I need help upgrading my 2003 PC!

[fabri2112]

Hello, so I've been wanting to play newer games for years, and this is what i currently have.

https://www.cnet.com/products/dell-dimension-4600-home/specs/
https://www.cnet.com/products/dell-dimension-4600-home/specs/
I was thinking about buying a gt 430 graphics card, to be able to play something like League of Legends, what other changes would I need to make for that to be possible? Would I need to change the processor? And what about the motherboard?

 

[dorsetknob]

When Asking For help it Helps members to have your System Spec's Available Can you fill Them in on your profile and enable public view.

https://www.techpowerup.com/forums/account/specs
members feel its a pain to go offsite each time to look them up
thanks
Having just browsed your supplied link
i think your going to up your budget
Start by telling us what your budget was and what you can now invest ??
Hint your going to need a new or newer PC than that one

 

[JayCan73]

That old pc is not capable of supporting any videocard released in the last 7 or 8 years, it has an agp slot not pcie, spending money on something so old wouldn't be wise, even if you put every upgrade you could into it it would not be up to the task.

 

[qubit]

That PC is so old that you're gonna have to dump it and build/buy a new one. That AGP port really nails it more than anything else, even more than the really weak 32-bit CPU.

 

[fabri2112]

When Asking For help it Helps members to have your System Spec's Available Can you fill Them in on your profile and enable public view.

https://www.techpowerup.com/forums/account/specs
members feel its a pain to go offsite each time to look them up
thanks
Having just browsed your supplied link
i think your going to up your budget
Start by telling us what your budget was and what you can now invest ??
Hint your going to need a new or newer PC than that one

I don't know what mother board i have but I've filled what i could, sorry..

I have a 200$ budget.

 

[Vario]

I'd try to find a used Dell workstation with a i7 2600 or similar and then you just need a graphics card.

 

[fabri2112]

I'd try to find a used Dell workstation with a i7 2600 or similar and then you just need a graphics card.

Isn't a i7 a bit too much? I want to play league

 

[phanbuey]

nvm. just read....

I might have a computer laying around that would be good for league.

I have a gtx 570 I can send over for super cheap, but not sure that PSU is gonna handle it.

 

[P4-630]

League of Legends....

MINIMUM SPECS

• 2 GHz processor (supporting SSE2 instruction set or higher)
• 1 GB RAM (2 GB of RAM for Windows Vista and newer)
• 8 GB available hard disk space
• Shader version 2.0 capable video card
• Screen resolutions up to 1920x1200
• Support for DirectX v9.0c or better
• Windows XP (Service Pack 3 ONLY), Windows Vista, Windows 7, Windows 8, or Windows 10

RECOMMENDED SPECS

• 3 GHz processor
• 2 GB of RAM (4 GB of RAM for Windows Vista and higher)
• 12 GB available hard disk space
• Nvidia GeForce 8800/AMD Radeon HD 5670 or equivalent video card (Dedicated GPU with 512MB or higher Video Memory(VRAM))
• Support for DirectX v9.0c or better.
• Windows XP SP3, Windows Vista, Windows 7, Windows 8.1, or Windows 10 with the latest service pack installed
• The latest update to .NET Framework from Microsoft
• The latest version of Adobe AIR is required to connect to PVP.net. Adobe AIR is included with all League of Legends setup files, but can also be downloaded from Adobe's website.

 

[P4-630]

nvm. just read....

I have a 200$ budget.

..........

 

[phanbuey]

how comfortable are you in upgrading/building computers?

 

[fabri2112]

how comfortable are you in upgrading/building computers?

I could look up a video, shouldn't be that hard.

 

[fabri2112]

I've found these random parts from a website, pretty cheap, can it be put together?

Mobo : Amd mcp61pm-hm socket AMD AM2

Video: Gt 430

Processor: Athlon 64 x2 4200AM2 2.2ghz

Ram : 2 x 2gb ddr3 1600mhz

Power Supply :500w 204 Sata Noganet

 

[alucasa]

For 200, just search for used rigs on Ebay.

