# Need Opinions To Upgrade



## Solo (Feb 18, 2012)

My HP Pavilion Current Spec:
Intel(R) Core(TM)2 Quad CPU Q6700 @ 2.66GHz, 2666 MHz
Total Memory 6143 MB RAM
NVIDIA GeForce 210
HP w2007 Wide LCD Monitor
700GB Hard drive


1. What is the purpose of the computer? What all applications and games are you going to run? (Stupid answers like 'gaming' or 'office work' will not work. Be exact. Which games? Which applications? Avoid the word 'et cetera.')
Ans: To be able to run games like witcher 2, skyrim, GTAIV, COD, Battlefield, MWF, basically all the new releases at smooth playable FPS (30 and up). I run much audio editing programs, itunes, chrome, FL studio, winrar and minor application in the background such as AVG security and tuneup utilities.

2. What is your overall budget? If you can extend a bit for a more balanced configuration, then mention this too.
Ans: 500$

3. Planning to overclock?
Ans: No. 

4. Which Operating System are you planning to use?
Ans: Window 7 64 bits Home Premium 

5. How much hard drive space is needed?
Ans: N/A

6. Do you want to buy a monitor? If yes, please mention which screen size and resolution do you want. If you already have a monitor and want to reuse it, again mention the size and resolution of monitor you have.
Ans: My monitor resolution is 1680x1050. I'm fine with this monitor.

7. Which components you DON'T want to buy or which components you already have and plan on reusing?
Ans: Hard drive, mouse, keyboard, speakers, modem, router. 

8. When are you planning to buy the system?
Ans: I'm trying to upgrade individual components as soon as possible. 

9. Have you ever built a desktop before or will this be done by an assembler?
Ans: I've custom build my HP-Pavilion Desktop in 08. 

10. Where do you live? Are you buying locally? Are you open to buying stuff from online shops if you don't get locally?
Ans: I live in NYC, but prefer to buy online, pacifically amazon.  

11. Anything else which you would like to say?
Ans: What do you guys think about the "SAPPHIRE AMD Radeon HD 6870 1GB GDDR5 PCIE Graphics Card"? Is it a good buy in my current specs. 

I'll happily give more information about my PC.


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## rajatGod512 (Feb 18, 2012)

*Component*
|
*Make*
|
*Price (US$)*
*Processor*
|AMD Phenom II X4 970 BE|165
*Motherboard*
|Gigabyte GA-880GM-D2H (rev. 3.1)|77
*RAM*
|G-skill F3-10600CL9S-4GBNT(4Gx1)|29
*Graphic Card*
|SAPPHIRE Radeon HD 6870 1GB GDDR5|170
*PSU*
|Corsair CX500V2|57
*Case*
|NZXT Source 210 Elite|50
|
*Total*
|548
It is overshooting your budget but you can lower it down by buying a 955 or 960 Phenom Processor , also what make & model RAM do you currently have if it is some good DDR3 then you probably can re use it.

Also pls tell the Company , Model of your PSU .


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## Solo (Feb 18, 2012)

That's bit overboard. My budget is actually 400$ and maximum is 500$. PSU you mean power supply usage? The company is HP.  

Desktop & all-in-one PCs | HP Official Store

Well what do you think really needs upgrading the most? I been told my processor is good. As for the ram I know its DDR3 but I'm going to open on my PC to get more information. I was planning to buy a 8GB chip. My PC has 8GB but does not recognize the other 2GB hence it's 6GB, so I need one 8Gb chip which are expensive.


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## Cilus (Feb 18, 2012)

Solo, I don't think you need a full system upgrade right now. Your Processor is quite powerful and 6 GB Ram is more than enough to handle all the apps. So better get a good Graphics card along with a good PSU.

