On the otherhand, If you were to keep the old video card and buy the new processor, you wouldn't see much of an improvement... because gaming framerate and eye candy is mainly about the graphics card.
 
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clutchc

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Yes, today's PSUs come with a 20 pin connector (for legacy boards) with a 4 pin section that attaches to the 20 pin to make it a 24 pin connector.
 
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