 

[phanbuey]

I have an amd X4 with 8gb of ram a 750 w psu and a gtx 570 sitting under a bed gathering dust... lol

Ill post some pics when I get home, comes with windows 7 I think, but I haven't fired it up in over 1.5 years

 

[fabri2112]

I have an amd X4 with 8gb of ram a 750 w psu and a gtx 570 sitting under a bed gathering dust... lol

Ill post some pics when I get home, comes with windows 7 I think, but I haven't fired it up in over 1.5 years

Ship it to me! lmao

 

[phanbuey]

Ship it to me! lmao

I would expect you to carry me to diamond.

 

[Vario]

I have an amd X4 with 8gb of ram a 750 w psu and a gtx 570 sitting under a bed gathering dust... lol

Ill post some pics when I get home, comes with windows 7 I think, but I haven't fired it up in over 1.5 years

That should work well for sure, 570 is still pretty powerful!

 

[eidairaman1]

For that agp based machine, youd need a 3850 or 4670 AGP card from ATi/AMD.

 

[Komshija]

Holly s*it! That system is too old for any kind of upgrade. The only solution is to buy used system based around i5 2400, HD 6870 or GTX 560 Ti, 8GB RAM and no less than 500W PSU from reputable manufacturer (Enermax, FSP, Lepa, Thermaltake, Cooler Master, EVGA, Corsair). Such system with some 19" or 20" monitor should sell for no more than 250 €.
If that solution seems too expensive for your taste, try buying PC by components and assembling it by yourself. I wouldn't recommend anything lower than Phenom II X4 925, HD 6790 or GTX 550 Ti, 8 GB RAM, 500W PSU.

Here is one such configuration, which could last you for 5+ years. Just make sure you buy aftermarket CPU cooler.
- AMD Phenom II X4 925 or AMD Phenom II X4 945
- LC Power lc-cc-120 or Thermaltake Contac 21
- Gigabyte M56S-S3
- 8GB (2x4GB) DDR2-800 MHz RAM compatible with AMD CPU
- Sapphire/Powercolor Radeon HD 6790 1GB or Gigabyte/MSI GTX 550 Ti 1GB
- Zalman ZM-500 LX, 500W
- LG 2043S or Samsung SM 2032BW monitor

That's about it. Otherwise you wont be able to play majority of 3D games.

 

[Toothless]

Holly s*it! That system is too old for any kind of upgrade. The only solution is to buy used system based around i5 2400, HD 6870 or GTX 560 Ti, 8GB RAM and no less than 500W PSU from reputable manufacturer (Enermax, FSP, Lepa, Thermaltake, Cooler Master, EVGA, Corsair). Such system with some 19" or 20" monitor should sell for no more than 250 €.
If that solution seems too expensive for your taste, try buying PC by components and assembling it by yourself. I wouldn't recommend anything lower than Phenom II X4 925, HD 6790 or GTX 550 Ti, 8 GB RAM, 500W PSU.

Here is one such configuration, which could last you for 5+ years. Just make sure you buy aftermarket CPU cooler.
- AMD Phenom II X4 925 or AMD Phenom II X4 945
- LC Power lc-cc-120 or Thermaltake Contac 21
- Gigabyte M56S-S3
- 8GB (2x4GB) DDR2-800 MHz RAM compatible with AMD CPU
- Sapphire/Powercolor Radeon HD 6790 1GB or Gigabyte/MSI GTX 550 Ti 1GB
- Zalman ZM-500 LX, 500W
- LG 2043S or Samsung SM 2032BW monitor

That's about it. Otherwise you wont be able to play majority of 3D games.

Pretty sure a 550TI or something close to it won't do that well in games to come soon. I know it can't hold its own in a good amount of current games.