Get the following components:-

XFX HD-695X-ZNFC Radeon HD 6950  @ $230
Newegg.com - XFX HD-695X-ZNFC Radeon HD 6950 1GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.1 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFireX Support Video Card with Eyefinity
Corsair TX 750 V2 @ $105

Total: $335


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## rajatGod512 (Feb 19, 2012)

+1 for Cilus's recommendation

Just Upgrade your Graphics Card , everything other than that looks fine and be sure to get a modular PSU -(TX750M at 115USD)
*www.amazon.com/Corsair-Enthusiast-...FODI/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1329646925&sr=8-1

Sapphire HD 6950 2GB at 252USD
Amazon.com: Sapphire Radeon HD 6950 2 GB DDR5 DL-DVI-I/SL-DVI-D/HDMI/Dual Mini DP PCI-Express Graphics Card 100312-2SR: Electronics


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## Solo (Feb 20, 2012)

My PC wizard friend fixed me up. I was worried that the video card wouldn't fit in my desktop because it's quite a large video card thus he clarified it. Yes I purchased the video card. I really need it, thanks guys for feedback especially that comment from Cilus... You hit the nail right on the head 
rajatGod512 I understand the graphic card but before I buy "Corsair Enthusiast Series 750-Watt 80 Plus Bronze Certified Power Supply" why do I really need this? Tell me whats wrong with my desktop power supply. Elaborate please.


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## Solo (Feb 20, 2012)

Also:

Amazon.com: SAPPHIRE AMD Radeon HD 6870 1GB GDDR5 PCIE Graphics Card: Electronics

or

Amazon.com: Sapphire Radeon HD 6950 2 GB DDR5 DL-DVI-I/SL-DVI-D/HDMI/Dual Mini DP PCI-Express Graphics Card 100312-2SR: Electronics

Your thoughts? They seem the same to me... And the extra 1GB worth it?

Comparing both 

Radeon HD 6870 vs Radeon HD 6950 2GB – Performance Comparison Benchmarks @ Hardware Compare

The sums up slightly more FPS.


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## topgear (Feb 20, 2012)

^^ HD6950 is lot more better and has the to potential to unlock into a HD6970 and some of the ( and more coming in future ) will just eat  2GB vram  and might even need more


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## Mr.V (Feb 20, 2012)

Core 2 quad is pretty powerful cpu.So jus upgrade the graphics! 
HD6950 is even faster than GTX560 Ti so it makes a better deal!


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## rajatGod512 (Feb 20, 2012)

@Solo that PSU is more future proof , so if you want to Crossfire in future it wouldnt give you any problem and would work fine , its build quality is good and its got good reviews also it is modular which means you can put only the cables which you require and you wont have to  find some place to hide your PSU cables , you can use what you need.

HD 6950 VS HD 6870 (1680x1050)
*media.bestofmicro.com/Y/M/313582/original/amd%20high%201680.png


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## Solo (Feb 20, 2012)

I'm convicted now:
*www.amazon.com/Sapphire-DL-DVI-I-S...4?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1329646968&sr=1-4

It's the way to go, but what do you guys think about this one:
*www.amazon.com/Sapphire-DL-DVI-I-S...66A4/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1329741388&sr=8-2

Same model (maybe a bit larger with dual fan), 50$ bucks more and seems to get more attention and reviews. 

So let me get this straight. In terms of upgrade, first priority is one of these bad boys graphic card 
and I do not have to buy a power supply as soon as possible, but it's recommend that I purchase one thus replace.

To address a mistake, my 6GB ram is DDR2 (2x1GB stick & 2x2GB stick). My processor which came with my custom build PC four years ago still amazes me. At the time it was superb and as of today it still is. Here is my performance information:
<center>
Component:     What is rated             Subscore:                 Base Score
Processor         calculation per sec                7.2                    4.8
Memory (RAM)  memory operational per sec     7.2                 Determined by
Graphic            Desktop performance             4.8              lowest subscore
Gaming Graphics  3D business and gaming        5.8
Primary hard disk    disk transfer rate              5.9
</center>

This is to further proof how bad I need a graphic card upgrade hehe smh


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## whitestar_999 (Feb 20, 2012)

in my opinion do not take risks by trying to run a core2quad+6950 powered by a HP provided PSU.i am not a gamer but this much i know even i wouldn't dare to run a 6950 on anything less than a seasonic 520W.


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## Solo (Feb 20, 2012)

@ whitestar_999 Do you have a general idea of what graphic card can run with my HP PSU? Moreover will the "SAPPHIRE AMD Radeon HD 6870 1GB GDDR5 PCIE Graphics" Card do?


