Computer Dream

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cole.mccloud

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Hello all, I was recommended that this was a great site if you had computer questions. Which I do, lol.

First of all I currently have a:
HP Pavilion Intel(R)
Celeron(R) D CPU 3.20GHz
3.20GHz, 1GB Ram
ATI Radeon Xpress 200 Series
70GB Hard drive

I believe that's all that you'd need...if you need more let me know.

I got this computer from my parents back in 2007 for a graduation gift. Now I'm mainly a World of Warcraft player and I play occasionally some other games, like Navyfield, AirRivals, Sins of a Solar Empire, & Dungeon Siege 2. I had to install and CD-RW/DVD-RW on this because it came with just a CD-RW. Which sucked....alot...Now I'm wondering if it would be easier for me, since I'm on a limited budget to either upgrade this or save for a new computer....I'm not looking at getting a bigger Hard drive or anything just something that is going to make my 'gaming' experience better. Because as my friends get computers and/or laptops their graphics for these games are off the charts compared to mine and I want better. Normally I can save $50-100 a paycheck; I get paid every 2 weeks; and I have some money saved up. I don't want to spend alot but if it'd be more cost efficient to buy a new computer/laptop by **** I'd rather do that. Please help I'd greatly appreciate it! Thanks,

Cole
 
Well if it was me I would save up a bit for a new build.
You could reuse the hard drive and dvd drives from your computer system.
You could also reuse your keyboard, mouse and monitor.

Somewhere in the $400 to $500 range would get you a nice machine.

Your other option would be to upgrade your graphics.
This most likely means a new gpu and power supply.
That could run you around $100 to $150 so I would save up.

Keep in mind this is my opinion.
 
Yeah I'll go with hefemeister..

But anyways tell us ur budget hehe, that way we can work out what's better psu and gpu.. or save up for a new build.
 
Well I'd like to keep it in the $100-$500 range but being cheap is the main thing. I have to admit I have no idea what is good or anything like that or even how to install graphics, etc. I know of a place that will do it for me for like a few bucks if I have any questions on that. Also I have no idea what you meant when you said "This most likely means a new gpu and power supply." Please explain i'm a newb lol
 
I apologize about the double post but I was looking at IBuyPower - and I found this for $502. Let me know if it will be sufficient for my needs. Or if I should get something else with it...I didnt know what it meant by operating system so I chose XP. But do I have to have that or does it come standard or blank? Thanks, Cole

Case ( Nzxt Alpha Gaming Tower Case Black )
Case Lighting ( None )
Power Supply ( 450 Watt -- Standard Power Supply )
Processor ( AMD Athlonâ„¢ X2 7750+ Black Edition Dual-Core CPU w/ HyperTransport Technology )
Processor Cooling ( Certified CPU Fan and Heatsink )
Motherboard ( Asus M3A78-CM AMD 780V/SB700 Chipset w/Integrated ATI video, 8-channels, Gb LAN, S-ATA Raid, USB 2.0, Single PCI-E MB )
Memory ( 2 GB [1 GB X2] DDR2-800 PC6400 Memory Module Corsair-Value or Major Brand )
Video Card ( ATI Radeon HD 4550 512MB PCI-Express x16 )
Video Card Brand ( Major Brand Powered by NVIDIA )
Free Game for ATI Video Card ( None )
Hard Drive ( 160 GB HARD DRIVE [Serial-ATA-II, 3Gb, 7200 RPM, 8M Cache] )
2nd Hard Drive ( None )
External Hard Drives [USB 2.0/eSATA] ( None )
CD/DVD Drive ( None )
CD-RW/DVD-RW Drive ( [** Special !!! ***] LG 22X Dual Format/Double Layer DVD±R/±RW + CD-R/RW Drive Black )
Sound Card ( 3D Premium Surround Sound Onboard )
Speaker System ( None )
Network Card ( Onboard LAN Network (Gb or 10/100) )
Floppy Drive ( None )
Monitor ( None )
2nd Monitor ( None )
USB 2.0 Accessories ( Built-in USB 2.0 Ports )
Meter Display ( None )
Flash Media Reader/Writer ( 12-In-1 Internal Flash Media Card Reader/Writer Black )
Operating System ( MS Windows XP Home Edition w/ Service Pack 2 )
USB Flash Drive ( None )
MP3/MP4 Player ( None )
Video Camera ( None )
Headset ( None )
Power Protection ( None )
Warranty ( Standard Warranty Service Standard 3-Year Limited Warranty + Lifetime Technical Support )
Rush Service ( Rush Service Fee (not shipping fee) No Rush Service, Estimate Ship Out in 5~10 Business Days )
$502
 
Look I am not that smart about comps but I've learned like 70 % here at the forums .. In my opinion u can go .. and do the ibuypower or since u have a good budget get u a nice GPU and PSU do u have pci-e?

Lol this is the first time I recommend parts I hope I dont fail.

Power Supply -- - -- - - Newegg.com - Antec BP550 Plus 550W Continuous Power ATX12V V2.2 SLI Ready CrossFire Ready Modular Active PFC Power Supply - Power Supplies $89.99 It's x-fire ready just incase for future..

GPU -- - - - - - Newegg.com - HIS Hightech H467QSS1GP Radeon HD 4670 1GB 128-bit DDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFire Supported Video Card - Desktop Graphics / Video Cards I love this card $89.99 ($10.00 MIR)

Total comes to be.. $169.98

Now, if u were to get another hard drive, notify me or someone and I'll find you one.
 
idk what a pci-e is....

why would i need a new power supply with a new graphics card?

I'm sorry if I sound stupid b/c I know I do to me.

I really dont want to buy a new computer just looking for upgrade - I already plan on bumping my ram up to 2GB next paycheck. So Ram isnt a problem 2GB is enough for what I do. Just mainly graphics better.....

But will my processor handle it? 3.20GHz? Is that good or bad for how old it is?
 
You would need a new power supply because most likely your hp came with a very low powered stock psu.
It would not have enough juice to run a new gpu.
Your cpu is ok for a midrange gpu which is what you would want. It would bottleneck a faster gpu.

what is the exact model of your hp? ie pavilillion dv6000t
 
HP pavilion a series a1400e - is what i think it says...

Does anyone know how much ram this thing can hold? I've heard 4gb & 2gb from different sites...you guys seem like you know what alotta info is. Thanks in advance.
 
According to HP it can use up to 4gb of ram. Keeping in mind if you have a 32bit OS it would not be able to utilize all 4gb.
Product Specifications and Configurable Options*

It comes with a 250watt psu which could cause some problems.
It does have a pci-e expansion slot so you are good to go there.

Edit: Something is wrong here. In your OP you stated you had an Intel CPU and the specs for the HP Pavilion PC name: a1400e show it as a AMD.
either your original specs were wrong or you gave us the wrong model number.
 
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