My little computer needs an upgrade!

[aliasaid]

you can get a pretty decent setup with $300. Would you be playing video games at all? Is your case regular ATX or mini ATX? What type of PSU do you have exactly?

 

[pcsluzba]

I would recommend extend memory 1st, 2 Gigs should help if you have only 1 Gig. If you work with gfx it needs quite a lot memory to work with uncompressed pictures. And memory is not so much of $ to spend.
Just as it has been written already, keep in mind to get compatible mem module and to have free slot for it.
From CPU-Z it seems you have only 1 DIMM module so it should not be problem to add one more - but same type or at least parameters.

 

[Jake2k]

I don't do any gaming, just internet, music, video, photo editing, and general gfx. I think my case excepts the most generic size board which ever one that is and I will need a new psu. So maybe a mobo with good onboard gfx, dual core psu, min of 2 gigs ram and whatever psu will work.

There is an amd quad core with mobo and fan bundle on tigerdirect for $180 right now, should I jump on that?

Asus M4A785-M Motherboard & AMD Athlon II X4 620 Quad Core Processor w/Fan Bundle at TigerDirect.com

EDIT: nvm, just checked my bank acc. and that brought me back to reality lol.

 

[Trotter]

So maybe a mobo with good onboard gfx, dual core psu, min of 2 gigs ram and whatever psu will work.

OK, here ya go...

Newegg.com - MSI 785GM-E65 AM3 AMD 785G HDMI Micro ATX AMD Motherboard - AMD Motherboards
$90

Newegg.com - AMD Athlon II X3 435 Rana 2.9GHz 3 x 512KB L2 Cache Socket AM3 95W Triple-Core Processor - Processors - Desktops
$75 w/free shipping

Newegg.com - Kingston ValueRAM 3GB (3 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333 (PC3 10666) Triple Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model KVR1333D3K3/3GR - Desktop Memory
$88 w/free shipping

Newegg.com - Rosewill Stallion Series RD500-2DB 500W ATX12V Power Supply - Power Supplies
$40

Total = $293 + shipping on mobo and PSU

This mobo has the 4200 GPU onboard with 128MB Sideport onboard memory and is Hybrid Crossfire ready, and has four RAM slots. I figured a tri-core would do you a little better than a dual ($21 more could get you a quad ). 3GB of RAM to make the most of what 320bit can use. And a decent 500W PSu.

 

[Jake2k]

Looks great man, thanks! Now just out of curiousity how do you pick the right psu? Also say I want to add a second moniter to this rig way down the road, would I need to but a dedicated gfx card with two outputs or just one? And you think this setup will run photoshop cs4 while using firefox and aim without any problems or lag?

 

[RichM499]

Stick with Corsair or Antec power supplies and you can't go wrong. If you're using an onboard video card (and the one trotter recommended is absolutely AMAZING for an onboard GPU) then you won't need anything really huge. 500ish watts should be just fine for your needs. You MIGHT be able to use hybrid crossfire with the onboard 4200, but I'm not sure as I haven't read much in to it.
I know for a fact that the rig Trotter recommends will be just fine for what you are interested in doing.

 

[Trotter]

Check the PSU Guide sticky. Ste just redid it recently. Lots of good info.

Rosewill are decent and work for cheap builds (like this one). You would want a better name PSU in a power build, though.

For two monitors you will need a card with two or more outputs. You have a PCI-E x16 slot, so you could use any recent card for that. You could pick up a 4650 for $50 or so, or a 4670 for $70. Either would be a step up graphically plus give you your outputs. I don't know if any other GFX cards work with Hybrid Crossfire besides the two from the 3xxx line and the two from the 2xxx line.

 

[Muffin Man]

i would get these

Newegg.com - Computer Parts, PC Components, Laptop Computers, Digital Cameras and more!
Newegg.com - G.SKILL Ripjaws Series 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model F3-12800CL9D-4GBRL - Desktop Memory
Newegg.com - Antec Basiq BP430 430W Continuous Power ATX12V Version 2.2 Active PFC Power Supply - Power Supplies

you get another core (quad-core) and another gig of ram (4gigs) for $291 + shipping on the psu.

Trotter, i understand where youre coming from with choosing 3gigs of ram because of his OS, but i dont think it would be a bad idea if he just got 4gigs of ram in dual channel, considering that this kit costs less.

the mobo in this combo also has the same onboard video w/ 128mb of sideport memory and has 4 ram slots.

 

[Trotter]

I forgot about running in dual channel. Good call.

 

[Jake2k]

Man I'm liking that last setup, I didnt think I would be able to a quad core plus 4 gigs of ram haha. How long do you think that combo will be up? Should I take the plunge or wait a few days? I can spend about $175 right now but I'll have to wait until later this week for everything else.