Hey guys whats up? I just bought myself a good computer told my parents I needed it for "College" It might not be great but its a great start for me.

I bought this computer Black Friday at best buy for 599.99 with the monitor and printer. And would like to know what you guys think of this computer and what you would do to upgrade it for 2-3 hundred bucks.

bestbuy.com/site/olspage.jsp?skuId=9094927&type=product&id=1218021919011
or the HP page with specs.... h10025.www1.hp.com/ewfrf/wc/prodinfoCategory?lc=en&dlc=en&cc=us&lang=en&product=3820307

I will be using it mostly for web browsing and using it for editing my snowboard and wakeboarding videos and possibly a little bit of gaming (maybe get into WOW or Call or Duty).

Also there is a hdmi input on the HP Monitor model number w2216h, but there is only a VGA out on the computer. Also there is a 1394a port do I need a 1394b for doing my video editing? Also someone at bestbuy told me the PSU might be a little underpowered.


Sorry if this post is a little long but this is my first computer of my own. Also if I can install the upgrades myself that would be even better.

Thanks so much for your time and help, Brannon McCarthy

Well normally I don't like how HP take over your computer with 101 startups!
But System Memory (RAM) -> 6GB. Well you gotta like that

So does that mean that my computer will run slower?!?!? Is there anything I can do about those 101 startups?

Love the help, Brannon

Well, once you put on Antivirus (by the way, say no to Norton)
Avira is good

Then run Startup Control Panel and remove all those startups
Then go to tasks in Control Panel, and remove everything in there
Then improve Vista's performance by tweaking a bit, look here: First things to do with a new Vista computer?

It might be ok

I'd throw in a low-power video card like the HD 4670. It plays most games fine and will accelerate HD videos too for buttery-smooth playback.

Otherwise, it's a very nice system.

Damn, that computer is a beast. Gaming should be awesome. Btw, what is the PSU? on it? i didn't see it.

Alright Kimsland I took off most of the startup programs and started optimizing my computer.

I was thinking about getting a BFG Nvidia 9600 or 9800 512 graphics card and a BFG 550 watt atx psu... What do you guys think about this setup for this computer?

Also how hard are these components to install??? and someone at bestbuy said that if I install the hardware by myself it would void the warranty.

Thanks so much for the info everyone, Brannon

Really easy to install, any kid can do it
There's only one issue with Video cards. And that's not all are compatible with every system, or program (or game)
Sorry hopefully someone else will reply with hardware knowledge, this area is not my expertise.

Here are the Specs for the computer for anyone who cant pull it up.

Phenom-9500 (A) 2.2 GHz (95W),
GeForce 6150SE nForce 430,
Asus M2N68-LA, 300W PSU,
6 GB Ram,
640 GB SATA 3G (3.0 Gb/sec) 7200rpm,
16X DVD(+/-)R/RW 12X RAM (+/-)R DL LightScribe SATA drive,
High Definition 8-channel audio

Monitor:
HP 22" w2216h
1680 x 1050
VGA & HDMI inputs

Kimsland, as I have it set up right now is my computer compatible with every system and program??? Because I wouldn't want to limit myself for future applications.

Thanks, Brannon

Hardware compatibility is not my area sorry

Its all good Kim, thanks for all the help in the other areas. Should I post this in hardware questions?

Brannon

No here's good

But if you don't get any response (say 24hrs, or a bit more)
Then possibly create a new thread

What GPU are you aiming to get , the BFG 9800 512MB, thats pretty good. If you have any questions, you could always ask bfg tech, they get back to you quick. BFG is a great video card coimpany, i like their products.

Is there one that you would suggest getting other than that one? I can get the 9800 OC 512 at best buy for 149.99

For the price, you ended up with a pretty decent set up there, Brannon. And yes, the PSU that came with it is underpowered...not much headroom there for upgrading. If you can spare a couple hundred bones, there are several pretty good possibilities out there for you. Example:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16817139004
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814130380

Those are just a couple of items fairly well priced and would serve you and your system well. Do some research however and choose something that will best suit your needs, be compatible with eachother (in terms of components) and meet your budget. The above links are just some quick ideas that I think would fit the bill. Both Corsair and EVGA are good, respectable product manufacturers that I anyway have had good luck with in the past. The example PSU would fill the need while providing ample amperage on a single 12v rail. Good luck and have fun with your new rig.

The PSU recommended above is an excellent one and I highly recommend it over the BFG PSU you were originally going for. However, I think this card is a better deal compared to the 9800GT, if you count the rebate.

Are both these cards that you guys recomended compatible with that psu? Also Kim mentioned that if I upgrade I might not be able to run every program or game. Is this true with these cards?

Brannon

Yes, they're compatible and will work perfectly fine with any game or app you want to run.

Alright its decided I am going to go with the corsair psu and the that EVGA card. If I install this stuff myself will it void my warranty?

Brannon