[xioner]

Hey, im pretty new to upgrading pc's in fact i have never done it before so that's why i would like some help with what i should get so my pc could run high end games with no problem. My budget is about 1000 dollars with maybe a 22" monitor so i will just paste my spec and i would like to know what i should upgrade, please don't say that my pc is still good cause i know it's decent but i want better one to run games and etc. Tell me if you need more info.

CPU
2 processors running - Intel(R) Pentium(R) D CPU 3.20GHz
CPU Speed
3.20 GHz
System RAM
1022.4 MB
Operating System
Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition (Build Service Pack 22600)
Video Card
NVIDIA GeForce 7600 GS (GeForce 7600 GS)
Video Ram
512.0 MB

[SocialWarfare]

Can I have your motherboard specs and your power supply specs please
We will work from there

[thingie2]

I would go with a core 2 duo or quad, if it's just gaming it's for it would probably be best going for the best core 2 duo you can afford, and a better gfx card, probably some sort of 8800 or a 9600.

EDIT: and, yea, like SocialWarfare says, we would need your PSU and motherboard models to recomend products fully

[xioner]

This might be a newbie question but how do i find that?

[thingie2]

Well you could download Everest free editon that should say what make and model your current motherboard is, however for the Power supply, you would need to open up the case and read off what it says on the side of it.

[spot]

I don't see a CPU change improving matters for gaming, probably the reverse.

In order of effect, change that 18 month old graphics card to the flavor of the month; fine-tune XP for gaming; then upgrade the memory to the fastest your motherboard will support and fine-tune the timings in the BIOS, preferably buying a pair of 1GB sticks. You ought to have over $500 left to get a monitor that suits your taste.

eta: I apologise SW, I can see where both those questions are headed and yours is a much more sensible way of getting there. You're quite right, he might well need a PSU upgrade and an extra case fan to do that.

[xioner]

My computer model : HP Pavilion w5000
Motherboard id - 04/20/2006-LakePort-P5LP-LE-00
the rest of the info :
Front back :
Intel NetBurst
64-bit
200 MHz (QDR)
800 MHz
6400 MB/s

Dual DDR2 SDRAM
128-bit
267 MHz (DDR)
533 MHz
8533 MB/s

type: Intel Direct Media Interface

It says bunch of bs there so i don't know what you are looking for exactly so i wrote down most of it
Power supply : Delta Electronics inc.
Model: DPS-350AB-7 A
Input: 100-127V~/10A
47-63Hz 200-240V~ / 5A
Output: +12VA / 18A
Max power : +5V / 13A
350W

[xioner]

I will see what the best conclusion will be im not really looking for the cheapest option im just looking for a good running pc which i won't have to upgrade for atleast 1.5 / 3 years.

edit: Maybe a new case so i could overclock since this one doesn't really have that many fans, anything that helps.
edit 2 : i read your edit spot ( sorry if i didn't memorize your nick right ) I already found a pretty decent case http://www.coolermaster.com/products...detail&id=2908
i think this one is great but i still need help with what products i should get after that and how i should set it up

Big Thanks // xnr

[spot]

Originally Posted by xioner I will see what the best conclusion will be im not really looking for the cheapest option im just looking for a good running pc which i won't have to upgrade for atleast 1.5 / 3 years.

That's easy - sell this one today, buy a replacement gaming box in 1.5 years and it'll be slick for the 18 month period you're talking about.

(What I mean is that I can't bring any spec to mind from 3 years ago that would still qualify as a slick gaming rig, your 3 years is far too optimistic. 2 is the far edge if you're lucky).

[xioner]

What i mean is so i wouldn't have to do this kind of an upgrade every year, maybe a new graphics hard more ram or something is ok but not this big, this is basically like building a new pc
oh and i forgot to mention that i would like to go for Dual screen so more ram would be needed and should i get vista or what?

[spot]

Originally Posted by xioner oh and i forgot to mention that i would like to go for Dual screen so more ram would be needed and should i get vista or what?

No, XP and the graphics card's memory will be fine for dual screen. Tuning the operating system into a background zen trance is easier with XP than with Vista, the less the OS does the better.

In my opinion the cheap answer is to build a new machine from scratch every 18 months and give the old one - still a stunning piece of kit - to relatives. They'll all remember you in their wills, more than making up for the hardware costs. There'll be more interesting computers in your family. You'll have the perfect machine.

[xioner]

my friend is going to Las Vages in a month and im going beg him to get me some products from there since its much cheaper there.
So could anyone help me with the list of products that i should get monitor included ?

[andymac2k1]

if ur gettin a monitor make it an acer p223w its beautifull. best ive ever bought

[Carbon]

Okay, here's the deal.

You have a 350W PSU. It's also not going to be that great of a 350W PSU. Stuff it, buy a new one, 500W or over from a good brand.

You have a PCI-E slot, so pick up a 9500GT.

That should be about it. I'd grab some more RAM, preferably just buy two gigs and junk the generic stuff you probably got buying OEM.

[spot]

There's a wonderful phrase on the review I saw explaining why the 9500GT DDR3 variant is so desirable... "The 9600GT with 64 processors and 256-bit memory interface design, the overall performance of exceptional, but the price of 1,500 yuan listed from the user level there is still a certain psychological distance". The whole thing's here.

Presumably the higher-spec PSU might drag more air through the case, Carbon? I didn't see a figure for the power consumption of the card yet.