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## Jaskanwar Singh (Feb 20, 2012)

you may get this -
Amazon.com: MSI N560GTX-Ti 448 Twin Frozer III PE/OC - NVIDIA GeForce GTX 560 Ti (448 Cores) PCI-E 16X Graphics Card: Electronics


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## Solo (Feb 20, 2012)

Jaskanwar Singh said:


> you may get this -
> Amazon.com: MSI N560GTX-Ti 448 Twin Frozer III PE/OC - NVIDIA GeForce GTX 560 Ti (448 Cores) PCI-E 16X Graphics Card: Electronics



I must admit I get the feeling Nvidia is a good choice for my PC/GPU because it was build with a Nvidia card and also has this none removable sticker on the desktop case!


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## Solo (Feb 21, 2012)

Look at this graphic card:

Amazon.com: MSI N560GTX-Ti 448 Twin Frozer III PE/OC - NVIDIA GeForce GTX 560 Ti (448 Cores) PCI-E 16X Graphics Card: Electronics

In

Computer Games on Laptop Graphic Cards - Notebookcheck.net Tech

This graphic card is absolutely amazing! 
only negative is running Metro 2033 at 22 FPS at Ultra Settings, which is all in all not bad at all.

So I went ahead and purchased the "SAPPHIRE AMD Radeon HD 6870 1GB GDDR5 PCIE Graphics Card" I got a good hunch about this card. Should arrive by the 22nd, the same date the playstation vita is going to be release. I'll definitely keep all those suggested graphic cards in my wish list. Furthermore I'll inform y'all about my experience with the card!


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## whitestar_999 (Feb 21, 2012)

on the side of PSU there is a label showing a table having columns +12V(or +12V1 & +12V2),+5V & +3.3V.values under these are in Amperes like 20A under +12V etc.multiply the ampere value with +V column under which it is listed(like 20A under +12V=20*12=240W).in case of +12V1 & +12V2 use same method & add resultant 2 values to get total watt at +12V.rule of thumb is total power at +12V should be more than the total power consumption of cpu+gpu+hdd+dvd drive.


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## Solo (Feb 21, 2012)

I just find out that my power supply is only 350 watts! I'm a bit confused, maybe I don't, but I don't want to run the risks. If this is correct:

AMD Radeon? HD 6870 graphics

I guess need a buy a new power supply pronto.

To get one thing straight. 

This: Amazon.com: SAPPHIRE AMD Radeon HD 6870 1GB GDDR5 PCIE Graphics Card: Electronics

with: Amazon.com: Corsair Enthusiast Series 750-Watt 80 Plus Bronze Certified Power Supply Compatible with Intel Core i3, i5, i7 and AMD platforms - CMPSU-750TXV2: Electronics

No conflict right? It is a 500 Watt or greater power supply with two 75W 6-pin PCI Express® power connectors as this graphic card 

AMD Radeon? HD 6870 graphics

requires?

P.S.
my System Model
*h10025.www1.hp.com/ewfrf/wc/docume...0962/loc:2&cc=us&dlc=en&lc=en&product=3832294


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## whitestar_999 (Feb 21, 2012)

get seasonic which is better & in fact many corsair psu's are just rebranded seasonic units.btw 750W can even handle 6950 comfortably with your system.for a 6870 anything 500w or above is sufficient.


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## topgear (Feb 21, 2012)

a 750W PSu for HD6870 is just overkill - a 500W PSu like corsair CX500v2 is enough to run this gfx card


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## Solo (Feb 21, 2012)

topgear said:


> a 750W PSu for HD6870 is just overkill - a 500W PSu like corsair CX500v2 is enough to run this gfx card



Thanks for the heads up. I'll make sure I buy a 500-600 Seasonic PSU. By looking at a few reviews on amazon about Seasonic PSU's ... All I see is 5 star to 4.5 ratings! (expectantly) which is good and a rare sight. After this upgrade there will be no more upgrade for my desktop, instead I'll save up for a new PC. This time custom build from cyberpc or such. I will go buy the PSU in micro center promptly when the graphic card arrives. Once again thanks for the heads up.


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## topgear (Feb 22, 2012)

yep, seasonic is a very good brand and makes high quality psus so you can count on seasonic 

BTW, if you have zeroed in on any specific seasonic psu do let us know the model no.


