Upgrading Sister's Computer

[Dex88Hero]

Hey everyone! I'm new and I am having trouble upgrading my sister's PC. She brought it from Best buy for $250.00 but after buying a new laptop she no longer wants it. I am trying to build a gaming PC and I was wnondering if it would be better to build one on my own or upgrade the one she has left here.

Currently the only things I want to keep inside of the original rig is the:

Western Digital 500 GB HDD
and the DVD/CD ROM Drive

The parts I want to add to this:

Corsair CMPSU-750TXV2 Enthusiast Series TX750 V2 Power Supply
GIGABYTE GA-Z68X-UD3H-B3 Intel Z68 Motherboard
Intel Core i5-2500K
EVGA 02G-P3-1568-KR GeForce GTX 560 Ti Video Card

(I'm a Dreamer and I'm not very experienced)

Would this change my software? What should I expect when I install these items?

Thank You!

 

[Kantastic]

Windows 7 (if the original operating system is Windows 7) generally takes hardware overhauls like a champ, but it's not perfect. You might also want to check out the inside of the case to make sure it can accommodate long power supplies like the TX750 and full ATX boards like the UD3H-B3 you picked.

There could also be overheating issues if the case lacks proper ventilation, as most prebuilt cases do.

 

[Capitan Harlock]

if is a game pc i give you advice with change the cooler of the cpu if in the future you wanna oc for better performance , the hd is a western digital caviar green? if is caviar green its much better put a caviar blue or caviar black for boot drive and use the caviar green for storage

 

[Dex88Hero]

Thanx! Any recommendations as far as Heat Sinks and cases go?

Sorry, the Hard Drive is a Seagate Barracuda 500 GB.

 

[Kantastic]

Thanx! Any recommendations as far as Heat Sinks and cases go?

Sorry, the Hard Drive is a Seagate Barracuda 500 GB.

Plenty of nice cases on Newegg. Here are some: NZXT Cases & Rosewill Cases

This Hyper 212+ is a great budget heatsink.

 

[Fourstaff]

Its no longer an upgrade, but complete rebuild =.=

I would recommend to start from scratch if you are junking everything except the harddrive, maybe you should repurpose the harddrive for archiving.

 

[Iceni]

Western Digital 500 GB HDD
and the DVD/CD ROM Drive

be careful. I'm surprised no one has mentioned this but none of the 1155 motherboards support IDE.

make sure both the hard drive and the DVD drive are SATA.

Corsair CMPSU-750TXV2 Enthusiast Series TX750 V2 Power Supply
GIGABYTE GA-Z68X-UD3H-B3 Intel Z68 Motherboard
Intel Core i5-2500K
EVGA 02G-P3-1568-KR GeForce GTX 560 Ti Video Card

You missed Ram off the list. I would add 4 GB min, 8GB is optimal.
You may also want to add a larger CPU cooler. The coolermaster hyper 212+ is a viable cheap aftermarket cooler.

For software you should be installing windows 7 64 bit. If you pick more than 12GB of ram you must pick the ultimate edition as lesser editions will not see all the ram over 12GB.

Edit for bad information TY jsfitz54

Starter: 8GB
Home Basic: 8GB
Home Premium: 16GB

 

[jsfitz54]

If you pick more than 12GB of ram you must pick the ultimate edition as lesser editions will not see all the ram over 12GB.

BAD INFORMATION.^

Correct information: http://www.zdnet.com/blog/hardware/max-memory-limits-for-64-bit-windows-7/4254

 

[ThE_MaD_ShOt]

Great info there jsfitz54.

 

[Dex88Hero]

Ok, so I went over everything. The Seagate Barracuda hard drive and DVD/CD drive is definatley using SATA.

