Need help: Upgrading an Imedia Computer

[bengjo]

Hey - I know the post is long, but I am in serious need of help and would very much appreciate some!

First of, let me say I have little to no knowledge on computer hardware.

So I figured I wanted to improve the quality I play my games on, and in order to do that, I need a better graphic card.

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My computer: Packard Bell imedia S3810

Specs:
Prosessor: Intel Core i3 CPU 530 @ 2.93GHz
RAM: 6,00 GB
Graphic Card: NVIDIA GeForce GT320
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Now, imedias are pretty tiny and they don't got a lot of room for good graphic cards. So in order to change the old graphic card, I need bigger space - a new computer case.

As stated before, I don't have a lot of knowledge on the matter and so I am in very much need of help.

What kind of cases can I put the hardware from my imedia into? I'm talking about taking out everything inside it, and putting it into a new, bigger case.

I have never done this before, and I've heard some talk about the "motherboard" having to fit etc. And also that I need a fitting PSU for the new graphic card.

How do I know all this? Any suggestions to which cases I can get?

The graphic card I just bought (that didn't, of course, fit into my little imedia) is a AMD Radeon HD 8650, costing roughly 250 USD. My budget goes up to around 280 USD.

I just need some help, and it is very much appreciated!!


- Benjamin

 

[Trotter]

You will need a case, graphics card, and power supply. The motherboard should be a microATX but I can't find diddly about it on the web (par for Packard Bell, actually).

Look here for a list of what brands of PSus to look for and which to avoid... and FOLLOW IT. Trust me on that. You want a PSU with 50-100W more than the graphcs card you choose lists as a minimum.

Cases are a matter of personal taste. Try to choose one with at least a couple of fans to move air (one front, one back minimum). My case has two in the front, one in the side, one in the back, and two in the top. Antec, CoolerMaster, and Thermaltake are all great case manufacturers.

You may end up having to shoot a little lower than the 6850, though.

 

[bengjo]

Thank you a lot for the quick reply and the help, and thanks for correcting me on the graphic card, I managed to mix the numbers (6850) up a little.

You suggested I should shoot a little lower than the 6850. Any suggestions for another one? I am very unfamiliar, as you can tell, with this.

I decided to upgrade my graphic card because I wanted to play games on a little higher quality.

Sorry for asking so many questions, by the way.

 

[Trotter]

Don't apologize for asking questions, mate. That's the way these things work.

Take a look at the XFX 5770. Awesome performance for the price.

 

[bengjo]

This might be a little too big of a questions? I'm just so bad at this stuff and will probably mess up if I try and fix these things myself, you see.

So if I give you these 4 pictures (of my PSU, whole thing, where the graphic card goes and the motherboard):

I'm just gonna link you to them (if it works), because I don't know how to scale them so they would be like huge.

http://i1203.photobucket.com/albums/bb388/bengjo/PSUname.jpg - All the info on my PSU, don't know it you can make out anything about it from it... I couldn't.
http://i1203.photobucket.com/albums/bb388/bengjo/mboard.jpg - An as good shot as I could get of my motherboard... if it tells you anything?
http://i1203.photobucket.com/albums/bb388/bengjo/card.jpg - Card and space where it goes... guess you can see the tiny space.
http://i1203.photobucket.com/albums/bb388/bengjo/IMG_0390.jpg - Of the computer opened up, and how the PSU is placed. Kind of strange I think.

From the info you can get from these pictures, and from what I previously told you. What are my best options if I want to improve my computer's performance - specifically for games. Not by a TON, but by a considerable amount.

I understand it's asking much, so if it's too much feel free to just say "no".

Help is VERY much appreciated though, and you've been a big help this far!

 

[bengjo]

*If links don't work* - I dunno how to resize... sorry!

 

[Trotter]

Your PSU is a 250W which is what I figured it would be. It has 14 amps on the 12V which is pretty low... definitely not enough to power a decent card.

Your board has a PCI-E x16 slot which is a good thing (where your current card is). It looks like you are running three DIMMs of RAM so you are not getting dual channel speed out of them.

I am not up on etailers that serve Norway, nor do I know how the prices run there. I can give you NewEgg links and you can try to find the same where you are, though.

Newegg.com - Antec TWO HUNDRED S Black ATX Mid Tower Computer Case

Newegg.com - COOLER MASTER Centurion 5 CAC-T05-UW Black Aluminum Bezel , SECC Chassis ATX Mid Tower Computer Case

Newegg.com - XFX HD-677X-ZNLC Radeon HD 6770 1GB 128-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.1 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFireX Support Video Card

Newegg.com - XFX HD-577A-ZNFC Radeon HD 5770 (Juniper XT) 1GB 128-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.1 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFireX Support Video Card

Newegg.com - XFX HD-685X-ZNFC Radeon HD 6850 1GB 256-bit DDR5 PCI Express 2.1 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFireX Support Video Card with Eyefinity

Newegg.com - Antec BP550 Plus 550W Continuous Power ATX12V V2.2 80 PLUS Certified Modular Active PFC Power Supply

 

[bengjo]

Sounds great and seems to go very well with my budget, thank you so much for the help and effort!!

 

[Trotter]

De nada. My pleasure.