BleepingComputer.com: UPGRADE HELP

I have a Sony PCV-RS430g desktop, with a 200g hd. The rest is stock. What do I need to upgrade to play Call of Duty Moderen Warfare 2? I ran can I run it . It said the CPU was to low & the video card needed to be upgraded, & I needed more ram. It seems simple enough. But will the motherboard be compatiable with a CPU upgrade? Is there any info that would help me to fix this computer. This site has been very helpful in the past.
Thanks
Dave

To be honest, if a game you want to play needs more RAM, a new CPU, and an upgraded video card, the time has come to just buy/build another system. I can't see putting any money into an older AGP system like that.

dpunisher, on Nov 18 2009, 03:50 PM, said:

Tbh.

May not be the help you're looking for, but it's the best advice. Upgrading that is a waste of time. Not to mention DDR RAM alone is a rip off now, and that only has 512mb. God knows if the BIOS of that thing can ever support new CPU's. With the money you'd need to update that you could nearly make a new build.

Upgrade time! If you want help picking out a build for yourself, well there's lots of people here who'd help, just post how much you're willing to spend.

What parts could I still use? Case, sound card, power supply etc ?

Well, I doubt the PSU is any good from such a system. The case mightn't work, check is the cables are soldered to the mobo. If that thing has a sound card in it you could use it, but I don't think it does, or does it?

You could use the keyboard and mouse and screen though hehe. Do you have speakers?

You should be able to use most, if not all, the peripherals like the keyboard, mouse, and monitor. The internal components are another matter. You may be able to reuse the hard drive, but if it is five years old or so, then you may want a new one since most drives start to fail after about that time. You may not be able to use the case. Some OEM's (Like Dell, HP, Sony, etc.) have customized cases that only work with their hardware. Higher-end models from the OEMs typically allow for more customization and have standard components, whereas the lower-end or slimline models do not. However, some do use standard cases with their branding on them making the cases easy to reuse. I've never heard of OEM's actually soldering cables onto the motherboard, I have heard of them having special proprietary connectors, though. You will be able to reuse the optical drive assuming it is a standard model. Most motherboards come with the sound system built in, so unless you have a separate sound card installed on your system, you shouldn't have to worry about that. The power supply is probably not that good and should also be replaced along with the graphics card. Your RAM will most likely not be reused since most PC's are going moving away from DDR and towards DDR3.

What would it cost to build a decent gaming computer & is it that hard? I have no experience at this.

DJBPace07, on Nov 18 2009, 09:30 PM, said:

An old pre made Packard Bell I used to have had the Power and Reset buttons soldered to the motherboard, was epic fail! It's the only time I've ever seen it myself, wouldn't have believed it unless I saw it :D

Anyway for dirt cheap $600 you could roll with this. The mobo is a micro atx, but I think you'll probably want as cheap as you can get while been a good performer. The CPU is a quad core, so it should last you a few years. And the GPU is more than enough for CoD:MW2. It's DX11 capable aswell!

You could maybe re-use your hard drive, but as DJBPace said, it's probably nearing it's end, not to mention it's probably quite slow, and very little space on it. I recommend you get a new one too!

Here's what I got at $600, if you're willing to spend more you can get a better system. Also a wee note if you've never built before, it's a very easy process! Youtube has lots of videos, and if you watch them you'll see how easy it is, if you can change the RAM/GPU on your current computer it's just as easy to assemble the rest!


Left click and click view at full size.

p.s: No operating system in there, you can use your windows xp if you want, or get the OEM copy of W7 for around $100. Also, if it's needs to be cheaper, parts can be changed, namely the GPU+CPU.

Building a PC is easy, there are plenty of videos and how-to's on the net...plus, there's the people here at Bleeping Computer. Most of the components just snap together, take your time, read the directions, and you will be fine. You cannot reuse the old Windows XP from your Sony Vaio as it is an OEM copy and cannot be transferred to a new PC due to the license. Therefore, you will need to get Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit. (Squinting at the build) That is a nice build though, the 5770 graphics card would be a better choice, but the 5750 would be good enough if you're really wanting to keep costs down.

Well I did say underneath the build.

Quote

Also, I've used OEM keys from 2 Dells computers and 1 Packard Bell on custom PC's without a problem.

IrishGrimReaper, on Nov 19 2009, 12:56 PM, said:

I did left click, it came up at the same size again at Aviary in a new window, hence the squinting. Is it really that difficult to add links and say what you're linking to? Anyway, you cannot reuse OEM licenses. However, there is no technical reason why you cannot do it, only a legal one. Assuming you have a standard OEM copy and not a recovery disc, you can reinstall and activate it but you would be violating the license. Besides, the version of XP that would be reinstalled is 32-bit, so not all of the RAM would be available.

Thanks to everyone who responded, I probly be better off buying a gaming system & just using the computer I have to do the daily stuff I use it for. What a drag!!!

You could always build yourself a new PC to get the best equipment and probably save some cash.

DJBPace07, on Nov 19 2009, 09:13 PM, said:

Honestly, I wonder, can only I see the "View at full size" link? Tell me when you click that image does it bring up a page that looks like this?



When I add an image from aviary to a forum post I say "Click and click view at full size", can you all see that "view at full size" button in the pic, or is it only me? It sucks to think if only I can see it, then some of the builds I suggested would need some serious squinting :D

It puts the image up fully for me when I click that. If someone would reply back and let me know

I do click the image to view it at full size in Aviary. When it comes up in a new window, it is the website you have a screen shot of, but the image of the build list is the same size as it is at Bleeping Computer. In other words the image of the build list has a resolution on the forum of 623x186, at Aviary, it is still 623x186 only with a website around it.