whats the best

[newguy24]

anyone know the best memory and graphics card i can put into a dell xps 420??

spec are here

price check on system PLEASE HELP

 

[TheLaughingMan]

Spec are not as important as you think. Lets keep this simple.

I see you have a E8400 Dual Core, fine.

375W PSU is very limiting. I think the best you can do safely would be something around: SAPPHIRE 100287VGAL Radeon HD 5670 (Redwood) 512MB...

Any more power and you risk instability issues. The following link will give you an idea of the difference in power your current card and this card.

http://www.gpureview.com/show_cards.php?card1=554&card2=623

You have 4 GB of RAM @ 800 Mhz. While you have the option of 1066, you would have to spend too much to get RAM that would perform better than what you already have, so leave that alone.

 

[Thatguy]

start thinking replacement for the whole machine. Pre and post christmas sales should be capable of providing you with some killer and I mean killer deals on this years parts as new product rollouts keep going for the next 2 quarters.

 

[newguy24]

start thinking replacement for the whole machine. Pre and post christmas sales should be capable of providing you with some killer and I mean killer deals on this years parts as new product rollouts keep going for the next 2 quarters.

Spec are not as important as you think. Lets keep this simple.

I see you have a E8400 Dual Core, fine.

375W PSU is very limiting. I think the best you can do safely would be something around: SAPPHIRE 100287VGAL Radeon HD 5670 (Redwood) 512MB...

Any more power and you risk instability issues. The following link will give you an idea of the difference in power your current card and this card.

http://www.gpureview.com/show_cards.php?card1=554&card2=623

You have 4 GB of RAM @ 800 Mhz. While you have the option of 1066, you would have to spend too much to get RAM that would perform better than what you already have, so leave that alone.

did you mean that spend way to much for ram that WOULDNT perform better???

and im looking for a new system just hard on cash right now.

 

[TheLaughingMan]

did you mean that spend way to much for ram that WOULDNT perform better???

and im looking for a new system just hard on cash right now.

RAM is not just about clock rate, you have to account for timing as well. RAM @ 800 Mhz 4-4-4-12 will run at virtually the same speed as RAM @ 1066 Mhz running 5-5-5-15. So switching from one to the other will net no gain in performance. The only way to ensure you get a performance boost is to increase clock rate significantly or maintain or decrease the timing speed.

In simple terms, CAS latency (those other numbers) determines how fast a block of RAM can be prepared to receive data and clock rate determines how quickly the data can be moved to the RAM. Performance will not change if you improve only 1 and not the other. And in your case, the cost of RAM that has both a faster clock rate and the same or better timing would be better spent toward a more up to date system.

If you want detailed knowledge of how this all works click here.

Have you evern built your own system before, or always bought from a brand dealer?

 

[newguy24]

No never have o have taken on part n put it back to clean it but never had everything in front of me and went at it

 

[TheLaughingMan]

Well maybe you should consider it. Now is the best time of the year as DIY (Do It Yourself) kits are really cheap. They are a good way to get decent parts as a group on the cheap to get your feet in the water.

I don't know your budget, so I can't make suggestions on how to proceed. The HD 5670 would be the best overall performance and most up to date GPU you can get for under $100. It should easily work in your current system.

If you want to go for a full new build, TPU will be glad to help with the finer details, suggestions, instructions, etc. Just start a thread call something like "First time builder, where do I start" and include your budget and a short list of things you need the PC to do (games you play or plan to play, do you fold or crunch, are you a media collection nut, etc.). Within a few hours you should have several links to how to sites, part lists, mock builds to consider, etc. Most of the vets avoid those kinda of threads, but will make an exception for newbies to the whole thing.