Currently I'm set up like this:

Cooler Master RC-430-KWN1 Elite 430 Mid Tower ATX Case
http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=6430030&sku=C283-3122
GIGABYTE GA-Z68X-UD3H-B3 Intel Z68 Motherboard
Cooler Master RR-212E-20PK-R1 Hyper 212 EVO Universal CPU Cooler
Patriot G2 Series PGD38G1600ELK Division 2 Edition Desktop Memory Kit - 8GB (2 x 4GB)
Intel Core i5-2500K
EVGA 02G-P3-1568-KR GeForce GTX 560 Ti 2GB Video Card
Seagate Barracuda HDD 500GB w/ Windows 7 Basic
Sister's DVD/CD ROM Drive

all of which will run me about $775 from tiger direct.

Sounds smart?

 

[ShiBDiB]

I'd pull out what u want, junk the rest in ur closet/garage/garbage and rebuild from scratch like was already stated. Pre-built cases suck, assuming u can even get all the parts out of it it'll likely be too poorly ventialted to provide any cooling to the parts u plan on putting in.

Also.. is ur sister hot

 

[Dex88Hero]

I'd pull out what u want, junk the rest in ur closet/garage/garbage and rebuild from scratch like was already stated. Pre-built cases suck, assuming u can even get all the parts out of it it'll likely be too poorly ventialted to provide any cooling to the parts u plan on putting in.

Also.. is ur sister hot

Classified information.

 

[xBruce88x]

^ LOL

looks like a pretty good build for the price, beware of their prices at tigerdirect, a lot of them are after mail in rebates. the only thing i don't really like about their store, and the restocking fee for a return.

as for that 2gb 560ti, what's the price on it?

 

[JrRacinFan]

Can't beleive noone has asked this but, What brand/model is the old PC?

 

[BarbaricSoul]

Can't beleive noone has asked this but, What brand/model is the old PC?

I don't think it really matters Jr

She brought it from Best buy for $250.

$250 from BB, pretty good chance it isn't worth mentioning.

 

[JrRacinFan]

I don't think it really matters Jr



$250 from BB, pretty good chance it isn't worth mentioning.

Never know! Could have been bought in outlet/open box/scratch n dent sale, have say an Athlon II x4 in it without any upgradeability.

 

[brandonwh64]

LOL Jr, His build he has Spec'd looks like the winner in the long run. Also most prebuilds now a days are mATX motherboards so you could pickup a HTPC case later on and make a great media PC for your LCD/LED TV.

 

[JrRacinFan]

Why the LOL? Hey it's worth mentioning. Just saying, if the main use were to be say gaming I know myself that I would rather use the cost of 2500k to be put towards a good video card.

 

[brandonwh64]

Why the LOL? Hey it's worth mentioning. Just saying, if the main use were to be say gaming I know myself that I would rather use the cost of 2500k to be put towards a good video card.

Well maybe he will post specs of the prebuilt but as others have said, 250$ at best buy doesn't seem like a speed demon

 

[BarbaricSoul]

well I guess it could be a Phenom II or higher end C2Q system

 

[JrRacinFan]

Well maybe he will post specs of the prebuilt but as others have said, 250$ at best buy doesn't seem like a speed demon

Oh I do agree.

well I guess it could be a Phenom II or higher end C2Q system

Yup, exactly! I could see it housing an x3 4xx chip most likely. If it's a C2D or less, I will rebuke my words then say go with the a full build.

 

[brandonwh64]

Also you must remember that most prebuilt boards only have a certain CPU support range. It may not support something like a 1100T or 1090T or any 6 core for that fact.

 

[BarbaricSoul]

yeah, but if it has say a AM3 Phenom II in it, or even a AM2, he could use that for now with a AM3+ mb and get a better GPU, then upgrade to PD if it's worth a crap for a future upgrade.

 

[brandonwh64]

yeah, but if it has say a AM3 Phenom II in it, or even a AM2, he could use that for now with a AM3+ mb and get a better GPU, then upgrade to PD if it's worth a crap for a future upgrade.

If hes going to change the motherboard and ram anyways (if its am2/am2+ with DDR2) then there is no point in doing anything to it. Just buy the setup he has spec'd and use the older system for HTPC.

 

[ThE_MaD_ShOt]

Yes you need to post spec of the current system and it may help us give better advice.



Also.. is ur sister hot