Time To Uprgrade!: HP Pavilion

[Tim Gudge]

Hello everyone, I am looking to upgrade my HP Pavilion p6-2133w which I Purchased refurbished online for $400. It's a great, powerful, little machine but after installing a new graphics card for my gaming... It's still, how do I put this, less than perfect in my eyes. The problem is, I'm a bit short on cash and I'm looking for an upgrade that will save me some dough yet makes the difference that is worth the money.

Here are some specs on my computer:
OS: Windows 7 - Home Premium - Service Pack 1 - 64 bit
CPU Type: QuadCore AMD A6-3620, 2369 MHz (25 x 95)
System Memory: 8176 MB (DDR3-1333 DDR3 SDRAM) - (2x 4gb)
BIOS Type: AMI (08/16/2011)
Video Adapter: AMD Radeon HD 7700 Series (1024 MB)
Processor: AMD A6-3620 APU with Radeon(tm) HD Graphics ~2.2GHz
Storage: HDD 1TB
(Please tell me if you need any more specifications)

I heard that an upgrade to using an SSD is a huge difference and would be in my price range. Opinions?

My price range: under or around $150-$200

Extra info (Windows Rating)
Processor: 7.0
Memory (RAM): 7.4
Graphics: 7.4
Gaming Graphics: 7.4
Primary Hard Disc: 5.9

 

[ko888]

An SSD will increase your Primary Hard Disk score but won't increase the performance of any of your games.

It should shorten the OS boot time and shorten the time it takes to load a file from disk into system RAM for applications.

What is the brand and model number of the power supply unit in your system?

 

[drewhoo]

Could you describe the problems you're experiencing? Like is the FPS too low? System startup too slow?

I think that if I were in your position, that $200 would be best spent on a GTX 660 or AMD 7850. True, SSD would make a world of difference for your overall computer experience, but it won't raise your FPS in games like a better GPU would.

 

[Tim Gudge]

An SSD will increase your Primary Hard Disk score but won't increase the performance of any of your games.

It should shorten the OS boot time and shorten the time it takes to load a file from disk into system RAM for applications.

What is the brand and model number of the power supply unit in your system?

Ok, thanks for the thoughts on the SSD. As for power supply... I can't seem to figure that out without cracking my pc open to have a look.

 

[ko888]

Ok, thanks for the thoughts on the SSD. As for power supply... I can't seem to figure that out without cracking my pc open to have a look.

If you do plan on upgrading the graphics card you may require a power supply upgrade to go along with it especially if the power supply that is currently in the system is the original one that came with the PC.

 

[Tim Gudge]

Could you describe the problems you're experiencing? Like is the FPS too low? System startup too slow?

I think that if I were in your position, that $200 would be best spent on a GTX 660 or AMD 7850. True, SSD would make a world of difference for your overall computer experience, but it won't raise your FPS in games like a better GPU would.

No real "problems" as it runs thing pretty fast but on higher graphics settings I would say FPS takes a hit. I don't really want to upgrade my graphics card though since I have done that already and I am more looking for other performance enhancing components. For example, an SSD.

 

[Tim Gudge]

Ok, thanks for the thoughts on the SSD. As for power supply... I can't seem to figure that out without cracking my pc open to have a look.

If you do plan on upgrading the graphics card you may require a power supply upgrade to go along with it especially if the power supply that is currently in the system is the original one that came with the PC.

I see... Do you know of any other components other than graphics cards that I can upgrade that you think may help improve my performance? I did just upgrade my card and I would like to refrain from upgrading it again if it means I can upgrade elsewhere.

 

[ko888]

I see... Do you know of any other components other than graphics cards that I can upgrade that you think may help improve my performance? I did just upgrade my card and I would like to refrain from upgrading it again if it means I can upgrade elsewhere.

You could upgrade the processor.

 

[Tim Gudge]

I see... Do you know of any other components other than graphics cards that I can upgrade that you think may help improve my performance? I did just upgrade my card and I would like to refrain from upgrading it again if it means I can upgrade elsewhere.

You could upgrade the processor.

alright thanks. Anything specific though? Do you have any brand/model recommendations that would be compatible with my pc?

 

[ko888]

alright thanks. Anything specific though? Do you have any brand/model recommendations that would be compatible with my pc?

