# Gaming PC upgrades



## lucky15 (Aug 18, 2007)

Not sure if this is the best place to post this, if not, can a Moderator please move it.

Here's my DxDiag and Everest home report of my PC.

I want to upgrade my Video Card and possibly add more RAM. I'll also be switching to Windows 7 64-bit (if my current PC is compatible with 64-bit).

I'm terrible at these things, so need some help.

Was wondering if someone could point me in the right direction of what would be the best things to buy. I have no idea what would fit or is compatible with my current PC. Preferably from Tigerdirect, or any other website that ships to Canada and can pay through Paypal.

Would I be able to add RAM to my current PC since it's from Dell or would I have to swap it out completely for a new set?

Also would I have to change my power supply to handle something like a GTX 460?

Any and all help is greatly appreciated! Thanks!


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## emosun (Oct 4, 2006)

If it's still using the power supply that dell stuck in it, then a new power supply is a must before a gpu upgrade.

What's your budget for this upgrade?


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## lucky15 (Aug 18, 2007)

Well, nothing too crazy hopefully... Perhaps around $500 total? I'm not really sure what decent power supplies go for. It is the one that Dell stuck into it.

Is it hard to change a power supply? I've only really ever changed RAM and a Video Card.


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## Laxer (Dec 28, 2010)

A good PSU for you will probably run $80-$100

Changing a power supply is pretty easy, You just replace all the plugins with the new ones (should be about 4 total)

24pin,8pin,HDD, Disk drive, then gpu.

If you can change a gpu a power supply should be easy.


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## lucky15 (Aug 18, 2007)

Laxer said:


> A good PSU for you will probably run $80-$100
> 
> Changing a power supply is pretty easy, You just replace all the plugins with the new ones (should be about 4 total)
> 
> ...


Sounds good.

Also would be nice of the Power Supply + Video Card fans were somewhat quiet. My current ones get loud as hell when playing games. (doesn't bother me too much but would prefer quieter ones)


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## Laxer (Dec 28, 2010)

How many dB are you current fans do you know?


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## lucky15 (Aug 18, 2007)

I have no idea. Is there any way to find out without opening up the case?


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## Laxer (Dec 28, 2010)

lucky15 said:


> I have no idea. Is there any way to find out without opening up the case?


not that i can think of, since its oem tho i imagine the fans a pretty loud which means a new gpu and psu will "whisper" in comparison .


gpu might get loud under >80% load.


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## lucky15 (Aug 18, 2007)

Laxer said:


> not that i can think of, since its oem tho i imagine the fans a pretty loud which means a new gpu and psu will "whisper" in comparison .
> 
> 
> gpu might get loud under >80% load.


Ah alright, I hope so, lol

So any ideas on what I should get that's compatible with my current setup? Also can I upgrade to a 64-bit Windows 7? I'm currently using 32-bit Vista.


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## Tyree (May 10, 2009)

The PSU you will require will depend on the GPU you select.
When you decide what GPU you want, post the Brand Name & Model Number and we can suggest a suitable PSU.
You can upgrade to 7.


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## lucky15 (Aug 18, 2007)

I was looking around last night and this seems to have good reviews and apparently is almost the same size as my 9800 GT. So I guess I shouldn't have a problem for room in my case.

Buy the EVGA GeForce GTX 460 SE (Fermi) 1GB GDDR5 PCIe at TigerDirect.ca

I also found this, which I'm not sure if is a good deal or not.

Buy the Cooler Master Silent Pro M 700W Power Suppl Bundle at TigerDirect.ca

Also what about my RAM, am I able to add any to the ones Dell already had put in or would I need to completely switch it out? And which RAM would be good if that's the case.

Thanks.


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## Tyree (May 10, 2009)

The CoolerMaster PSU is not a bad unit but a SaSonic-XFX or Corsair would be my choice for gauranteed quality.
What is the Model Number of your Dell and what is the RAM configuration is in it now? A 2X2GB matched pair is the best option.
The combo deal you have linked to is not a good deal by US prices. Have you checked Newegg Canada?


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## lucky15 (Aug 18, 2007)

Well that's the problem, I don't really know that much about the pricing, quality of these products which is why I was asking for help and possibly be directed to what would be good. 

I found out my RAM is 800 MHz, so I'd want to upgrade that to 1333 MHz. What would be a good pair of 2x2 GB sticks?

Something like this is good for the PSU then? 

Newegg.ca - CORSAIR CMPSU-750TX 750W ATX12V / EPS12V SLI Ready CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS Certified Active PFC Compatible with Core i7 Power Supply

I don't really wanna cheap out on any of these things, I'd prefer to get a decent quality.

