Casual "You think I can upgrade this?" Question.

[Nandito]

Not really serious about it, but I'm very curious~ Do you think I would be able to upgrade my computer? It was a hand-me-down, really.

I know my way around a computer, but I wouldn't call myself savvy. So I come to ask you, you beautiful people - If I ever wanted to get really down on PC gaming, would I be able to upgrade this thing into something decent:

OS: Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit
Processor: Intel Core 2 CPU 6600 @ 2.40 GHz (2 CPU). ~2.4 GHz
Memory: 1024MB RAM
Graphics Card: NVIDIA GeForce 7300 LE
Graphics Memory: 337 MB

or would I be better off just starting new?

[cidbahamut]

Re: Casual "You think I can upgrade this?" Question.

It's hard to say without knowing what the motherboard is. I'm gonna go out on a limb though and assume that since it's a 64-bit OS, there's room for more RAM in there. Graphics card upgrade shouldn't be an issue provided there's enough room in your case.

Without more detailed specs, I'd say you could probably turn that rig into a decent gaming box just by adding some RAM and a new graphics card. If you decide to build a new box later on, you can scavenge parts from your current ring(namely the graphics card) to reduce the cost of the new box.

[Nandito]

Re: Casual "You think I can upgrade this?" Question.

Well, I just found out how to find my motherboard without popping this baby open, so I'll give it a look later tonight.

[Armando]

Re: Casual "You think I can upgrade this?" Question.

I have a Q6600 just like you. Its socket type was at the end of its lifespan; which means that to upgrade to a new CPU you'd have to upgrade the motherboard too. Still, while it's a bit dated it's not exactly a relic yet either. Memory's cheap as hell these days, you can probably bump that up to 4+ GB for less than $50. Not really sure about your video card, which is mainly what might hold you back. Video memory really isn't an indicator of performance but with only 378MB it's probably pretty old. It really depends on what you want to play though, and how high you like to push the graphic settings.

[Jarre]

Re: Casual "You think I can upgrade this?" Question.

I have a Q6600 as well and a geforce 8800 gt card in my machine runs fine, it runs star trek online, ffxi and it ran FFXIV but was stuttery in populated areas and couldn't be on full resolution.

[Oniwabanshu]

Re: Casual "You think I can upgrade this?" Question.

for less then $200 you can get a new mobo and cpu and see a decent increase as for keeping the same socket like armando said it's reaching it's end life.
i3-2100 LGA1155
CPU Benchmarks

[Aeni]

Re: Casual "You think I can upgrade this?" Question.

You'll need to upgrade the motherboard before upgrading the processor. The newer processors require a different pin layout and/or voltage requirements which motherboards specifically designed for the previous generation of Core Duo are simply not capable of. You can find a new motherboard for under $100, but that's just a red herring. You'll need to look at your overall budget and expectation, because it might require a new power supply, special adaptors for older technology that you want to still use and many other nuances. I would still recommend building your own PC provided that you save up for it but if you can't afford to or need a monthly payment option, you'll probably have to look for local vendors in your area that can build a PC for a modest price. I hate Dell and many of the factory built options because they tend to take liberal shortcuts with their components (Dell's power supplies are notoriously bad and is the main culprit for many fried motherboards out there)