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## Solo (Feb 22, 2012)

topgear said:


> yep, seasonic is a very good brand and makes high quality psus so you can count on seasonic
> 
> BTW, if you have zeroed in on any specific seasonic psu do let us know the model no.



Eh, I was planning to go micro center tomorrow, where you can pretty much get everything you need for your computer. Now that I think about it, I should of bought my graphic card there. Too late now, my newly purchased  SAPPHIRE AMD Radeon HD 6870 graphic card should come tomorrow, but not promise tomorrow. I simply will go to micro center and grab the first seasonic 500-600 PSU I see. I will take take photos of the some of the replacing process.


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## Solo (Feb 23, 2012)

Guys I bought this power: Seasonic X-Series 660W Modular Power Supply
Seasonic X-Series 660W Modular Power Supply - Bjorn3D.com


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## ico (Feb 23, 2012)

Solo said:


> Guys I bought this power: Seasonic X-Series 660W Modular Power Supply
> Seasonic X-Series 660W Modular Power Supply - Bjorn3D.com


Great buy there. 

The _best_ PSU you could buy for your requirement.


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## topgear (Feb 24, 2012)

Solo said:


> Guys I bought this power: Seasonic X-Series 660W Modular Power Supply
> Seasonic X-Series 660W Modular Power Supply - Bjorn3D.com



congrats 

BTW, if Indian TDF members want to grab it, they can look here 
SeaSonic X660 (SS-660KM) 660W ATX12V V2.3/EPS 12V V2.91, 80Plus Gold Certified, Active PFC Power Supply


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## Solo (Feb 24, 2012)

topgear said:


> congrats
> 
> BTW, if Indian TDF members want to grab it, they can look here
> SeaSonic X660 (SS-660KM) 660W ATX12V V2.3/EPS 12V V2.91, 80Plus Gold Certified, Active PFC Power Supply



Roger that.

I went through blood, sweat and tears with the instillation. It was more complicated then anticipated due to the desktop tower and it's outdated motherboard. I end up discarding my internal optical dvd drive and getting a external dvd drive from Samsung. Since my desktop has little space, this is ideal. Furthermore it seems my desktop was build to not take kindly to customization. Take a look, I'll let the picture do the talking. 


*i.imgur.com/Xb60J.jpg

My old HP Pavilion setup.

*i.imgur.com/KlG75.jpg

SAPPHIRE AMD Radeon HD 6870 1GB +  SEASONIC X-SERIES 660W MODULAR POWER SUPPLY. (I made a unboxing video which will soon upload to youtube.)


*i.imgur.com/jW31W.jpg

In the photo, creative labs sound card (I had to takeout the sound card because the graphic card occupied two slots. Currently using internal/default sound now which ironically sounds the same as my sound card.), Nvidia Geforce 210 (Great at almost everything exceptionally gaming.), 350 watts power supply (I have to give it credit for surviving for 4 years and it's durability.) are the replaced components plus a malfunctioning DVD drive which had to be removed. 

*i.imgur.com/e6yfZ.jpg

My DVD drive solution.

*i.imgur.com/dGDx6.jpg

Last and not less, the inside of my newly desktop. Thank you guys very much for the feedback and comments. This concludes this thread  ... well not literally.


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## Jripper (Feb 24, 2012)

That is one packed to the brim cabinet! X_X


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## ico (Feb 24, 2012)

hehe, your cabinet is too small and looks congested. 

You might consider buying a cabinet sometime later. NZXT Gamma costs $50 and provides great bang for the buck. Corsair Carbide 400R for $100 is what I recommend though.


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## Solo (Feb 24, 2012)

ico said:


> hehe, your cabinet is too small and looks congested.
> 
> You might consider buying a cabinet sometime later. NZXT Gamma costs $50 and provides great bang for the buck. Corsair Carbide 400R for $100 is what I recommend though.



Right, my friend told me the same thing. He said my desktop case/tower needs to be larger for further modification and speak of modification, the small space inside and permanently equipped objects disallow further modification via cabinet. I'm afraid removing components out of this desktop such as hard drive and motherboard will be too much of a hassle. So I think it's best to save up for a new pc and mount or keep what I can from this old machine to new machine. By the way I find out my motherboard is a Pegatron Corporation Benicia.


