Suggestions?

[Elbatrop1]

Well, since I dont have a tech guy anymore, how much would a good PSU cost and how hard would it be to install it?..I might give it a try then instead of attempting to rebuild my entire PC or purchasing a new one.

Anyway, my budget for a new PC would be about 1k-$1,500 and I need a good gaming PC.

A good PSU for a computer like yours will cost about $40 to $50 from www.newegg.com
From the looks of things you would need about a 300W to 350W PSU. Use this PSU calculator to find out for sure. You'll want to add on about 50W to whatever the calculator tells you just to be safe.

Have a look at this thread for a $1000 computer build:
http://www.techist.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=46883

 

[Ph4nt0m]

I'll have a look at that thread then, thanks.One good thing is that unlike that thread author, I already own my a decent moniter and XP Home edition.

Would you have a recommendation of a site, book or maybe a video that details constructing a PC from start?

 

[PizzatheHut06]

This website helped me TREMENDOUSLY. It has everything from picking out parts to actually assembling it.

 

[Elbatrop1]

Would you have a recommendation of a site, book or maybe a video that details constructing a PC from start?

Go to your local bookstore and pick up an A+ certification book, that'll give all the details that you need.

 

[PizzatheHut06]

Here is an awesome gaming PC for under $1500, shipping included:

CPU- AMD Athlon 64 3800+...$385
Motherboard- DFI Lanpart UT NF-4 Ultra-D...$149
RAM- Kingston 1 GB (2x512 MB) DDR PC3200...$108.50
Hard Drive- Western Digital 160 GB IDE...$97.99
Video Card- eVGA GeForce 6800GT PCI-E...$374
Case- Lian-Li PC-60...$110.99 and Thermaltake 480watt...$98.49
Optical Drives- Sony DVD Burner..$59.99 and Sony CD Burner...$27.99

Grand Total...$1411.95

That computer is pretty much better than any you could buy on the market for gaming, excluding those $4000 ones from Alienware or Falcon Northwest. Compared to your previous machine especially, you would be blown away at the performance.

 

[Ph4nt0m]

Thanks for the help everyone, I may just attempt to replace a few pieces of hardware that could be the problem...namely the PSU and the hard drive...It sucks if it is my HD, because I got this one for $80.00 and it is 160GB, though my former tech guy split it into 5 drives of roughly 30GB each which I dont like.

Seems like a daunting task to build an entire PC, not only with the hardware but with installation software and bios, I dont even have the slightest clue what bios are. But, I guess there is only one way to learn and this PC isnt doing me much good rebooting every half hour while playing a game.

 

[Ph4nt0m]

Hypothetically, say I replace the CPU and/or the hard drive and the problem is fixed..what replacements/upgrades should I do to improve the gaming capabilities of my PC?

I've also been looking into getting a new casing..the one I currently have in fairly generic.

current casing

And two I have been looking at

one

two

Wondering if these two will work and, if tigerdirect is a good source to buy from.

 

[PizzatheHut06]

Building a PC is not as hard as it seems. I was terrified with my first, but now can build one with no problem at all. Installing windows and the other software is incredibly user friendly, and BIOS instructions should be included in the manual that comes with your motherboard. That link to the website I posted should help you a lot, and if worst comes to worst you can always post on tech-forums. This website got me through my first build. Note my high post count, hahaha.

That Enermax case you gave a link to is a good case. Enermax is a great brand and generally offers high quality cases and power supplies. Also, www.tigerdirect.com is a good source, but I would check www.zipzoomfly.com and www.newegg.com first. Their prices tend to be cheaper and their shipping is more reliable, from my experience at least.

Would you be able to post a link to your video card? Judging by the other system components listed, it's probably holding you back.

As far as the upgrading goes, it would probably be best to buy mostly new components. The motherboard you have only supports up to 333 FSB, so that limits your CPU upgrading options. If you don't want to spend a lot of money upgrading, here is a system for much cheaper that would also perform very well in games, once again shipping is included:

CPU- AMD Athlon 64 3000+...$148
RAM- Kingston 1 GB (2x512 MB) DDR PC3200...$107.89
Motherboard- Gigabyte GA-K8NS-939..$90
Hard Drive- Western Digital 80 GB...$58.74
Video Card- eVGA GeForce 6600GT...$179
Case- Enermax case...$54.99 with Thermaltake 480watt power supply..$98.49
Optical Drive- Sony DVD/CD-RW Combo...$38.99

Grand Total...$776.10

Let me know what you think and feel free to ask more questions.

 

[Ph4nt0m]

Well, the more money I save, the better..but of course I want good performance and a solid gaming system.The problem is I dont know a ton about hardware (yet) so, I'm going by what most people suggest.

Alot of boards I've been on suggest that the GeForce is a good type of VC and, I've also heard that the Athlon is generally built for gaming (that was told to me by a Circuit City salesman, so I dont know how much to trust that).

My old tech guy claims that the memory in my PC now is fine, but I dont know if memory is interchangable with different makes or not..The memory installed was originally 256 but I had that upgraded to 512, he simply added another 256 to it which the newer memory is..

Kingston ValueRAM 256MB 333 MHz DDR Desktop Systems 266 MHz Compatible Not Dual-Channel Compatible.

I cant be positive to what the original 256 make was however.

So, if that is compatible with the newer memory you suggested I could possibly only have to buy another 512 MB or 768 MB.

I really like that Enermax BLK SeaHawk case, and the AMD 3000+ I am assuming is a big upgrade to my 2000+ 1.24 GHz..the 80 GB harddrive looks a little small for the price since from what I've heard you can buy 160 GB for $80-$100.

BTW-My current VC is a Radeon 9200 SE

 

[Ph4nt0m]

errm...nvm about the hard drive comment in my last post, I just looked up some prices on newegg.com

Maybe I could shop around town and find an 160 GB OEM HD for around $100, the Maxtor I baught back in September must have been alot better deal then I figured.