Rebuilding a Desktop into a Gaming Desktop

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alva5

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Sep 2, 2014
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Hello! My girlfriend just received an older desktop from her parents. It's nothing too great, but it does work and seems to have potential:

http://h20564.www2.hp.com/hpsc/doc/public/display?docId=c03043596

I want to turn it into a budget gaming pc. The CPU isn't the best but seems to be in great condition. The part I am having trouble with is finding a PSU and a GPU for this system for the money. Budget is probably around $300 I have a EVGA GTX 650ti sitting around somewhere. Any help will be much appreciated! I don't think she mines playing games at lower fps, but there are some games she would like to play with me. Like GW2, Heroes of the Storm, Left 4 Dead 2.
 
Solution
clutchc
With the stock 300W PSU, she can use a GTX 750 Ti. That would be faster than the GTX 650 Ti and, unlike the GTX 650 Ti, be OK with the stock PSU. If you want to upgrade the PSU, let me know a budget. But the fastest CPU on that list won't be able to keep up with much more than a GTX 950 or R7-370.
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With the stock 300W PSU, she can use a GTX 750 Ti. That would be faster than the GTX 650 Ti and, unlike the GTX 650 Ti, be OK with the stock PSU. If you want to upgrade the PSU, let me know a budget. But the fastest CPU on that list won't be able to keep up with much more than a GTX 950 or R7-370.
 
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Solution

Okay, so ditch the 650 ti unless I want to upgrade the PSU, correct? I'm assuming the stock PSU does not provide enough power?

I also have extra ram I just found!

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=9SIA6ZP3R88165&cm_re=Crucial_2gb_10600-_-20-148-262-_-Product

No chance I can throw that in there as well, is there? I have two sticks of ram at 2GB a piece. So it would use up all 4 slots. Speeds are different though.
 
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What RAM is in the machine now? The stock 8GB DDR3 1333 MHz as shown in the specs?
If you keep the RAM pairs in the correct pairs of slots, you should be fine adding the other RAM. It is the same speed as the RAM in the specs. Dual channel memory is picky about the memory matching exactly in opposing pairs of channels. But for gaming, you'll almost never use more than 8GB. And multitasking other apps while gaming with that APU is a sure way to loose performance.

If you want to avoid upgrading the PSU, the GTX 750 Ti is the best way to go. The GTX 650 Ti will be an overload on the stock PSU. (It also requires a 6-pin connection). A 450W PSU is recommended for a GTX 650 Ti. (although the +12V rail is really the determining factor)
Plus, the GTX 750 Ti is faster than the GTX 650 Ti. http://www.anandtech.com/bench/product/1129?vs=1130

One caveat... the UEFI BIOS of newer cards sometimes has problems with legacy BIOSs of older PCs. (not that hers is that old) This GTX 750 Ti has a BIOS switch you can use to change the card to legacy BIOS if you run into that problem: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814127783&cm_re=msi_750-_-14-127-783-_-Product

Edit: Any chance of posting a pic of the inside of the PC? Some Hps are designed in such a manner that you can only use a single slot card. I don't think yours is like that. (??)
 
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It looks like it only has one slot. 🙁
I am trying to upload but the mobile site seems a bit odd. But I only see one gpu slot and about two additional express slots.
 
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A single PCIe x16 slot isn't a problem. It's where they might have positioned it that could matter. HP and Dell sometimes use BTX boards that position the card in such a location as to not allow use of a 2 slot wide card.
 
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I'll make sure whatever hardware I pick is the correct layout. But I appreciate all your help! Thank you!
 
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