# Computer Upgrades



## wwe9112 (May 31, 2009)

I have a Acer Aspire M3470g, all stock and I have been wanting to start to upgrade the computer and make it my own. I have 4 gigs of ram and thought about upgrading to 16 gigs (cheapest upgrade I would assume) but i was looking at the Crucial management thing and seen that it only will accept 8 gigs? Why is that if the system is 64 bit. I then thought about a combo of a new CPU and obviously PSU however I am unsure what would be the best upgrade that a budget could give me lol. I'm not a gamer really outside maybe Civilization two or three nights a year so I'm not really worried about a new graphics card. I know SSD's are available and are coming down in price; I thought about one of those when I get my income taxes back. So does anyone have any tips?

Thanks. 

This is cross posted to help me learn more and gain more information. This sub-forum was the closest I could find for a semi-multidimensional question. Thank you.


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## Masterchiefxx17 (Feb 27, 2010)

A CPU upgrade would be pointless on an OEM system. As any new processor would require a new motherboard.

Your PC can run up to 16GB of memory. Crucial sells them in 4GB sticks to reach 8GB. You could go for a new kit to get to 8GB.

As for the SSD, I'm not sure how much you really wish to spend on this OEM system.


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## DBCooper (Jun 11, 2010)

Hi wwe9112,

You said that you would like to upgrade your computer to 16GB of memory. My question is, do you really need 16GB of memory? If you don't mind me asking, what do you do with your computer? Do you just surf the web? Do you play games?

If just surfing the web, checking e-mail, facebook, watching movies and listening to music, then 4GB is more than enough.


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## wwe9112 (May 31, 2009)

I'm a software engineer major. I typically have many applications open at the same time. My memory usage is generally between 60-80% at 4 gigs unfortunately. 

So, perhaps I should just build my own system? I'm just not looking forward to spending 500+ dollars when tuition is through the roof, classes cost out the butt lol.


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## wwe9112 (May 31, 2009)

I may go ahead and try to make my own system. I came out with this custom build to start; then upgrade as time goes on. I'm not a hardware kind-of-guy. So do you think you could tell me if it would work; give recommendations, maybe tips, and if it will work? Perhaps there is better options than what I have found, or cheaper but better components. I'm not buying an OS, I'll use my version of Windows I got from Dreamspark through the school. Same with my burners and such which is why I didn't "get" them yet. I haven't bought anything yet, still seeing what you guys say lol. 

DIYPC Gamemax-W White Dual USB 3.0 ATX Mid Tower Gaming Computer Case with Build-in 5 x Blue Fans (2 x 120mm LED Fan x Top, 2 x 120mm LED Fan x Front, 1 x 120mm LED Fan x rear), Water Cooling Ready
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16811353059


ASUS M5A97 AM3+ AMD 970 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX AMD Motherboard with UEFI BIOS
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...2E16813131767R

CORSAIR HX series HX650 650W ATX12V v2.2 / EPS12V 2.91 SLI Ready 80 PLUS GOLD Certified Modular Active PFC Power Supply
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16817139012

G.SKILL Sniper Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 2133 (PC3 17000) Desktop Memory Model F3-17000CL11D-8GBSR
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16820231519

AMD FX-6300 Vishera 6-Core 3.5GHz (4.1GHz Turbo) Socket AM3+ 95W Desktop Processor FD6300WMHKBOX
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16819113286


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## Wrench97 (May 10, 2008)

Are you planing on using a video card in the future?
If not then you can go with a much smaller PSU and possibly a Matx motherboard and smaller case.


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## Masterchiefxx17 (Feb 27, 2010)

If you want to build your own system, then I would highly recommend following our guide here:

http://www.techsupportforum.com/forums/f255/tsf-hardware-teams-recommended-builds-2014-a-668661.html

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About your build:

Change the PSU to a better brand. Either XFX or Seasonic will do. Like Wrench said, if you're not getting a GPU then I'd stick with a 550W.

Change the memory speed to 1866MHz if you're going for an AMD build. Don't go over 1866MHz though.


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