Questions About Upgrading My PC

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Mystikk

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Feb 5, 2008
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I want to upgrade my computer and I want to make sure all the parts I'm buying are compatible with my motherboard.

The motherboard model number is 0U7084 and here is a link to its technical specifications:
http://support.dell.com/support/edocs/systems/dimxpsg4/sm/miller_i.htm#wp1052939

The parts I'm planning on adding are:
1. A Western Digital Caviar SE WD1600AAJS 160GB 7200 RPM 8MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive
2. Two Kingston ValueRAM 1GB 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 533 (PC2 4200) Desktop Memory
3. And an XFX GeForce 8600 GT XXX Video Card.

Question 1: Will all of these parts above be compatible with my motherboard? (I think yes, but I just want to double-check)



After these upgrades my computer specs will be something like:
Intel Pentium 4 CPU @ 3.4GHZ
4 GB DDR2 533 Ram
XFX GeForce 8600 GT XXX Video Card

Question 2: How will my upgraded computer perform playing some of the newer games out? (I.E. Call of Duty 4, The Orange Box)

Any help or suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
 
The 8600GT is a /horrible/ card for gaming at almost any resolution. There are far better options in the same price range.

What monitor and resolution are you gaming at?

Look in to the Radeon HD 3850 instead -- it's considerably faster than the 8600 and can be had for $150-170 after rebates if you look around a bit. Try and find a 512MB card, ideally with a larger heatsink (dual slot) that'll let you overclock a bit more.
If you can afford a bit higher priced card, look at the Radeon HD 3870 and Geforce 8800 GT 512MB cards. They run $220-260.

I take it you have 2GB of RAM now? 2GB is plenty -- you'd be much better served putting the money in to a better video card than RAM at this point.

An issue you may run in to is that your PSU may not be powerful enough to handle a new video card -- it's very rare that Dell sends a machine out with a higher rated PSU than what is absolutely necessary with its stock configuration. To be safe you should figure in $60-70 for a Corsair 550VX PSU to replace the current supply.
 
Mystikk said:
I have a 17" monitor and I'm at 1280 by 960
Click to expand...

A Radeon 3850 should be plenty for most games at that resolution, then, and if you an spend a bit more, a Geforce 8800 GT will play pretty much everything at that res. A Geforce 8600 GT or GTS, on the other hand, will probably be a big disappointment, and not substantially less than a Radeon 3850 anyway.
 
I agree with s-c. Don't forget to upgrade the PSU -- if it goes out, it can take every component with it.
 
If you can swing $220 there's a Gigabyte branded Radeon HD 3870 512MB on Newegg with a Zalman HSF already installed. Pretty good deal.
 
will a 8800GT be compatible with my motherboard? If so I think i'll get that and a new PSU.
 
Get it from NewEgg... it has two cards (here and here) available with free 3-day shipping.

Both are also cheaper than the one you've listed from Tiger Direct, but neither of them comes with the Enemy Territory: Quake Wars game
 
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