Need Help With Upgrading My Computer

[Czar of Games]

Sorry not sure where to put this but, my problem is I have a old pc and very little money and I want to be able to run games with at least 40-50 fps on low-med settings was hoping I can get a graphics card or something but idk anything about computers. Here are the spec on what I have:

Processor Intel Core 2 Duo E8400
Memory 2 GB
GPU Intel GMA 4500
Total hard disk / SSD capacity 250 GB
Operating system Microsoft Windows 7 Professional

Here is a website show spec and things: https://us.hardware.info/product/87897/hp-compaq-8000-elite-usdt-az891aw/specifications

Looking to spend at most 40$
Just want to be able to play games decently right now playing Arma 2: Dayz mod windowed low graphics and resolution getting around 14 fps in clear areas 5 fps in woods
Anyone able to help me or am I doomed till I can get enough for a real gaming pc?

 

[clutchc]

I'm afraid you're not going to be able to game with that PC at all. It doesn't even have a PCIe slot for a card. Not to mention the tiny PSU. That PC is basically a laptop in a small desktop case.

 

[Czar of Games]

I'm afraid you're not going to be able to game with that PC at all. It doesn't even have a PCIe slot for a card. Not to mention the tiny PSU. That PC is basically a laptop in a small desktop case.

Alright do you know of any computers around the 100-200$ range that can work for what I need? Would it be a better idea to find a guide online and build one?

 

[clutchc]

It's always better to assemble one. But $200 won't do it I'm afraid. Might be better to buy a used mini tower and add a gfx card when you have the money.
Example: Dell Optiplex 790 refurbished with Win 7 installed.
It has a decent dual core/4 thread processor, conventional design for adding a gfx card, 8GB RAM, and a 500GB HDD. The iGPU will allow some light gaming at reduced settings on lower resolution. You can add a GTX 1050 Ti later with the stock power supply.

 

[Czar of Games]

Alright Thanks I will see about getting these.

 

[clutchc]

Alright Thanks I will see about getting these.

If you get the above mini tower, keep in mind that it will probably come with a small 250W PSU. It has a +12V rail rated for 17.8 amps. That will limit you to a GTX 750 Ti or RX-550 as the fastest card that you can safely use unless you buy a bigger PSU. You might get it to run a GTX 1050 Ti with that stock PSU, but you would do so at your own risk.

Related question: what resolution is your monitor?

 

[Czar of Games]

Alright Thanks I will see about getting these.

If you get the above mini tower, keep in mind that it will probably come with a small 250W PSU. It has a +12V rail rated for 17.8 amps. That will limit you to a GTX 750 Ti or RX-550 as the fastest card that you can safely use unless you buy a bigger PSU. You might get it to run a GTX 1050 Ti with that stock PSU, but you would do so at your own risk.

Related question: what resolution is your monitor?

My screen resolution is 1400 x 1050
Its a Starlogic LCD HD20W Widescreen

 

[clutchc]

That's an odd resolution. But the GTX 750 Ti would be good for medium settings at the fps you want.

 

[Czar of Games]

ok sounds good

 

[Czar of Games]

Hey, Sorry if I shouldn't ask this so late but I found this and wanted to ask about it before buying its the same you suggested but its less memory and disk space is it still worth getting or should I pay double for the exact one you suggested? Or should I just buy it and upgrade memory later?

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Dell-OptiPlex-790-MT-3-1-GHz-Core-i3-2100-4GB-250gb-Windows-7-PRO-/112456204792?hash=item1a2ee981f8:g:QzYAAOSwKfVXLhG6

 

[clutchc]

Hey, Sorry if I shouldn't ask this so late but I found this and wanted to ask about it before buying its the same you suggested but its less memory and disk space is it still worth getting or should I pay double for the exact one you suggested? Or should I just buy it and upgrade memory later?

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Dell-OptiPlex-790-MT-3-1-GHz-Core-i3-2100-4GB-250gb-Windows-7-PRO-/112456204792?hash=item1a2ee981f8:g:QzYAAOSwKfVXLhG6

Well... if your budget is $200 for a PC, there are a couple things to consider...
1) The one from Newegg comes with a year's warranty, the one from ebay 14 days
2) Doubling the memory in the ebay one will mean replacing the 2 x 2GB sticks in it now for 2 x 4GB sticks. ($25 to $60)
3) The 250 GB HDD in the ebay one won't hold many games after the OS and your other apps are installed.

But if that is all you want to spend right now, it will still allow you to play most games at your above demands after adding a suitable gfx card. And the savings can go towards a gfx card. I guess it is a choice only you can make.
What is the resolution of your monitor?
Do you have Win 32 bit or 64 bit now? If 32 bit, 4GB is all that can address anyway.

 

[Czar of Games]

Hey, Sorry if I shouldn't ask this so late but I found this and wanted to ask about it before buying its the same you suggested but its less memory and disk space is it still worth getting or should I pay double for the exact one you suggested? Or should I just buy it and upgrade memory later?

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Dell-OptiPlex-790-MT-3-1-GHz-Core-i3-2100-4GB-250gb-Windows-7-PRO-/112456204792?hash=item1a2ee981f8:g:QzYAAOSwKfVXLhG6

Well... if your budget is $200 for a PC, there are a couple things to consider...
1) The one from Newegg comes with a year's warranty, the one from ebay 14 days
2) Doubling the memory in the ebay one will mean replacing the 2 x 2GB sticks in it now for 2 x 4GB sticks. ($25 to $60)
3) The 250 GB HDD in the ebay one won't hold many games after the OS and your other apps are installed.

