Possible Upgrades(Pre-Built)

[SaraVali]

So I recently won this at my job raffle for Thanksgiving, and wanted to know what the possible upgrades are for this computer.

This is a pre-built

Dell Inspiron, Intel Core i3-4150, 8GB RAM, 1TB Hard Drive, Windows 8.1 Desktop
or
http://www.amazon.com/Dell-Inspiron-i3847-3850BK-Discontinued-Manufacturer/dp/B00K0HMSUI

Are there any 1 way performance upgrades I can make or would I have to buy a big part to make another big part work?

 

[patonb]

Welcome to the forum.

To answer you, how much you want to through at it, but mostly what do you want to do with it.

Being intel, you can toss in a better cpu no problems, but to put a decent gpu you'll need a new power supply.
Though, i3 are okay for gaming.

It has a 300W power supply, so you could possible add a gtx960, which will let you play most games decently.

 

[setishock]

You just can't toss in any old Intel cpu chip. Look up your system at dell and get the service manual. That will tell you what you can do with it.
Being that dell uses a semi passive cooling setup for the cpu, going any higher, if it can handle a higher chip, will be an exercise in hacking a cooler for it that fits the motherboard and the case.
Personally speaking, leave it like it is and use it for web browsing and light gaming.

 

[PP Mguire]

Depends highly on what you want to do with it. If you want to game and have an ok budget you could put a Corsair CX500 PSU in it and a small GTX 950 or 960 in it. The CPU heatsink looks like a stock Intel heatsink that they slapped a small fan on it so if bios permits an i5 might work in it but the i3 is capable of good gaming. Mainly it just depends on what you want to do with it and what kind of money you want to put into it. Otherwise, it's a decent platform.