computer rebuild

[cowman43]

hi this is my first post with this website. we have an emachines t5254 desktop and i was wondering how hard would it be to upgrade this computer into a nice low range gaming pc on a budget? my budget is 400 but if i had to spend more to make a decent computer i would. as this is my first endeavor with computer upgrading or anything computer hardware related any and all help is appreciated.
thank you for your time

 

[Fat.Clown]

what do you find lacking?
too little storage space?
gaming performance?
3D modeling/ rendering performance?

you gotta give me more information.

 

[cowman43]

what do you find lacking?
too little storage space?
gaming performance?
3D modeling/ rendering performance?

you gotta give me more information.

mainly gaming performance and 3d modeling/ rendering performance the storage on it is fine for me. and it needs a new dvd/cd drive.

 

[GhOsT1321]

mainly gaming performance and 3d modeling/ rendering performance the storage on it is fine for me. and it needs a new dvd/cd drive.

That is a vague description of what you are using your computer for. Which games do you wish to play? What kind of Resolution and game quality do you want to play those games at? What programs will you be using for 3d modeling and rendering?

 

[MindoverMaster]

First of all, he can't upgrade his DDR2 667. 2GB is the limiti of that board.

He can't upgrade to any spectacular graphics, as his is integrated atm (AFAIK), and he only has a PCIE x8 available.

320GB should be enough disk space for any basic user.

 

[Fat.Clown]

3d modeling and rendering does not equal gaming.

3D modeling/rendering
YouTube - Autodesk Autodesk Softimage Features

gaming
YouTube - ATI RADEON HD 5770 Eyefinity WOW TEST (on the field)

also I noticed you just answered my questions instead of telling me what you want to do with your PC.
there is a lot more that can be done on the computer, I just named couple examples.
it was an open ended question.


regardless, according what you said gaming / 3D

I would probably go with something like this
MSI R5770-PMD1G Radeon HD 5770 1GB 128-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFireX Support Video Card
OCZ ModXStream Pro OCZ500MXSP 500W ATX12V V2.2 / EPS12V SLI Certified CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS Certified Modular Active PFC Power Supply compatible with core i7
Mushkin Enhanced Silverline 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333 (PC3 10666) Desktop Memory Model 996768
BIOSTAR TA880GB+ AM3 AMD 880G HDMI Micro ATX AMD Motherboard
AMD Athlon II X4 640 Propus 3.0GHz Socket AM3 95W Quad-Core Desktop Processor ADX640WFGMBOX

 

[cowman43]

i have to admit i did not understand what 3d rendering. seeing as it has nothing to do with gaming i guess i dont need it. the games i play alot are the sims 3 and minecraft. this computer seems to do okay on those but they take awhile to load.i want it for internet browsing and other lighter tasks the heaviest is gaming. i want something to increase my performance in those areas and still be reliable, we have had a lot of trouble with this computer in the past, but that may be operating system
sry for the confusion still getting a grasp on terms and such in this area

also any recommendations on a good disk drive?

 

[GhOsT1321]

Western Digital makes some good, fast hard drives. The fastest one being the Caviar Black.

Western Digital Caviar Blue
Western Digital Caviar Black

 

[Trotter]

+1 for the WB Blacks.

The build Fat.Clown posted is a good one, but you will need a new OS. Go with the mobo, CPU, and RAM. Grab a new WD Black hard drive and a Windows 7 Home Premium OEM. The onboard 4250 will be a lot better than the 6100 you are currently using. That will put you at around $365. You can toss in a SATA DVD burner for around 20-25.

Later on you will probably want to add a graphics card. You will need to replace your power supply when you do, so plan on $150 minimum at that time.

 

[Fat.Clown]

take 2

Western Digital Caviar Blue WD3200AAKX 320GB 7200 RPM 16MB Cache SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive

CORSAIR Builder Series CX430 CMPSU-430CX 430W ATX12V Active PFC Power Supply

Team Elite 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333 (PC3 10660) Desktop Memory Model

\AMD Athlon II X2 250 Regor 3.0GHz 2 x 1MB L2 Cache Socket AM3 65W Dual-Core Desktop Processor

Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 64-bit English 1-Pack

SAPPHIRE 100287VGAL Radeon HD 5670 (Redwood) 512MB 128-bit DDR5 PCI
BIOSTAR TA880GB+ AM3 AMD 880G HDMI Micro ATX AMD

Subtotal: $416.93

pro;
added windows 7
added a hard drive

con;
increased cost
raw gaming performance dropped significantly from previous post, will still be a big step up from your current.
limited upgrades path without also upgrading your power supply again.