Q's and A's

[Alster37]

I have a few questions that need answering pc can be upgraded.
1. if i buy a new processor or motherboard do i have to get a new os?
2. if i get a motherboard processor bundle do i need a new os?
3. would it be okay to stick with the same psu after upgrading my pc?
4. should i stick with my old case?
5. if i get a powerful processor will it not give max peoformance because i have a lowerend motherboard?

Thx if you can answer any of my questions.

 

[EXCellR8]

1) no, but you will most likely need to reformat and reinstall your current OS when swapping mobos
2) same as above
3) depends on what you are using the system for (min 400w for gaming varying by video card); +12v amperage is most important when looking for a video card upgrade
4) choice is yours, just make sure the case you use supports your motherboard form factor and has good air flow (vents etc...)
5) depends on the motherboards FSB, processors with a higher FSB than the motherboard can support will not provide optimum performance

 

[Alster37]

thx for your answers they are going to help make planning a better pc easy.:grinthumb

 

[Alster37]

ok I have a budget of .. £180 with which to upgrade my dell pc. I need a new case,processor,os and motherboard.

I have no problem with amd processors.
and i would like a good brand of motherboard so i can solve my problems easily.
no problems with vista.
Main target for upgrade is noticebly to speed up my pc so i can play fallout 3 smoothly.
is all this possible? if so any suggestions on any good components I ought to buy?

 

[Tedster]

1. No. You can reuse the old OS provided you re-register the OS and remove it completely off the old system unless it is an open source OS like linux or unix.

2. No. (see #1)

3. that's up to you and what you plan on doing.

4. if you want to save $

5. your bottlenecks are with graphics and your CPU. (especially when playing games.)

also get a lot of ram - at least 2gb

 

[Rage_3K_Moiz]

Do you have a PCI-E card? Use CPU-Z to check if you have a PCI-E 6800GT or an AGP one.

If you have a PCI-E 6800GT, then get this card and this PSU, as well as this OS and another 1GB of RAM from either Crucial, Corsair or OCZ. You'd see a marked improvement and stay within your budget too.

 

[Alster37]

thx for the good idea rage, but i really need a better processor too. iv'e currently got a pentium 4 processor 3.016ghz. I already have a copy of xp which i have not registered so i can use it again? if so i then i can put some cash towards a duo core?

oh and i'm sorry i forgot to change my specs i have a 8600gt 256mb not 6800gt 256mb i always get them mixed up.
I have the same standard psu which came with my pc when i bought it. it is 250watts is this the problem?

 

[Rage_3K_Moiz]

Changing your CPU will give you a very small increase in FPS as compared to changing your video card. I still think my recommendations are better than getting a new PC (which is what you'd essentially be doing).

 

[Tedster]

thx for the good idea rage, but i really need a better processor too. iv'e currently got a pentium 4 processor 3.016ghz. I already have a copy of xp which i have not registered so i can use it again? if so i then i can put some cash towards a duo core?

oh and i'm sorry i forgot to change my specs i have a 8600gt 256mb not 6800gt 256mb i always get them mixed up.
I have the same standard psu which came with my pc when i bought it. it is 250watts is this the problem?

Assuming it is a legitimate copy of XP and not pirated, you can reuse it as many times as you wish - HOWEVER, you MUST delete it off the old system/motherboard and REREGISTER it with micro$oft.