Maximum PC

I recently purchased fallout3 and my pc can't handle the graphics. I don't really have the money to purchase a new pc at the moment but I can set aside up to $250.

With the specs listed below is it possible (or worth it) to upgrade this pc on a $250 budget? If it is possible would appreciate help in what steps I would need to take. Thanks.

Full Product Name:HP Compaq Presario Media Center SR1750NX (EL445AA) PC Desktop
Operating System:Microsoft Windows XP Media Center 2005 Edition
Form Factor:Tower
Processor:AMD Athlon 64 2.2 GHz
Installed Memory:1 GB (DDR SDRAM)
Recommended Use:Home Use
Chipset:ATI RADEON Xpress 200
Processor

Processor Type:AMD Athlon 64
Processor Speed:2.2 GHz
Processor Manufacturer:AMD
Processor Upgradability:Upgradable
Max Processors Qty.:1
Socket Type:Socket 939
Motherboard

Bus Speed:1000 MHz
Video Output Interface:PCI Express
Memory

RAM Technology:DDR SDRAM
Installed RAM:1 GB
Installed Cache Memory:512 KB
Max Supported RAM:4 GB
Supported RAM Speeds:400 MHz
Number of Memory Slots:4 x 184 Pin DIMMs
Technical Features

Expansion Slots:PCI x 3
Expansion Slots:PCI Express x16 x 1
Integrated Input/Output Ports:PS/2 Mouse x 1
Integrated Input/Output Ports:PS/2 Keyboard x 1
Integrated Input/Output Ports:Parallel Port (ECP/EPP/SPP) x 1
Integrated Input/Output Ports:USB 2.0 x 6
Integrated Input/Output Ports:FireWire (IEEE1394a) x 2
Integrated Input/Output Ports:RJ45 Lan Port x 2
Expansion Bays:2 x 3.5" (External Access)
Expansion Bays:2 x 5.25" (External Access)
Expansion Bays:1 x 3.5" (Internal Access)
Other Features:9-in-1 Memory Card Reader
Other Features:64bit Ready
Memory Card Slots:SD Memory Card
Memory Card Slots:CompactFlash Card Type I
Memory Card Slots:CompactFlash Card Type II
Memory Card Slots:Memory Stick
Memory Card Slots:SmartMedia
Memory Card Slots:xD Picture Card
Memory Card Slots:Memory Stick DUO
Memory Card Slots:MultiMediaCard
Memory Card Slots:Micro Drive Memory Stick
Hard Drive

Controller Type:Serial ATA
Hard Drive Capacity:200 GB
Hard Drive Interface:Serial ATA
Hard Drive Rotation Speed:7,200 RPM
CD / DVD

Optical Drive Type:DVD±RW Dual Layer
Optical Drive Read Speed:16x (DVD)
Optical Drive Read Speed:40x (CD)
Optical Drive Write Speed:40x (CD-R)
Optical Drive Write Speed:8x (DVD-R)
Optical Drive Write Speed:16x (DVD+R)
Optical Drive Write Speed:2.4x (DVD+R Dual Layer)
Optical Drive ReWrite Speed:4x (DVD+RW)
Optical Drive ReWrite Speed:24x (CD-RW)
Optical Drive ReWrite Speed:4x (DVD-RW)
Audio / Video

Audio Output Type:Sound Card
Audio Output Type:Headphones
Audio Output Type:Line Out
Graphic Processor:ATI RADEON Xpress 200
Audio Input:Microphone Jack
Audio Input:2 x Line In
Video Out Ports:15 Pin D-Sub VGA port x 1
Integrated Audio:AC97 Audio Codec

Welcome to the forums!!
At this price point I think only two things can help a better GPU and some memory. Most GPUs are backwards compatible with PCI-e version 1 though a AMD 6770 is probably as high as I would go. I would also so that the next upgrade would probably be a new system. Since the parts are a bit long in the tooth. A decent dual core system will do worlds of good for you but a newer chipset and socket will be the way to get there. It helps that you gave as much info as you did thank you for that.

Thanks for reply Wikedsmart. I took your advice and purchased a pc from ebay. It was a dell floor model so i got it for $356 + $30 shipping. Seller has 83,000 sells with 95% feedback so I should hopefully be safe.

