Basic questions

[drjuanitor]

so ive owned this cyber power pc for about 2 years now and ive been wanting to upgrade it. its prebuilt. im not sure what the specs of it are though. if someone could give me instructions to find out what the specs are of my computer, i could share them to see if you guys could give any advice. this computer is a very basic gaming computer. by basic, its meant for flash games at most. i want something a little more powerful. the only problem is that i have a 300$ budget to upgrade. all imput would be greatly appreciated

 

[mocchan]

You can download CPU-Z to find out what your RAM, Motherboard, and CPU are
Download GPU-Z to figure out what your current GPU is.

There really isn't an easy way to figure out what your PSU model is, so if you could open your computer case and look inside to see the model number of your PSU, it would help us out greatly.

 

[drjuanitor]

i can see inside my computer, what does it look like/where would i find the psu model?

 

[drjuanitor]

also, i have downloaded the CPU Z program. im currently looking at all of my specs. i guess ill list them in a list
processor- AMD Athlon II X2 260
core-(it says in the multiplayer part that it is x4.0, so does that mean its quad core?)
motherboard- ASUSTek M4N68T-M-V2
chipset and southbridge- NVIDIA GeForce 7025 + NVIDIA nForce 630a
memory- DDR3 4096 Mb's(channels = Dual)

i dont know what else to list. hope this helps

 

[mocchan]

Your multiplier times base clock = your CPU frequency. So for example, your Athlon's base clock should be 200. 200x4 = 800 = 800Mhz

The "X2" in your model name of your CPU shows how many cores it has, in your case, dual core.

I would recommend getting a Phenom II X4 965 (Around $109 at the moment) and pair it with a Radeon HD6870 (around $180).

However, before you purchase anything, we need to know what model your PSU is.

Is your power supply bottom mounted or top mounted? Usually you can see some kind of branding/model number on the side of the PSU. Also, can you look for a label that looks like this?

(credits to newegg for picture)

List all the specs it says under the +12v Rail(s)

 

[drjuanitor]

i see a boxed shape at the bottom that im pretty sure is the PSU, only it looks like its covered so im gonna turn the computer off and open it, hoping that i dont break anything xD

 

[drjuanitor]

im trying to include 3 pictures but i dont know how Dx ive opened my computer and i can see a black box at the bottom where the power cord is plugged into. there is no information on it :/

 

[l0v3rboi]

im trying to include 3 pictures but i dont know how Dx ive opened my computer and i can see a black box at the bottom where the power cord is plugged into. there is no information on it :/

When you bought it, do you remember if you just got the "standard" PSU. If so then its probably a cheapo PSU. I would suggest you get a new one too. If you are getting a new PSU then it is not so important to know what you have. If you want to keep it, then we have to know the wattage. DO you still have the receipt? It should be listed there. Thanks.

 

[drjuanitor]

i dont remember unfortunately nor do i have the receipt. the computer was bought for me by a family member. so based on all of the specs that i listed earlier, what would be some good hardware to buy in a 300$ limit to make my computer a decent gaming computer.

 

[mocchan]

Corsair CX500 currently $49.99 with promo code, plus an additional $10 off with rebate - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139027

AMD Phenom II X4 965 currently $94.99 with promo code - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103727

Radeon HD 6850 currently $149.99, $134.99 after rebate - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102908

That should be within budget, and provide you a massive upgrade to what you have now

 

[drjuanitor]

Corsair CX500 currently $49.99 with promo code, plus an additional $10 off with rebate - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139027

AMD Phenom II X4 965 currently $94.99 with promo code - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103727

Radeon HD 6850 currently $149.99, $134.99 after rebate - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102908

That should be within budget, and provide you a massive upgrade to what you have now

thanks a ton for all of your help and also, i am not limited to these choices right?

 

[mocchan]

thanks a ton for all of your help and also, i am not limited to these choices right?

No, you aren't limited to those choices. However, they're the best of the best you can get for your motherboard at the moment for the money.

Go any higher on the CPU, for example, and you would be shelling out $150+

A better GPU and you would be shelling out an extra $40 for the card, and another $50 or so on the power supply.

Also, DON'T cheap out on your power supply, I would recommend Corsair, Seasonic, Antec, Silverstone, Power PC And Cooling. QUALITY brands

 

[drjuanitor]

now, the last question is, what would be the maximum i could do with my computer with those parts? my dream would be a computer that would play bf3 on ultra, but i know that would cost me an arm and a leg. so basically, what would the power be with the addition of this new hardware?

 

[l0v3rboi]

http://www.anandtech.com/bench/Product/539

If you plan to play at 1920x1080, you wouldn't be maxing out GPU-heavy games like BF3 and Crysis. I would say keep them at medium to high and you would get great frame rates. Check out the link to see what I am talking about. Basically, you want 40+ fps to get smooth gaming.