Enough power? Questions on refurbished system

[FeelinHawt]

I want to build 2 to 4 computers for under $250 each for me and some family to play games together. The base computer I would like to start with is a HP Compaq DC7900 RB-825633301986. I would like to put more ram in it as well as upgrade the graphics card and maybe later the hard drive. The video card I would like to put in it is EVGA 01G-P3-1302-LR GeForce 8400 GS.

What I was wondering is if the power supply is strong enough to handle the upgrades, or will I have to upgrade the power supply as well. And if I do have to upgrade the PSU, does anyone have any cheap power supplies they think might fit in this case? I think it is a SFF case style.

To get into more infomation I am trying to buy computers capable of playing 7 Days to Die and Elder Scrolls Online. So I was also wondering if this build could even handle them. From what I can see they look like they would be able to. And if anyone thinks they can build a PC capable of playing thoughs games for under $250, send me your build. It would be much appreciated.

 

[NeonMane]

Usuallu, with prebuilt systems, the PSU is crap and is made of low quality components. And the 8400 GS is a waste of money. Save up or sell some stuff you don't use and get an R7 260X, better experience and more value for your money. And this machine is relatively outdated, DDR3 is the standard and DDR2 is getting harder ad harder to find and it might be more expensive. A RAM upgrade would require you to found out how money RAM slots are on the motherboard.

 

[FeelinHawt]

Thank you for your input NeonMane. After more searching the PSU is indeed crap. The motherboard does have enough slots to upgrade the ram but like you said it seems to be expensive for how old DDR2 is. I can't seem to find a way to build a system capable of playing thoughs games for under $300. Well I can but once I go to install an OS the price jumps from like $275 to $395 due to windows price. And Linux does seem widly supported when it comes to video games in my opinion.

Now I'm kinda at a stand still. Here is the build someone at LifeHacker.com came up with. I was looking at his $300 build. But like I said that's all fine and dandy but the OS causes it to jump in price, out of my price range. And I at the very least need to buy 2. I guess my next question is does anyone know of any alternative OS's that may support games because I have only really messed with windows myself.

 

[zared619]

Here is a solid build idea. As far as the OS, you could try using Ubuntu and then using Wine to play games. It's a pain in the butt, but it's free

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: AMD A10-6790K 4.0GHz Quad-Core Processor ($109.99 @ NCIX US)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-F2A55M-HD2 Micro ATX FM2 Motherboard ($39.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: Patriot 4GB (1 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($34.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 500GB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($46.94 @ Amazon)
Case: Rosewill RANGER-M MicroATX Mini Tower Case ($29.98 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: Corsair Builder 430W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($19.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $281.88
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-03-10 13:11 EDT-0400)

 

[NeonMane]

Here is a solid build idea. As far as the OS, you could try using Ubuntu and then using Wine to play games. It's a pain in the butt, but it's free

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: AMD A10-6790K 4.0GHz Quad-Core Processor ($109.99 @ NCIX US)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-F2A55M-HD2 Micro ATX FM2 Motherboard ($39.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: Patriot 4GB (1 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($34.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 500GB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($46.94 @ Amazon)
Case: Rosewill RANGER-M MicroATX Mini Tower Case ($29.98 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: Corsair Builder 430W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($19.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $281.88
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-03-10 13:11 EDT-0400)

He'll need higher frquency RAM to fully take advantage of the APU. Something 1866, 2133 or 2400 would be more ideal.

 

[zared619]

I agree, but his budget doesn't particularly allow it.

 

[FeelinHawt]

Again thank you all for taking the time to assist me. I looked into Wine and it seems plausible. Being as I don't have to spend money on an OS right away I would be willing to go a little extra on the ram.

If I was planning on running games in Wine, would it be smarter to have 2 systems running the same specs to avoid troubleshooting issues? At this point I am wondering far away from the title of this post. I didn't think it would become all this.

 

[zared619]

As a person who frequents LAN parties, troubleshooting is almost always an issue. What it ultimately comes down to 90% of the time is software issues. You don't necessarily need the same hardware for gaming. Software is normally the issue.
As far as RAM, if you are building two systems, you can get this and just use one stick in each.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231468&clickid=wsiXzsWsSXnDzF81PsUm-zOFUkTWh1W1UxCsX00&iradid=97618&ircid=2106&irpid=79301&nm_mc=AFC-IR&cm_mmc=AFC-IR-_-na-_-na-_-na

 

[FeelinHawt]

Thank you zared619 for sticking with me through this and sorry it took me so long to answer back. I've saved up some money for 3 of these builds with the upgraded memory. My finaly question is can this support a video card add-on later, or would I need to upgrade the PSU?

 

[zared619]

Thank you zared619 for sticking with me through this and sorry it took me so long to answer back. I've saved up some money for 3 of these builds with the upgraded memory. My finaly question is can this support a video card add-on later, or would I need to upgrade the PSU?

This could handle anything up to probably a 760/R9 270x. That would put the base watt usage around 370 watts for either one of those cards. I wouldn't go any higher than that. If you want to get something like 770 or 280x, you would definitely want to upgrade.
Again, if you have any questions, please don't hesitate to ask.

 

[FeelinHawt]

Thank you all very much for your time and knowledge on the matter. You all have taken a potentially stressful situation and made it quiet simple. I can not thank you all enough.

And a special thanks to zared619 for seeing me through till the end.

 

[zared619]

That's what we're here for!