HP shows that the AMD A8-3850 Llano 2.9GHz Socket FM1 100W Quad-Core for $84.99 is the fastest CPU that the Pegatron AAHD3-HB (Hibiscus) motherboard BIOS supports.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103942

 

[Tim Gudge]

alright thanks. Anything specific though? Do you have any brand/model recommendations that would be compatible with my pc?

HP shows that the AMD A8-3850 Llano 2.9GHz Socket FM1 100W Quad-Core for $84.99 is the fastest CPU that the Pegatron AAHD3-HB (Hibiscus) motherboard BIOS supports.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103942

Thank you so much! This is exactly the type of answer I was looking for! Thanks again!

 

[drewhoo]

You might want to look at this link before making a decision:
http://www.cpu-world.com/Compare/154/AMD_A6-Series_A6-3620_vs_AMD_A8-Series_A8-3850.html

So you'd pay $85 for a 16% performance increase...

OR

http://www.cpu-world.com/Compare/272/AMD_A6-Series_A6-3620_vs_Intel_Core_i3_i3-2120.html

Get the Sandy Bridge CPU featured in this comparison for $125 (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115077)

The cost of upgrading with a new MoBo adds ~$50. You would want to get a motherboard with an H61 chipset like this one: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157315

That would utilize your existing RAM and would lessen the need for a new PSU since it is more efficient.

Overall the i3-2120 CPU would cost $175 but it would give 81% more performance (both measurements are really a ballpark figure when it comes to everyday use performance; I hate to be too precise).

So AMD upgrade for the best you can put in that socket: $85/16% increase = $5.3 per 1% increase in single-threaded applications ($3.4 per 1% increase in multi-threaded)

Intel upgrade to an i3: $175/81% increase = $2.16 per 1% increase in single-threaded applications ($10.3 per 1% increase in multi-threaded applications)

The Intel option also has the benefit of allowing you to upgrade to a bunch of more powerful i5 or i7 processors in the future without changing your motherboard, whereas the AMD option means you'll have to replace the motherboard in order to upgrade again if the 16%/25% increase doesn't provide enough boost.

Check out this link if you're interested in the distinction between multi threaded performance and single threaded performance: http://scalibq.wordpress.com/2012/06/01/multi-core-and-multi-threading/

 

[ko888]

A new motherboard would result in the need for a new Windows COA (Certificate of Authenticity) so the cost of that would also need to be included.

 

[drewhoo]

A new motherboard would result in the need for a new Windows COA (Certificate of Authenticity) so the cost of that would also need to be included.

You're right! That is definitely worth considering. Although you might want to get their support on the phone to see if they can't just do a deactivation (tell them your motherboard failed or something if you have to). You can bet I'll be talking some ears off when I upgrade my current motherboard.

 

[Tim Gudge]

Thanks for all the answers guys. I read that the CPU that Ko888 mentioned though has; for multi-thread tasks and single thread tasks are up 11% in performance while graphics programs and games are up by 23%. Mobo seems like a good idea but seems like a hassle, I am pretty good at pulling off things like "my mobo 'failed' " AKA good as BS'ing my way through things 😉

 

[drewhoo]

while graphics programs and games are up by 23%

this part is irrelevant because your GPU is handling the graphics processing, not the CPU. If you did not have a GPU, this stat would be relevant because both setups would be using integrated graphics processing. But with a GPU installed, those features won't be used.

 

[Tim Gudge]

while graphics programs and games are up by 23%

this part is irrelevant because your GPU is handling the graphics processing, not the CPU. If you did not have a GPU, this stat would be relevant because both setups would be using integrated graphics processing. But with a GPU installed, those features won't be used.

By that I meant processing for gaming. Anyways idk what I'm talking about XD that's why I'm here.

 

[drewhoo]

Yeah! That benchmark is talking about integrated graphics performance, which is mutually exclusive of discrete graphics card performance. Integrated graphics is handled completely by your CPU. Even the very best integrated graphics performance is far inferior to the discrete graphics card performance of your 7770. You cannot utilize both at the same time, so that is not a helpful advantage to consider when making a purchasing decision.

 

[SagginJones]

I know I'm going to get flack for reviving an old thread. but I have to say even with a better gfx card improving the cpu would still increase the pcs performance all around and running games too. so yeah the cpu would have an affect even with a pc with a gfx card not just intergraded gfx.

"he said he put a gfx card in it" so the score is probably reflecting that in the 23% score