With the specs listed below should i be okay for the time being for most current game lists and if not where am i lacking? This is all details from the ad listed. Thanks

DELL INSPIRON 620 CORE i5-2310 2.9GHz 6GB 1TB DVD±R/RW WLAN W7 64-BIT

Operating System: Windows 7 Bundled Items: Keyboard, Mouse, Network Card, Wi-Fi Card
Processor Speed: 2.90 GHz Hard Drive Capacity: 1 TB
Processor Type: Intel Core i5 Memory: 6 GB

I would wonder if a GPU is installed or not. My bet is that it is lacking in that department. With out a GPU even a lower end one game may not be the best but you should be able to play a low settings. When you get a chance grab a lower end GPU it will help you out in gaming immensely! The computer has definitly brought you into a very close to current standing and I am sure you will see the difference in over all system responsiveness.
The i5 SB in almost any flavor is a great choice. Going from a single core CPU to a quad core will be a big jump and the fact that your PCIe slot will be a gen 2 will help down the road when you can afford to grab a GPU. If I had to grab a lower end GPU I would probably go with a AMD since you will get more bang for your buck at that price point and I am thinking watch for sales you might be able to grab a GPU like this one ASUS EAH6770/DI/1GD5 Radeon HD 6770 1GB 128-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.1 x16 HDCP Ready Video Card for $109.99 you can also get a $20 MIR for it with a free game.
This should be a decent card though not a 6970 it still will allow you to do way more than the Intel HD 2000 GPU baked into the CPU. Great job on your find I am sure it will serve you well and with a small upgrade will have you fragging in no time flat!

Save your money until you have reached at least five hundred dollars. You will probably end up having to gut everything except the chassis fans, ODD and HDD. It seems like you have MicroATX chassis. Do you have a retail copy of XP, Vista or Windows 7? If you replace your motherboard, the OEM license goes with it. That means an additional hundred dollars will have to be tacked onto your total. Two hundred fifty dollars is not going to get you far. It would be much more worth your while to save up a little longer.

You were correct that no GPU is installed and the HD 2000 is what it is currently equipped with.

I guess in my original post the $250 budget was kinda misleading as that was the most I had wanted to spend on my current old system. With having only invested $386 so far I would feel comfortable spending up to $175 more on the one being shipped.

I followed your link to the HD 6770 & found the ASUS EAH6850 DC/2DIS/1GD5/V2 Radeon HD 6850 1GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.1 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFireX Support Video Card with Eyefinity for $147.55 after shipping & rebate. If compatible, would this be my best bet for upgrade with a $175 budget or would you suggest a different card or possibly the 6770 @ $109.99 & $65 more for some other item I may be able to throw in as an upgrade?

My apologies for not detailing exactly what I would have been willing to spend for new pc in original post (as i thought $550 was an unrealistic amount). I am going to use some of the money you saved me & get a year subscription to MaxPC. You guys do such a great job here, thanks again.

^OP already bought a new PC.

@Wicked_smart: Upon searching, OP got this one: link Actually 99.5% good feedback.

@lahoward: You got a really good deal even though its an OEM pre-built machine and "most of us" hate this idea. The same spec'ed system is about $650-700 on at most places, but it was on sale for $530 two days ago on Dell.

Still, for your needs and price requirement, its a powerful PC that can easily be turned into a cheap, low end gaming rig. The down side is that Dell cheap'ed out on the mobo so you don't even get dual channel ram, but you do get a pcie x16 and three pcie x1 slots. Comes with a 300w psu that will work well for low/entry level gpu's, but I wouldn't stick a mid range gpu that requires a 6pin pcie power connector without first upgrading to a beefier power supply; which won't be too expensive.

If you go with wicked's gpu choice, the 6770 (which is a very excellent choice, hits a good price/performance ratio and low powered at 108w), it does require a 6 pin pcie 12v power connector. Now the 6770 does include a 2x 4pin molex to 6pin 12v pcie adapter; the thing is because its a pre-built using dell's own power supply, there are no molex connectors to speak of! It's all SATA power cables! You can look at the inside of the case on newegg here: link, or wait till you get your PC.

So either you be brave, spice or re-pin a connector so the dell PSU can be used OR you spend the extra 20-30 for an upgraded PSU that has more power, the right connectors and more efficient with 80+ or higher certification (80+ or 80+ bronze and up is recommended).