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## GTX OC (Feb 24, 2012)

Solo said:


> Right, my friend told me the same thing. He said my desktop case/tower needs to be larger for further modification and speak of modification, the small space inside and permanently equipped objects disallow further modification via cabinet. I'm afraid removing components out of this desktop such as hard drive and motherboard will be too much of a hassle. So I think it's best to save up for a new pc and mount or keep what I can from this old machine to new machine. By the way I find out my motherboard is a Pegatron Corporation Benicia.



Mate that giant PSU over there will bring your cabby down if its placed at the top , my suggestion is to get a new case soon preferably with a bottom mount option for PSU .


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## topgear (Feb 25, 2012)

Solo said:


> Right, my friend told me the same thing. He said my desktop case/tower needs to be larger for further modification and speak of modification, the small space inside and permanently equipped objects disallow further modification via cabinet. I'm afraid removing components out of this desktop such as hard drive and motherboard will be too much of a hassle. So I think it's best to save up for a new pc and mount or keep what I can from this old machine to new machine. By the way I find out my motherboard is a Pegatron Corporation Benicia.



get a new cabby like NZXT Source 210 Elite / Corsair Carbide 500R or Antec 1100/1200 - it will come handy when you get a new rig and you can keep the OLD PSU+Cabby+Gfx Crad to use with the old rig but if you want to use the new PSu+Gfx card with the old rig then gt a new cabby for this


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## Solo (Feb 25, 2012)

topgear said:


> get a new cabby like NZXT Source 210 Elite / Corsair Carbide 500R or Antec 1100/1200 - it will come handy when you get a new rig and you can keep the OLD PSU+Cabby+Gfx Crad to use with the old rig but if you want to use the new PSu+Gfx card with the old rig then gt a new cabby for this



I see. I do have enough cash to buy that cabby you suggested. I'll see what I can do.


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## vickybat (Feb 25, 2012)

^^ You can check the new Corsair carbide 400R. Its a mid tower and is a steal for $99 imo. Check *here*.


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## Solo (Feb 26, 2012)

GTX OC said:


> Mate that giant PSU over there will bring your cabby down if its placed at the top , my suggestion is to get a new case soon preferably with a bottom mount option for PSU .


Oh that bugs me because the old PSU was placed there, I exactly replaced PSU same spot for the new PSU.

Hey instead of buying a new case/cabinet, why not save for a new PC? Unless my current configuration won't last very long hence this is a temporarily customization.



Solo said:


> Oh that bugs me because the old PSU was placed there, I exactly replaced PSU same spot for the new PSU.
> 
> Hey instead of buying a new case/cabinet, why not save for a new PC? Unless my current configuration won't last very long hence this is a temporarily customization.



By the way I'm very worried about the air flow. Should I just leave my cabinet open? I do not want anything overheating especially my new graphic card. I'm seeing average GPU temperature 39.2C AVG.


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## topgear (Feb 26, 2012)

^^ 39.2c is not anything even close to over heating - what's the load temp you are getting while playing resource heavy games - use HWinfo to measure temps


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## Solo (Feb 27, 2012)

topgear said:


> ^^ 39.2c is not anything even close to over heating - what's the load temp you are getting while playing resource heavy games - use HWinfo to measure temps


I notice the fan noise increase when I commence pc games such as GTA4 and Skyrim. I must say the 6870 Radeon 1GB is pleasing, capable of running skyrim at max settings while playble FPS. So all in all everything's ok!


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## topgear (Feb 27, 2012)

GPU fan speed will increase when GPU is in heavy use ( read gaming ) to keep it cool and with increased fan speed the noise will increase - this is a normal thing.

BTW, you have a nice PSU and gpu now - if you are interested try OCing the GPU


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## Solo (Feb 27, 2012)

topgear said:


> GPU fan speed will increase when GPU is in heavy use ( read gaming ) to keep it cool and with increased fan speed the noise will increase - this is a normal thing.
> 
> BTW, you have a nice PSU and gpu now - if you are interested try OCing the GPU



Yes, while playing a very demanding games, so far I see 56.5 °C MAX. 90C and up is when I should be concern  

oh ho ho I never done overclocking hahaha, but my RIG is kinda ideal for that. I heard stories about OCing. Stories about shortening your RIG's longevity. I'm going to stay in the safe side, especially since I do not comprehend much of OCing.


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