 

[Komshija]

Pretty sure a 550TI or something close to it won't do that well in games to come soon. I know it can't hold its own in a good amount of current games.

Probably not, but considering fabri2112's current setup I assume that money is a very limiting factor, so anything stronger and in good condition might be too expensive.
Currently, HD 6790 1GB can push Far Cry 4 at medium settings on 1680x1050 resolution without any issues. HD 6790 and GTX 550 Ti should be similar considering performance. Theses cards are the minimum I would recommend. If he can increase his budget, I would recommend HD 7870 2GB; but he will need entirely "new" PC because his motherboard has an old AGP slot which is not compatible with newer PCI-e GPU's. That means that even a weak GT 430 will not "fit" in his system.

 

[Toothless]

Probably not, but considering fabri2112's current setup I assume that money is a very limiting factor, so anything stronger and in good condition might be too expensive.
Currently, HD 6790 1GB can push Far Cry 4 at medium settings on 1680x1050 resolution without any issues. HD 6790 and GTX 550 Ti should be similar considering performance. Theses cards are the minimum I would recommend. If he can increase his budget, I would recommend HD 7870 2GB; but he will need entirely "new" PC because his motherboard has an old AGP slot which is not compatible with newer PCI-e GPU's. That means that even a weak GT 430 will not "fit" in his system.

He honestly would be better to save up more to get some 2nd gen i5 and a used GTX980 which can be seen going for around $230-260 for the GPU.

 

[Aquinus]

I have a 200$ budget.

I can't really give a good suggestion beyond, "Start saving."

 

[Komshija]

He honestly would be better to save up more to get some 2nd gen i5 and a used GTX980 which can be seen going for around $230-260 for the GPU.

Read the first post and check his current specs. GTX 980 is way too expensive and unreasonable. Phenom II X4 925 (or 945) and HD 6790 (or GTX 550Ti) is the way to go since he's very likely on a limited budget. Anything stronger than that requires more money, while weaker doesn't make any sense. The system I suggested should sell for around 200€ or less. He might try to sell his current system for about 30€, but hardly anyone will give more than that.

If AMD is not an option, I suggest Intel Core i7 920 or Core i7 930 instead.
So either way, a "new" system is a must have.

I'll repeat one good and cheap AMD option and add another better and slightly more expensive Intel option.

AMD option (slightly cheaper):
- AMD Phenom II X4 925 or AMD Phenom II X4 945
- LC Power lc-cc-120 or Thermaltake Contac 21 (new)
- Gigabyte M56S-S3
- 8GB (2x4GB) DDR2-800 MHz RAM compatible with AMD CPU
- Sapphire/Powercolor Radeon HD 6790 1GB or Gigabyte/MSI GTX 550 Ti 1GB
- WD/Toshiba 500 GB 7200 RPM SATA HDD
- Zalman ZM-500 LX, 500W
- LG 2043S or Samsung SM 2032BW monitor

Intel option:
- Intel Core i7 920 or Intel Core i7 930 (they sell for 40-ish $ on ebay)
- LC Power lc-cc-120 or Thermaltake Contac 21 (new)
- Gigabyte X58 Extreme 3 or MSI X58A GD45
- 8GB (2x4GB) DDR3-1333 MHz RAM
- Sapphire/Powercolor Radeon HD 6790 1GB or Gigabyte/MSI GTX 550 Ti 1GB
- WD/Toshiba 500 GB 7200 RPM SATA HDD
- Zalman ZM-500 LX, 500W
- LG 2043S or Samsung SM 2032BW monitor

Edit: I forgot to include HDD, since your current 80GB HDD has PATA port which will not work on newer SATA motherboards. In total, the entire AMD system with monitor and without peripherals should be around 200€, while Intel system around 250€. The thing is that you'll have to buy the entire PC, except maybe mouse, keyboard and speakers if you want an upgrade. For 200$ (~185€) you cannot buy any worthy system that will be adequate for the next few years. With 300$ budget, your options will be much better.