Posts by fadedorca66

Unfortunately, that board is strictly limited to Pentium 4 processors, so you don't really have any other options here:
http://www.asus.com/Motherboards/P5GD1VM/HelpDesk_CPU/

So, if you want a new CPU, you’re looking at a new motherboard and RAM too. I guess you should also check your power supply; maybe it wouldn't be a bad idea to swap that out as well... Plus, your optical drive and hard drive need to be SATA, since PATA won't work on a modern board.

What were you planning on playing on this PC?

You really planning on running dual cards in CF or SLI? Probably not.

Your XFX should handle most things, though maybe you could grab a 550w if you're feeling ambitious, but honestly, you likely don't need more than that.

So, what kind of game are you actually planning to run on this thing?

Yeah, 128-bit is better since you get more bandwidth. Also, if you're picking between DDR3 and DDR5, I'd say just go with DDR5, even if the capacity is a bit lower.

It sucks that there are only two RAM slots on that motherboard, so if he wants 8GB, he’ll probably have to ditch both sticks.

I guess 4GB might get him through for a little while, though.

Don't sweat it, you'll probably just grab 😬
instead.

Sure, if the NVIDIA isn't seated properly it might overheat, but I guess you'll still need to run the PC for a bit to let it warm up first

So why the sudden urge for a new GPU? You actually planning on gaming, or just looking to swap out the old one?

Just make sure they don't try to screw you over by giving you a card with DDR3 instead of DDR5.

The DDR3 version might technically have more memory, but I guess that’s just a marketing gimmick since the DDR5 one is actually faster.

crimsonsurfer3 said:Hey everyone. My GPU fan finally died on me recently, so I hit up some local shops to see if they had replacement fans. Turns out nobody stocks just the fans anymore—they only carry full coolers, and those are running about $200$100. Since my rig is already about four years old, I guess it makes more sense to just grab a new card rather than dropping that much on a single cooler. I was rocking an AMD Radeon HD 5600 until now. I’m looking to spend maybe $500$200, so I’d really appreciate some advice on a decent 🙂
.
In case it helps, here's what I'm running:

AMD Athlon II X2 240
4GB dual-channel DDR3 @669MHz
ASUS M4A75T-5 (AMD AM3)

Are you planning on gaming or just general use, and are you leaning toward used or new gear?

You could probably grab that

So, a DVI to HDMI adapter?

If I recall correctly, they'll throw in free assembly if you buy the whole rig from them

So, I guess you're stuck on VGA for now. Maybe once you get the new PC, things will actually look better—it's possible the resolution isn't even set up right on this one.

Don't ever buy those pre-built rigs; they'll probably try to scam you with some cheap junk inside. I'm not even sure which Intel Core chip they're using, maybe it's just an i3 if they're bragging about speed, but honestly, you don't even need that much power for what you're doing.

Just print this out and take it to a local shop to have them build it for you—maybe throw in a burner too:
http://www.linksys.com/dvd-rw-lg...kl=052.112.393

And from what I can see, the monitor has a DVI port:
http://www.lg.com/uk/monitors/lg-W2241S-BF-lcd-monitor

I guess you should probably double-check if there's actually another slot next to the current one. Usually, the VGA is blue and the DVI is white.

Grace Kern said:This is all you really need.
1 x Intel Celeron G1610
1 x Patriot Signature DDR3 1600Mhz, 4GB, CL11
1 x MSI H61M-P20 G3 (Socket 1155, DDR3, SATA II,PS/2,USB2.0,VGA,DVI) mATX
1 x HDD Desktop TOSHIBA DT01ACA050 (3.5", 500GB, 32MB, SATA III-600)
1 x LITE ON IHAS122 DVD-RW 22x Super Multi, SATA, Black, Bulk
1 x NaviaTec Mid Tower ATX PC Case, NO PSU
1 x Linkworld PSU 420W, 12cm fan, 3xSata

Total: $511 FUTURA IT, assembly included at no extra charge. You can also grab some Windows if you find yourself needing them.

I'd probably stretch my budget a bit for a decent power supply and case:
1 x MSI FSP300-60HCN, bulk PSU
1 x MS PHOENIX case without PSU

It costs a little more, but they aren't total junk

I have no idea which Intel Core they were trying to push on you, but if it was some old socket 775, they were basically trying to sell you ancient junk.

If you're in a rush, just head over to Linksys and grab something like this, since all these parts are available in Cleveland:
http://www.igreklik.com/slike/images...8101938990.jpg

If you don't mind waiting a bit for them to ship components from other branches, you could go this route and maybe save about $100:
http://www.igreklik.com/slike/images...4948820585.jpg

There's probably no need to stress over all $1000 options because these two builds should be more than enough for what you need. Both setups include:
- modern motherboards with socket 1150, so upgrading the CPU or RAM later should be easy enough
- decent processors with integrated graphics that can handle things without much trouble (plus they stay cool and don't pull much power)
- a 1TB hard drive for storage
- solid, high-quality power supplies to allow for future upgrades
- 4GB of RAM, which is plenty for now, though you could always add another 4GB later if you feel like it
- motherboards equipped with all the video outputs you might actually use (VGA, DVI, HDMI), along with USB 3.0 and SATA3 connectors.

If you want a killer GPU, you could always add one, though it'll cost you roughly $50.
If you're looking to upgrade the monitor immediately, I'd suggest grabbing this one with the slightly better IPS panel:

Just watch out, because the folks at Linksys might try to upsell you on everything from a different CPU cooler to a whole new motherboard or whatever. Maybe check back in with us before you pull the trigger.

Image quality mostly comes down to the monitor itself. How many inches is your current screen? Are you using the right resolution? And are you plugged in via VGA or DVI?

Just make sure you've got a beefy enough power supply

Hold up, do you actually need a monitor too or what?

Is this actually normal?

So, did you end up grabbing that GPU, and did it actually fix the issue?