The Kestrel Minority

Kaetha wrote:

Because I am awesome I spent some time researching your pc. Just double check for me and see if thats right.

According to what I was able to dredge up your motherboard is using the 760g amd compliant chipset. (just like my old one) It's a good chipset only downside is it sucks for core unlocking, but you should have the ability to OC your cpu a little without any major system issues. (Disclaimer: You oc at your own risk and kaetha will not be held reposnsible for nuclear meltdown)
I reckon you could probably get your cpu running at 2.8-2.9 maybe even 3.0ghz. You might need better than a stock cooler though as it will increase core temps.

It also said your system is using DDR3, this is good news.
A single 4gb stick of DDR3 budget memory will set you back the grand total of £20! from ebuyer.
If you replace the 1gb stick that will take you up to 6gb of ram. It's not the fastest ram in the world but its not bad.

In regards to your graphics radeon 3000 is pretty standard stuff. I dislike radeon intensely from when I used to play wow when it first came out. My card couldnt render anything properly. So I tend to stick with nvidia. Saying that the 4xxx series aren't bad for entry level gaming and a friend of mine has a 4750 which runs very well on her system. And a 5450 only costs about £20-£30 these days. Make sure to get one with as fast a core clock as possible, this value outweighs the size of the memory buffer generally, theres no point having a huge pool of water if you can only fill it with a teacup right?
I would still generally advocate nvidia cards.
What you may find is people suggest you get an ATI card and crossfire it with the onboard graphics. While in theory this sounds like a great idea in practice it would be like welding a petrol lawnmower to the back of a Harley. It's only going to add weight.


You may now fetch me some tea.

That is indeed my computer! Thanks for all this Kaetha, that all really helps, I think I have got the general jist of all that! So if I buy the graphics card, and also the RAM, would you recomend getting a PC Shop person to put it all in for me? I think that's the best course of action, ahah! But seriously, thanks for going to all that effort for me, it really helps clear things up!
Thanks again!

Wotcha everyone,

Replacing PC parts are a bit like playing with Lego, or Meccano if you're of a certain age.

If you're a little concerned, or know of a pc shop that you know and trust, take it there. However, swapping a graphics card is relatively easy, and installing the drivers is simple enough.

Just take it easy, and try not to force anything.

Of course, once you've started upgrading/swapping out parts, watch out. It's the dark side of pc ownership; the search for faster will forever dominate your destiny.

Especially if you decide to start overclocking.

Cheers,
Hawley.

BadJawa wrote:Wotcha everyone,

Replacing PC parts are a bit like playing with Lego, or Meccano if you're of a certain age.

If you're a little concerned, or know of a pc shop that you know and trust, take it there. However, swapping a graphics card is relatively easy, and installing the drivers is simple enough.

Just take it easy, and try not to force anything.

Of course, once you've started upgrading/swapping out parts, watch out. It's the dark side of pc ownership; the search for faster will forever dominate your destiny.

Especially if you decide to start overclocking.

Cheers,
Hawley.

Trust me, I will not be fiddling inside my computer anymore than I need to! Ahah! So would you not recommend taking it to be chain companies such a PC World?
Thanks guys!

Kaetha wrote:I wouldnt take anything to PC world. Nor would I buy anything from them.

Ahaha, well I'd trust them more than I'd trust myself with this kind of job! I'll have to have a look around, see if there is anyone who could do it for me! Got a feeling PC World will be my back up though if I can't find anywhere! Best not get ahead of myself, got to buy it yet!

Kaetha wrote:Well if you end up near me come in for a cuppa, bring your pc and I'll fit it for you.

Tea or Coffee?

Kaetha wrote:I stock both.

I'm there

Your using AMD Athalon processors so definately stick with Nvidea video cards, they share some commonalities in their programming, so work well together.