To build or to buy?

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1

Hello fellow internet dwellers,

I'm looking to upgrade my PC, it's about 3 years old and when I got it I asked that it be able to play Microsoft Flightsim X, the salesman took us to this PC (I knew NOTHING about computers then) and he went right to this PC and said this will run it, so I literally just acted on that and got this PC.. sadly that was the only game it will ever be able to handle on High.. not even Ultra.. so I've spent the past 3 years playing games I can run on low and that's getting really lame (and laggy) and games are only getting more demanding..

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Anyway, I wasn't looking to replace EVERYTHING e.g: buying a whole new PC, I was thinking of ways I could upgrade it off what I'm working with motherboard, case, etc.

it seems the only thing my PC lacks in is its graphics card and I need to know if it's realistic to upgrade this or just get a whole new PC..

Here's the PC and all its specs: 

http://h20000.www2.hp.com/bizsupport/TechSupport/Document.jsp?objectID=c02072593&lang=en&cc=us&contentType=SupportFAQ&prodSeriesId=4079858&prodTypeId=12454

2

NEVER buy whole unless it's a good base to start on, like a good case/psu and decent motherboard (OEM ones don't usually allow customization). I can safely say your i3 can handle anything in terms of new games, (ignore this >) if your looking for other work-related processors, you need to upgrade.

If you just want to play the newest games, you will need a better video card, and one big step forward would be an HD 6670, or an nvidia GTX 650. If you want better you'd need to upgrade your power supply to a more suitable one for gaming, like a 500W would be arhisufficient for a lot of parts, except high end multi video card stuff. So first get that, then find a good video card for whatever games you play (do your research based on this - read vs. reviews, narrow down your search basically). 

O, you will void your warranty from HP by upgrading your PC yourself. Think about it first (in case you mess something up you'll have to repair/replace parts), then DO IT ANYWAY (most people will agree with me).

 

3

My warranty went out the day i opened the case, what I really need to know is what PSU and GPU would best suit my PC?

 

4

PSU is your Power Supply Unit, the box of circuitry and capacitors that gives power to the whole deal. GPU is short for Graphics Processing Unit, or Video card, it's a card that does all video processing and is placed in an expansion slot (the PCI-e slot on your motherboard)

for a power supply i'd go with something like this:

Supposedly you'd be fine with trusted brands, the efficiency rating is mostly a marketing thing, that should ensure you safe functionallity (no firestarter noname psu).

Seasonic, Corsair, Coolermaster, Enermax, Nexus, Akasa, Thermaltake stuff like that is good

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817151124

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139027

a good 200$ video card, it's pci-e 3.0 though, still HIS is good, i would get the ICE-Q version

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814161406

or the comparable gtx660

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130826

or a cheaper but powerful enough (should run most games on high, depends on your monitor's resolution though) gtx650

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814121708

or an older gtx550 Ti

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814121435

 

 

5

1440 x 900 is my current screen resolution

just really looking for a card that'll give me the best quality and have a decent FPS.

atleast to run BF3 on High with over 20 fps.just need an investment that will keep me gaming for say 4 more years and if I'm back on low settings in 2016 i'll update again, haha.

6

then the last 2 video cards are great options

I'm dealing well enough with even older hardware (2008) so you'd be more than okay with those, good luck!

7

Thank you very much!

8

I was lucky, my mom bought a desktop in 2008, and it's actually pretty good, decent by todays standards.... i7-920, 9g ram, gtx 260, 500w psu. only compaint is that it doesn't have enough fans, NB overheast sometimes....

asus doesn't make anything even close anymore....

edit: actually, their CG8890 is pretty impressive.... for a retail... good cooling, gtx690, i7 extreme (liquid cooled), asus dx sound card... 900w 80-plus psu...

9

Indeed, if you can find a good base to start on, you could buy the whole deal, and add whatever it is you need (ram, video card)

I still promote self-experimentation and the customization of building it yourself.