As for Video Cards, I have no idea what to go for, I don't really understand them that well and when searching for them, there's just so many that price range between like 100~300.


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## hhnq04 (Mar 19, 2008)

NCIX.com - Buy Corsair TX750W 750W ATX 12V 60A 24PIN ATX Power Supply Active PFC 140MM Fan - Corsair - CMPSU-750TX - in Canada

If you get on to see this and it's still available, jump on this, the website says the deal ends today / tonight. Great price ($35 off, making it $95 CAD), and NCIX is a good site.


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## Laxer (Dec 28, 2010)

hhnq04 said:


> NCIX.com - Buy Corsair TX750W 750W ATX 12V 60A 24PIN ATX Power Supply Active PFC 140MM Fan - Corsair - CMPSU-750TX - in Canada
> 
> If you get on to see this and it's still available, jump on this, the website says the deal ends today / tonight. Great price ($35 off, making it $95 CAD), and NCIX is a good site.


Great find, I would also go with this if you can buy it tonight.


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## lucky15 (Aug 18, 2007)

hhnq04 said:


> NCIX.com - Buy Corsair TX750W 750W ATX 12V 60A 24PIN ATX Power Supply Active PFC 140MM Fan - Corsair - CMPSU-750TX - in Canada
> 
> If you get on to see this and it's still available, jump on this, the website says the deal ends today / tonight. Great price ($35 off, making it $95 CAD), and NCIX is a good site.


Alright thanks. Just ordered it. 

When changing a Power Supply, do I have to switch out all of the cables? Or can I just pull them out of my current power supply and put them into the new one?


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## lucky15 (Aug 18, 2007)

And I think I'll be getting 

Buy the EVGA GeForce GTX 460 SE (Fermi) 1GB GDDR5 PCIe at TigerDirect.ca

&

Buy the Corsair XMS3 4GB Dual Channel DDR3 RAM at TigerDirect.ca

Would these be alright and be compatible with my motherboard?


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## Laxer (Dec 28, 2010)

lucky15 said:


> Alright thanks. Just ordered it.
> 
> When changing a Power Supply, do I have to switch out all of the cables? Or can I just pull them out of my current power supply and put them into the new one?


you will have to unplug the two cords from the mobo, and then 1 from each of your additional hardware (hard drive, disk drive).

You then just plug in your new powersupply cords exactly where the other ones were.

Also, Good choice on the GPU. should be able to run everything you would like.

Ram could have better timing/latency but it's good mid-level ram that should preform well. For the price its a good buy.


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## lucky15 (Aug 18, 2007)

Laxer said:


> Ram could have better timing/latency but it's good mid-level ram that should preform well. For the price its a good buy.


Well, compared to my 800 MHz RAM I have at the moment, it should be a pretty good upgrade, correct?

Could you show me a decent pair of 2 x 2 GB sticks that are better in case I'd rather change to that?


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## hhnq04 (Mar 19, 2008)

Sorry if I missed this anywhere, but you have the original mobo / CPU from Dell in there right? And it's an XPS 420?

If so, that RAM isn't going to work for you. That motherboard supports DDR2-5300, 6400, or 8500.

Computer memory upgrades for Dell XPS 420 Desktop/PC from Crucial.com

You're at 6400 already, you could jump to 8500 (1066) but it's going to be $80+, and won't give you a noticeable performance increase.

4GB (2x2GB) Mushkin DDR2-6400 $65

4GB (2x2GB) GSkill DDR2-8500 $88

I don't know what the specifics of your current RAM are other than you've got 4x1GB. You may get a little better performance with a new set of performance RAM at 2x2GB. It looks like you're using a 32bit Vista, as it's only seeing ~3.3GB of the current RAM, no?


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## Tyree (May 10, 2009)

You won't see any difference using faster RAM. A 2X2GB matched pair of DDR2800 (PC6400) is fine.


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## lucky15 (Aug 18, 2007)

Oh damn, I had already ordered the DDR3. I guess I'll have to return it.

So these would be fine then?

NCIX.com - Buy G.SKILL F2-8500CL5D-4GBPK PC2-8500 4GB 2X2GB DDR2-1066 CL5-5-5-15 240PIN Dual Channel Memory Kit - G.Skill - F2-8500CL5D-4GBPK - in Canada


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## lucky15 (Aug 18, 2007)

Well, I just got all the parts and installed them. Looks like everything is running good. It's like... 500% quieter now, so much better.

Power Supply was a bit of a hassle to put in, the XFX PSU wires are kind of hard to maneuver and my case isn't too big either, but other than that was pretty easy.

Thanks a lot for all of the help. Very much appreciated!


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