Upgrade help?

[kerato]

http://www.currys.co.uk/gbuk/compaq-cq2930ea-desktop-pc-with-e2050s-20-led-backlit-monitor-17799677-pdt.html


I got this desktop as a gift and would like to upgrade the motherboard and processor, it would need to have a graphics card built in also, I am not bothered about whether its AMD or Intel, I would like to do a little bit of gaming. I was just wondering how do I know if I bought a motherboard and processor if it would work with the rest of my equipment?(i.e RAM, HDD etc) Any examples of motherboards and processors would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks!

 

[sqoh]

Hey Kerato,
Ok so are you saying you would like a motherboard with intergrated graphics?
Upgrade wise i wouldn't advise it, if you're investing in a new board and cpu if might be worth spending that little be extra of a graphics card?
The only thing you really need to consider is; first of all your budget and the spec you would like to reach, like what type of stuff will you be using the machine for?

Once we have that information we can give you advice on boards, processor sockets and compatibility ect.

Thankyou, Sqoh

 

[kerato]

Hey Kerato,
Ok so are you saying you would like a motherboard with intergrated graphics?
Upgrade wise i wouldn't advise it, if you're investing in a new board and cpu if might be worth spending that little be extra of a graphics card?
The only thing you really need to consider is; first of all your budget and the spec you would like to reach, like what type of stuff will you be using the machine for?

Once we have that information we can give you advice on boards, processor sockets and compatibility ect.

Thankyou, Sqoh

I don't have that much spare money as I'm currently a student lol, but at the max I could spend £100-150, maybe something around 2.4-3.4ghz processor and I'm not really sure about the rest, I would like to game, a friend gifted me Dota2, I'd like to be able to play games like Dota2, borderlands and farcry 3 if possible within my budget

 

[simon12]

Cheapest I can find to do it:
GPU £44
http://www.aria.co.uk/Products/Components/Graphics+Cards/Graphics+Cards+-+AMD/Radeon+HD+6670/XFX+Radeon+HD+6670+Low+Profile+2048MB+GDDR3+PCI-Express+Graphics+Card+?productId=54035
Board £29
http://www.aria.co.uk/Products/Components/Motherboards/Motherboards+-+AMD/Socket+AM3%2B+Piledriver+FX/MSI+760GM-P21-FX+AMD+760G+%28Socket+AM3%2B%29+DDR3+PCI-Express+Motherboard+?productId=51973
CPU £44
http://www.aria.co.uk/SuperSpecials/Other+products/AMD+Athlon+II+X3+450+3.20GHz+%28Socket+AM3%29+Processor+-+Retail+?productId=41578

 

[lostgamer_03]

I would advice you to either sell the desktop or wait until you can afford a new one. It would be stupid trying to upgrade such a low-end setup. You will most likely just end up wasting a lot of money.

 

[kerato]

Cheapest I can find to do it:
GPU £44
http://www.aria.co.uk/Products/Components/Graphics+Cards/Graphics+Cards+-+AMD/Radeon+HD+6670/XFX+Radeon+HD+6670+Low+Profile+2048MB+GDDR3+PCI-Express+Graphics+Card+?productId=54035
Board £29
http://www.aria.co.uk/Products/Components/Motherboards/Motherboards+-+AMD/Socket+AM3%2B+Piledriver+FX/MSI+760GM-P21-FX+AMD+760G+%28Socket+AM3%2B%29+DDR3+PCI-Express+Motherboard+?productId=51973
CPU £44
http://www.aria.co.uk/SuperSpecials/Other+products/AMD+Athlon+II+X3+450+3.20GHz+%28Socket+AM3%29+Processor+-+Retail+?productId=41578

Thanks! Would this run considerably quicker than what I have? And would I be able to do better gaming on this? thanks!

 

[Rammy]

Upgrading a system of this nature in any capacity is usually going to cause more headaches than is necessary. You tend to run into things like OEM PSUs, unusual motherboard layouts/sizes and non-standard expansion dimensions.

Assuming that is the monitor you intend to use, you are looking at a 1600*900 resolution, which means you don't necessarily need to spend a lot to get good gaming performance. Problem is, the platform you have isn't a good place to start, there's not a lot that tends to be salvageable in mass-produced PCs.

It's all well and good people suggesting things, but it's highly possible you'll run into issues with stuff not fitting.
A solid entry level gaming PC is probably going to start at around £400, because I assume you'll need to allow for an operating system.