Need suggestions on cheap upgrades for low end gaming computer

J

jbailey

Limp Gawd
Joined
Feb 10, 2003
Messages
502
My nephews are currently using my old PC to play games on, and it's really starting to show its age. The old rig is as follow:

A8N-SLI
X2 4400+
2gb DDR2
Radeon HD 4870 (512mb)

The previous video card was a Geforce 6800GS and was having issues, so I found this video the 4870 on newegg for like $50 and threw that in. I'd prefer to keep the video card, psu (500-550 watt, I believe), and case. I'm mostly looking to replace the motherboard, CPU, and ram. The games they play are Guild Wars, soon to be Guild Wars 2, World of Warcraft, Minecraft, and Tribes.

I'm hoping to spend around $150 for those three parts combined. Is this possible?
 
Do you live near a Microcenter? After nine years here, you should have known to answer the sticky :D
 
Which 500-550W PSU do you have? And yes, please answer the stickied "ANSWER THESE QUESTIONS FIRST?"

To answer your question, yes it is possible to get a good CPU, mobo, and RAM for $150. But I don't feel comfortable recommending parts if I don't know if the PSU is good enough to power it.
 
Prav said:
Do you live near a Microcenter? After nine years here, you should have known to answer the sticky :D
Click to expand...

I tried to answer all questions that I thought were relevant in the sticky. I just didn't do it in a numbered list format. :) Yes, I do live within driving range of a Microcenter, though Fry's is usually my go to destination, as Microcenter is way on the other side of town (Houston).

prometheum said:
more ram but ddr2 isn't exactly cheap and easy to come by
Click to expand...

I'm really not wanting to put more money into a DDR2 system. The cost of the ram isn't worth the minimal increase in performance, in my opinion.

Danny Bui said:
Which 500-550W PSU do you have? And yes, please answer the stickied "ANSWER THESE QUESTIONS FIRST?"

To answer your question, yes it is possible to get a good CPU, mobo, and RAM for $150. But I don't feel comfortable recommending parts if I don't know if the PSU is good enough to power it.
Click to expand...

Honestly, if it comes down to it, I can buy a new PSU. I'm not broke, just trying to save money. The PSU is a 550 watt Corsair, which should be fine for whatever they end up getting. I'm comfortable with using this PSU with whatever, but if I need to upgrade it as well on top of the $150 or so I'm looking to spend, it's no big deal. The $150 is just an approximate target.

1) What will you be doing with this PC? Gaming? Photoshop? Web browsing? etc
gaming, with the games listed above

2) What's your budget? Are tax and shipping included?
$150 is the goal, going over isn't a problem. shipping/tax with or without.

3) Which country do you live in? If the U.S, please tell us the state and city if possible.
USA, Houston, TX

4) What exact parts do you need for that budget? CPU, RAM, case, etc. The word "Everything" is not a valid answer. Please list out all the parts you'll need.
cpu, motherboard, ram

5) If reusing any parts, what parts will you be reusing? Please be especially specific about the power
supply. List make and model.
Case, PSU, HD, and video card.. PSU is a Corsair 550 watt. Video card is Radeon HD 4870 (512mb)

6) Will you be overclocking?
nope

7) What is the max resolution of your monitor? What size is it?
1280x1024, 17"

8) When do you plan on building/buying the PC?
sometime soon, but can wait

9) What features do you need in a motherboard? RAID? Firewire? Crossfire or SLI support? USB 3.0? SATA 6Gb/s? eSATA? Onboard video (as a backup or main GPU)? UEFI? etc.
very basic board with lan, usb2, audio, and any type of sata

10) Do you already have a legit and reusable/transferable OS key/license? If yes, what OS? Is it 32bit or 64bit?
yes, win7 64

Looking forward to seeing what you guys recommend.
 
Last edited:
Cheapest MC bundle since I do not see an active i3 2100 deal this month.

$90 AMD Phenom II X4 960T
$15 with bundle discount Asus M5A78L-M LX unfortunately this board is a poor OC. you really want to get a 970 chipset mb but that blows your budget. which is why I would suggest getting an i3 or i5 combo
$23 Crucial 4GB DDR3-1600
$138 +tax
----------------------------------

$90 Intel Core i3 2100
$55 Gigabyte GA-H61M-DS2
$23 Crucial 4GB DDR3-1600
$168 +tax . you may find a new i3 CPU and MB bundle listed in your in-store flyer, but the online April flyer does not have one. In March you could get $50 off select motherboards including several cheap H61 models making them basically free after discount
 
$75 Pentium G630 $75 Boxed -- Tom's Hardware calls this dual-core Sandy Bridge CPU the best gaming CPU under $80
$60 GIGABYTE GA-H61MA-D3V Micro ATX -- has USB3, gigabit Ethernet, 2 SATA II, 2 SATA III. No HDMI though but perhaps your GPU does.
$23 G.SKILL NS 4GB (2 x 2GB) DDR3 1333 Model F3-10600CL9D-4GBNS -- the MB only has 2 DDR3 slots so don't go 2MB, system responsiveness is much better at 4GB. Lots of options at $23-24, just make sure it is 1.5v

Total is about $160 plus tax or shipping, for a decent system with modern technology and potential from companies with good reputations. The socket 1155 gives you a lot of CPU price/performance points to choose from, so you can step up to i3/i5/i7 or down to a slower Pentium or Celeron if you like.
 
Last edited:
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top