Gaming Upgrade Questions

[Mr1ply]

Hi, I am doing a budget upgrade to my comp so I can play some of the new games smoother and video streaming to my TV. Trying to keep my costs down as much as possible. Going to start from scratch in the fall. I'm not very educated on what works wit what though. And even with researching everything I am still unsure. I would greatly appreciate it if anyone could confirm that I am ordering stuff that will work with what I have. Or if you have better suggestions those are always welcome and greatly appreciated.

Mobo: ECS GeForce7050M-M

3.10 gigahertz AMD Athlon 64 X2 Dual Core
256 kilobyte primary memory cache
1024 kilobyte secondary memory cache
64-bit ready

Since I only have a 32bit OS I can only upgrade my memory to 2GB. So I was going to get a 2GB DDR2 SDRAM 256X64 PC2-6400 800MHz 240 pins DIMM CL=5 memory module.

Then I want the HDMI and VGA outputs on a new video card (not looking to update monitor yet). The XFX 6750 HD675XZAF4 or the XFX 6670 HD-677X-ZNLC seems like a descent card. But how does the PCIe 2.1 x16 work with a 1.0 slot?...if at all?

Then thinking of the future I want to pick up a 800w power supply that should easily handle whatever mid-level to above average gaming comp I build later in the year.

Also, my mobo only has a 10/100 LAN would it be worth it/effective to get a 10/100/1000 adapter. would something like the Realtek RTL8169S-32 work? I am unsure of what slot on my mobo the network adapter actually goes into...help with that would help out amazingly.

Thanks for any help provide and appreciate your time.

 

[o1die]

I would not build an am2 rig with plans for upgrading. It's too old. Get an am3 setup with cheaper ddr3 and skip the network card. Most of those boards have a gigabyt lan port. Here's an example: http://www.amazon.com/Biostar-Socket-nVidia-Motherboard-N68S3/dp/B004H6W56A/ref=sr_1_5?s=pc&ie=UTF8&qid=1337444491&sr=1-5. For the cpu: http://www.amazon.com/gp/offer-listing/B002I25RWO/ref=sr_1_16_olp?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1337444539&sr=1-16&condition=used. Or this for a dual core: http://www.amazon.com/gp/offer-listing/B003Z4PB3O/ref=sr_1_1_olp?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1337444619&sr=1-1&condition=used.

 

[Mr1ply]

thats great and all but that takes a plan $200 upgrade, which i can afford, and makes it $500+. Which is not affordable and at that price I might as well build a 100% brand new comp.
I just want to know if what i have there will work, so i can get by until the fall when i can afford a full up-to-date upgrade.

 

[o1die]

Then your upgrade will work; try the onboard network lan; you may not need a separate lan card. I use dsl so 100 speed is fine for my internet service. Pci-e 2.0 is backwards compatable with many 1.0 boards, so it should work fine if your ps has the connectors your new card may require.