But if that is all you want to spend right now, it will still allow you to play most games at your above demands after adding a suitable gfx card. And the savings can go towards a gfx card. I guess it is a choice only you can make.
What is the resolution of your monitor?
Do you have Win 32 bit or 64 bit now? If 32 bit, 4GB is all that can address anyway.

The computer I'm using now is 64 bit But the one listed on eBay Idk if its 32 or 64 and the recommended screen resolution right now is 1600x1200

 

[clutchc]

I scrolled back up and saw you said you have a 1400x1050 display. Sorry, I forgot you had already mentioned it.
What's this about something having a recommended 1600x1200 resolution? Do you mean the monitor you have now?

 

[Czar of Games]

I scrolled back up and saw you said you have a 1400x1050 display. Sorry, I forgot you had already mentioned it.
What's this about something having a recommended 1600x1200 resolution? Do you mean the monitor you have now?

When I right click the desktop and click Screen Resolution it allows you to set resolution and It says that resolution 1600x1200 is recommended

 

[clutchc]

I scrolled back up and saw you said you have a 1400x1050 display. Sorry, I forgot you had already mentioned it.
What's this about something having a recommended 1600x1200 resolution? Do you mean the monitor you have now?

When I right click the desktop and click Screen Resolution it allows you to set resolution and It says that resolution 1600x1200 is recommended

Well, that makes sense out of that odd 1400x1050 rez statement you made above. Why aren't you using 1600x1200?

 

[Czar of Games]

I scrolled back up and saw you said you have a 1400x1050 display. Sorry, I forgot you had already mentioned it.
What's this about something having a recommended 1600x1200 resolution? Do you mean the monitor you have now?

When I right click the desktop and click Screen Resolution it allows you to set resolution and It says that resolution 1600x1200 is recommended

Well, that makes sense out of that odd 1400x1050 rez statement you made above. Why aren't you using 1600x1200?

I just prefer my screen windows and apps larger

 

[clutchc]

I just prefer my screen windows and apps larger

What I would do, is simply hold CTRL and scroll your mouse wheel up or down to change the display size when needed. That would be much better than running an LCD panel at the wrong resolution. Try it with the display set at 1600x1200 and see what I mean.

It won't work in games, but you don't want it to. Games are better at the native rez.

 

[Czar of Games]

I just prefer my screen windows and apps larger

What I would do, is simply hold CTRL and scroll your mouse wheel up or down to change the display size when needed. That would be much better than running an LCD panel at the wrong resolution. Try it with the display set at 1600x1200 and see what I mean.

It won't work in games, but you don't want it to. Games are better at the native rez.

Oh yeah I see what you mean

 

[Czar of Games]

When I search on ebay for the computer you suggested this one comes up pretty often, How does it compare to the computer you suggested? Is it better or worse?
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Dell-Optiplex-790-3-1GHz-Intel-Core-i5-2400-8GB-DDR3-RAM-1TB-HDD-Window-10-/172722871023?epid=219528940&hash=item283715daef:g:34AAAOSwJAtZOwN4

 

[clutchc]

When I search on ebay for the computer you suggested this one comes up pretty often, How does it compare to the computer you suggested? Is it better or worse?
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Dell-Optiplex-790-3-1GHz-Intel-Core-i5-2400-8GB-DDR3-RAM-1TB-HDD-Window-10-/172722871023?epid=219528940&hash=item283715daef:g:34AAAOSwJAtZOwN4

That is the same exact one I have. The problem is that you will be limited to low-profile cards. And the fastest L-P gfx card is the GTX 1050 Ti. But it needs a 300W PSU minimum, and the 790 SFF comes with a 240W. And there are no PSU upgrades for that small form factor (SFF) PC. Now... if you feel like taking a chance, you can do like I did and use the GTX 1050 Ti anyway. Or the slightly weaker GTX 750 Ti.
But that's why I suggested the Mini tower. The PSU is a little beefier and easily upgraded to a bigger unit. And you can use any card. Search ebay for "Dell Optiplex 790 Mini Tower" and see what shows up. Btw, that was only a suggestion. You're free to get whichever you want.

 

[Czar of Games]

When I search on ebay for the computer you suggested this one comes up pretty often, How does it compare to the computer you suggested? Is it better or worse?
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Dell-Optiplex-790-3-1GHz-Intel-Core-i5-2400-8GB-DDR3-RAM-1TB-HDD-Window-10-/172722871023?epid=219528940&hash=item283715daef:g:34AAAOSwJAtZOwN4

That is the same exact one I have. The problem is that you will be limited to low-profile cards. And the fastest L-P gfx card is the GTX 1050 Ti. But it needs a 300W PSU minimum, and the 790 SFF comes with a 240W. And there are no PSU upgrades for that small form factor (SFF) PC. Now... if you feel like taking a chance, you can do like I did and use the GTX 1050 Ti anyway. Or the slightly weaker GTX 750 Ti.
But that's why I suggested the Mini tower. The PSU is a little beefier and easily upgraded to a bigger unit. And you can use any card. Search ebay for "Dell Optiplex 790 Mini Tower" and see what shows up. Btw, that was only a suggestion. You're free to get whichever you want.

Alright I'm looking for the best option for around 100-120$ I find the OptiPlex 790 Mt but the disk space I find is 80gb or 250gb I may have to sacrifice disk space in the end.

 

[clutchc]

You can pick up a refurbished 1TB HDD pretty cheap if you want to go that route when you get more funds saved up. The smaller HDD can be easily cloned to the larger HDD with free software so you won't have to reinstall anything.