Recommended cheap PSU's:

XFX 450w 80+ bronze for $30 AR @ US NCIX
OCZ ModXstream 600w 80+ modular 80+ for $40 AR,AC (EMCNGNB24) @ newegg

There's a few others, but they aren't on sale so they hit a higher price point right now. The Antec NEO 630w psu was on sale earlier this week for $30 that was a slickdeal, but its over. Also Corsair's 430w v2 builder series used to be around $20-30 that would have fit the budget really well; even was $17 AR about two weeks ago, but its now back up to around 36 or so. Personally, I'd suggest the 600w OCZ psu because its a fantastic unit and its the cheapest, quality made modular power supply right now; cheaper than their 500w right now since its on sale. 600w is WAY over your needs, but don't fret since it'll still be as efficient at lower draws since you'd probably barely pull 200w from the wall, even with the 6770.


You can also lower your gpu requirement and pick something that doesn't require a 6pin pcie power connector; just uses the 75w supplied by the pcie x16 like:

XFX 6570 1gb for $50 AR @ newegg
XFX 6670 1gb for $68 AR @ microcenter

Well the first problem I see here is that dell rarely uses ATX specifications on it's power supplies so in most cases you can't just throw a regular PSU in there. So look at the PC before you do anything and try to take measurements of the PSU.

Maybe back in 2006 for their mainstream line (or their custom XPS lines which are also no longer proprietary)... now they do use ATX standard PSU units.

You can also click on Newegg and take a peek at their high res photo's. The 24 pin connector's pinout is the standard ATX 12v 2.x arrangement.

I'm not talking about pinout... I meant the actual size of the PSU and I can assure you they had non-standard sized PSUs after 2006 in their PCs. So like I said just double check the dimensions.

2006 was an arbitrary number to showcase how old it was. But their mainstream lines did go to standard ATX standards around that time while the XPS line went back to ATX standards not to long ago though.


Physical size is going to be the same... It's the ATX standard... People have been able to upgrade using other ATX PSU's with this same PC with no fitting issues or pinout problems.

Ok but like I said I have had many dell's that use a completely different size PSU than standard. A lot of the precisions, dimensions, and Optiplex systems used to have them, they were larger than standard ATX and you couldn't mount regular PSUs, or if you could there would be a huge gap between the bottom of the PSU and the case.

yes... that was Dell's own PSU's... As long as it's ATX, your golden. It's annoying since Dell dropped their standard around the P4 days and then picked it right back up 2 or 4 years later.. then dropped it again (I want to say 08, but I'll have to resort to the interwebs). XPS lines were a crap shoot since they only thus recently got off Dell's PSU, was a news bit on MPC like 2 months ago.

Operating System: Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit (6.1, Build 7601) Service Pack 1 (7601.win7sp1_gdr.120305-1505)
System Manufacturer: Dell Inc.
System Model: Inspiron 620
BIOS: BIOS Date: 04/12/11 16:24:18 Ver: 04.06.04
Processor: Intel(R) Core(TM) i5-2310 CPU @ 2.90GHz (4 CPUs), ~2.9GHz
Memory: 6144MB RAM
Available OS Memory: 6056MB RAM
DirectX Version: DirectX 11

Display Devices
---------------
Card name: Intel(R) HD Graphics Family
Manufacturer: Intel Corporation
------------------------
Power Supply: 300W
------------------------


I've had this system a couple months now and have finally decided to upgrade the gpu as Wiked_smart & JBaz had suggested.

I checked the PSU (300W) dimensions as Danthrax66 recommended. Dimensions: 5 1/2" L, 5 7/8" W, 3 3/8" H.

I seldom upgrade my pc, last one lasted me 6 years so I need a high end GPU to last me as long as possible. I checked passmark value Video Card benchmarks and Radeon 6850 is tops if price is $139.99 or lower.

My questions: Is passmark a reputable site for such recommendations? What power supply would I need for the 6850? I would go the Radeon 6770 route as suggested but the next upgrade is looking to be around 2018 and I can afford $200 for both PSU & card at present time. Thank you.

That is certainly true Wiked_smart, in the case with your money you only can buy and upgrade a little thing so you must your money in a more efficient products that would help to upgrade your Old Pc..

That reply was in reference to my old PC that was at the start of this thread