Cheap pc, need cheap upgrade part help (not sure what i'm doing)

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1

I have currently right now this little bugger i bought:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16883103825

I bought it for around... 150-210$ im pretty sure.

I wanted to make my own computer but i couldn't and still cant for reasons and it was cheap for the price, and
did everything i wanted it to. I only needed it to play Minecraft with a decent texture pack, some steam games (played skyrim on lowest alright) League of legends (medium graphics got me about 40 fps at 720 ish) and various older generation console emulating, and writing papers etc.

Also i would just buy all brand new great quality parts and build my dream rig, but i am going to college, so i will need money, and i wont have alot of space (the college i'm applying to has really small dorms, and i would NOT have space for a full size tower [ i checked)

In short, i need to know if there is a cheap graphics card, another stick of ram, replacing a single part, or anything that i can do that will give it even just a little boost for not too much. ( i'm not really informed on building pc's)i'd say i'm willing to spend 70-100$ish if its at all possible. and like i said, i'm not doing any crazy gaming, it's just going to be used for low intensity games most of the time. i don't need much, but i also cant afford to spend a ton.

thanks in advance! (I know it's a half height case, so i wont be shot down if you flat out tell me "nothing you can do")

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  • Low profile --- 650ti, 650 or one of the rare 7850's. Provided there are some spare power cables - molex, pcie.
  • Ideally though you'd want to save up a little more and grab a 750ti - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814125680. They are perfect for your situation. They run of the power provided from the pcie lane and perform very well considering what they are.
    • 3

    Hey, that is perfect! I do have one question though. My friends dad has a wireless adapter that he was going to give me because i wouldn't not be able to get internet in my dorm if i didn't have it. but if im' using that, would i still have room for one of those or not because on the Newegg page, it says I only have one PIC-E slot available out of the 16 it supposedly has? If not I can just purchase a usb one, but it's free so i don't wanna turn it down haha.

    4

    It appears that you have two PCI-e slots. One x16, one x1. If the wireless adapter is PCI-e x1, then you could use both.

    For your build, I suppose you if you felt comfortable buying used, you could pick up a 7750 that would be in your price range. Personally, I would save up a little more to get the most out of your money as low profile video cards aren't cost effective.

    If you upgraded, you could keep your motherboard, cpu, ram, and hard drive, and just upgrade your video card, case, and psu for under $150.

    5

    Ah! Okay, like i said, i don't know as much about computers as i should haha. If i can round up some money to go down this root, what parts would you recommend? because i could probably beg around or ask for a part or two for a graduation present haha (Also thanks for responding c:)

    6

    The hardest part will be finding a computer case that supports the BTX motherboard in your Acer. BTX isn't a very common form factor. Then you could go with an Antec EarthWatts Green EA-380D PSU paired with a used radeon 7850 for ~$115 total leaving you with just the cost of the case. Just make sure that the 7850 has only one 6-pin power connector because the PSU only has one 6-pin pci-e power connector.