Bought new computer...

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nsteedaz

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I bought this computer about a month ago and it works pretty decent, but I want to upgrade it. Could you guys give some input on how good this computer is now and what should I upgrade it to, as far as do I need a better graphics card, sound ram etc.

HP Pavilion Media Center a1600n PC Datasheet

Specifications
Processor
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AMD Athlon™ 64 X2 Dual-Core Processor 3800+ for TRUE Multi-tasking(a)
Processor Speed
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2.0GHz(a)
Cache
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512KB+512KB L2 Cache
Bus Speed
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2000MT/s System Bus
Chipset
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NVIDIA GeForce 6150 LE Chipset
Memory
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1024MB PC2-4200 DDR2 SDRAM memory(b) (2x512MB for ultimate performance)
Hard Drive
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200GB 7200RPM Serial ATA hard drive(c)
Optical Drive(s)
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SuperMulti DVD Burner with LightScribe Technology: 16x DVD±R, 8x DVD+RW, 6x DVD-RW,
DVD-RW, 8x DVD+R DL, 4x DVD-R DL, 5x DVD-RAM, 16x DVD-ROM, 40x CDR, 32x CDRW,
CDRW, 40x CD-ROM(d)
Video Graphics
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Integrated NVDIA GeForce 6150LE Graphics with up to 256MB shared video memory (p)
Network Interface
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10/100Base-T network interface
Sound
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High Definition Audio, 8 speaker configurable
Fax/Modem
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56k modem(e)
Memory Slots
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4 DIMM (240-pin, DDR2) (two available)
Expansion Slots
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3 PCI slots (2 available)
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1 PCI Express x16 Slot (available)
Expansion Bays
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2 external 5.25"(one available)
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1 external 3.5" (one available)
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1 internal 3.5" (occupied)
External Ports
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Front panel 9-in-1 memory card reader – [supports Smart Media, xD, MultiMedia Card, Secure
Secure Digital (SD), Compact Flash I, Compact Flash II, Microdrive, Memory Stick and Memory
Memory Stick Pro]
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7 USB 2.0 port(s) (3 FRONT, 4 Back)
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2 FireWire (IEEE 1394) port(s) (1 FRONT, 1 back)
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Microphone/line-in/line-out (Front and Back)
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2 PS/2, Digital Audio (Out), LAN, Rear speaker out/Side speaker out/Center (subwoofer), VGA
VGA - Out (Back)
 
not too much you really need to do with it... probably just a vid card, maybe a soundcard if you want.. but not really too much.. another gig of ram if it'll tickle your fancy as well
 
If you're into gaming an X-Fi sound card, and possibly a video card, and another gig of ram.

It's a pretty good at the moment.
 
nsteedaz said:
What vid card and sound card would you guys recomend?

Well what do you do with your computer, and whats your budget?

The biggest change you could make to performance would be add a video card, followed by more memory, and then a sound card.

With your budget would you like a do all of those or just 1 or 2? I mean we can probably blow your budget away with just a video card if we wanted;)
 
My budget for a vid card is about 200-400 dollars, RAM I think i'm just going to go 4 gigs and be done with it. And sound card, I don't really know how much those are, but I'd say 2-400 dollars as well. I can spend a little more if it would really be worth it on any of it though.
 
4Gb of RAM is overkill at the moment. Nothing out now really requires that much memory.

I would reccommend taking some of that cash to purchase a better vid card and 2Gb of RAM. You should see much more improvement than having 4Gb of Ram and a slower GPU.
 
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