need recomendations for upgrading friends computer

[theDoItYourselfAmeture]

I went to my friends house today and we found an old vista computer. being the good computer friend I am, I offered to look at it to see how it was running. In short we want to play games together and are kinda on a tight budget and we are limited mainly by the os (vista 32 bit). Does anyone know how much ram we can use for a 32 bit os? also what would be a good low profile card with a low profile bracket to use as well. the case has a dual low profile bracket. Unfortunately I was not able to open the case and look inside for other problems or potential upgrades, such as a psu witch we will probably need if we are going to stick a graphics card in there.

the specs on the computer from windows experience index
intel Celeron d 2.8gh (don't know the generation)
1Gb ram.....so sad, not sure if ddr2 or ddr3
littered with viruses, malware, and spyware that can be removed next time.

p.s. we both have a realistic expectation, we are not looking to play at 1080p or even 720p, we just want to get the games up and running and somewhat playable above 30 fps to play with my other pc friends.

 

[Wolfshadw]

The system should be fine. It's a Vista machine so it should be able to handle newer components. Since it's a 32-bit OS, you shouldn't install more than 4GB of RAM. There are some decent, mid-ranged, low-profile graphic cards, but those are going to be based on your budget. Your power supply will also likely need to be replaced, but without knowing the proper form-factor, we cannot make any recommendations.

If this was a store bought PC, give us the maker and model number and we should be able to find out all we need. If this was a custom build, then whoever built it should be able to provide you with the system specifics (power supply and motherboard model numbers). That, plus a budget, will allow us to make some recommendations.

-Wolf sends

 

[Unolocogringo]

Vista 32bit can use a little over 3-3.25 gb of ram. You can use 4 gb but only 3-3.2 will be useable.Post the computer model number and we can look up some the part specs.
First open it and see if it has a PCI-E slot for a video card. Some OEM motherboards do not.
Next limiting factor will be the power supply wattage. You need a 300watt or better for a entry level gaming video card. This is sometimes not listed in the specs page so you may have to look at it.

 

[theDoItYourselfAmeture]

The system should be fine. It's a Vista machine so it should be able to handle newer components. Since it's a 32-bit OS, you shouldn't install more than 4GB of RAM. There are some decent, mid-ranged, low-profile graphic cards, but those are going to be based on your budget. Your power supply will also likely need to be replaced, but without knowing the proper form-factor, we cannot make any recommendations.

If this was a store bought PC, give us the maker and model number and we should be able to find out all we need. If this was a custom build, then whoever built it should be able to provide you with the system specifics (power supply and motherboard model numbers). That, plus a budget, will allow us to make some recommendations.

-Wolf sends

Vista 32bit can use a little over 3-3.25 gb of ram. You can use 4 gb but only 3-3.2 will be useable.Post the computer model number and we can look up some the part specs.
First open it and see if it has a PCI-E slot for a video card. Some OEM motherboards do not.
Next limiting factor will be the power supply wattage. You need a 300watt or better for a entry level gaming video card. This is sometimes not listed in the specs page so you may have to look at it.

I wasn't able to grab the serial number, and this was kinda spur of the moment and I left shortly afterwards of discovering the pc. I am informed enough to find a bigger power supply if it is needed as I wasn't able to get inside the case to observe the psu, but im pretty sure its not a standard atx psu as the back part is a little smaller where the fan and cord plug in ( kinda stupid assumption but trust me ist probably u2 or sfx if it existed back then). As for the graphics card I had an gt 610 from about a year and a half ago but it doesn't have a fan and is passively cooled and my friend's case has the expansion slots at the bottom where there are no fans and the psu at the top of the tower. budget is about $50- $80 excluding the ram, kinda low budget but we are not prioritizing graphics. I was looking at a gtx 620 or 630 but havent had too much luck finding one that has both a low profile mount and a fan to help cool. any suggestions?

 

[PsyKhiqZero]

What games do you intend to play? Also if you can find a vista x64 disk you can install the 64 bit OS uskng the 32 bit key. You will need to crack the case open to at least see how much his power supply can handle.

 

[theDoItYourselfAmeture]

What games do you intend to play? Also if you can find a vista x64 disk you can install the 64 bit OS uskng the 32 bit key. You will need to crack the case open to at least see how much his power supply can handle.

mainly free to play games such as tf2 and war thunder. with the occasional mine craft terraria and some gmod mainly. I played most of these on my amd a10 laptop so I know he doesn't need too much horsepower to just get by, but I want him to be able to play what he wants as well. As for the power requirements, He was able to open the case and he said its a 250 watt according to the sticker, so a 350watt or 380 is in order for a small graphics card.

also, I did not know you could upgrade with the current key. hmm this may be useful as I may have a Vista disk somewhere from a previous computer.

 

[PsyKhiqZero]

You'll also need to know what form factor the PSU is. It should say on the label. Also how many expansion slots does the case have? and how much money do you plan total for the upgrade?

 

[theDoItYourselfAmeture]

Its a u2 psu, I know where to get another one that is more powerful, but the computer has 2 low profile expansion slots and we will probably spend around $75 for the video card. I have a spare ram modual he can use that I found last night.

 

[PsyKhiqZero]

Then I would recommend the Nvidia GT 630. Minimum power of 300 watts so you should have no problem running it. The model linked does come with a low profile adapter so it should fit in your case.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814133523

 

[theDoItYourselfAmeture]

Then I would recommend the Nvidia GT 630. Minimum power of 300 watts so you should have no problem running it. The model linked does come with a low profile adapter so it should fit in your case.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814133523

thanks, Ill start getting upgrades for it sometime next week

 

[hang-the-9]

For that system, spend $100 on a newer Core 2 Duo (about 2.6 gig or faster) in a tower case, many will come with 2-4 gig of RAM for that price.
A Celeron D is a slow CPU, the Pentium D is two Pentium 4 CPUs glued together, the Celeron is a neutered Pentium, so that is about the performance you should expect from that.

Just about any gaming card, even a low end one, will be held back by the CPU. Unless you have the parts already, it's not worth spending money on upgrades. You'll spend over $100 on new PSU, new RAM and a video card. Look around a bit, you can find a Core 2 Duo system that's a lot easier to upgrade with a video card for cheap. There are two for sale in my area for 60-70 right now. Another $30-40 for a lower wattage used few year old card like a Radeon 7750, and you are at $100 give or take for a much faster working system.