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Computer upgrade help, 100-200$ budget
Hey guys I'm using
Dell Vostro 200 Desktop Computer Intel Pentium Dual-Core Processor E2160 (1.80GHz, 1MB L2 Cache, 160GB HDD, 2GB RAM
and I want to upgrade my grahpics card but I'm not sure what watts I have, how can I increase my rams? Please give me some suggestions guys! Also after I upgrade it do you think I can support vista?
http://www.amazon.com/Dell-Pentium-Dual-Core-Processor-Widescreen/dp/B002RKGDS4 here's the link of the computer I got
freakmarket
270 Posts
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November 10th, 2012 20:00
i just looked up your manual for the vostro 200 and it shows you have 4 DDR-2 800mhz slots for memory ... you need to pop open your case and look to see how many slots are empty ... if you have 2 empty slots you can get to 4gb from your existing 2gb ram by adding 2 1gb DDR-2 800mhz dimms.
instructions for adding/removing parts: support.dell.com/.../parts.htm
this computer will run vista decently once you get up to 4gb RAM ... if you can I would make the jump to windows 7 because it will run faster than Vista. 4gb of RAM and windows 7 will make this computer feel way faster.
graphics options: you have a good 300watt power supply in your machine ... if you are just running off the video on the computer's mother board I would suggest installing an ATI/AMD 6570 or a Nvidia GT 430 ... both are low wattage cards and will give about twice the graphics power of the motherboard's graphics.
freakmarket
270 Posts
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November 10th, 2012 21:00
for modern gaming about the best card you could do with your 300watt power supply is the AMD/ATI HD 6670 and that's still only going to get you to about medium gaming settings at best.
you could install a bigger power supply and a better video card for about $200 but I don't think your old CPU and RAM could keep up very well. It wouldn't be worth the money.
the AMD/ATI 6670 is the go to card on the forums here that Dell's 300 watt computers can be upgraded to.
example: www.newegg.com/.../Product.aspx ... you don't have to go with that specific card either ... its a brand i trust but most of these 6670 cards are pretty much the same. These cards are PCIe16 2.0 cards but are compatible with your computer's PCIe 16 1.0 slot.
I used to run an Inspiron 530 which had almost the same guts as your Vostro 200 with 4gb RAM and an AMD/ATI 6670 in it and it played world of warcraft at almost max settings ... a lot of modern games need more horsepower so you'll get closer to lower setting results. don't expect miracles but they should be playable at lower settings.
i didnt realize you were gaming so scratch the Nvidia gt 430 i suggested off the list as its weaker that the 6570 and 6670.
DELL-Vikram M
1.1K Posts
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November 9th, 2012 20:00
Hi ItsLawrence,
Here is the link which has the compatible video cards for your system: http://dell.to/RNSXpf
Your system supports maximum of 4 GB memory. In order to upgrade to 4 GB, you can put 1 GB each in all the 4 memory slots on the motherboard. Here is the link to upgrade the memory: http://dell.to/WNP9u8
Vostro 200 is shipped with Windows XP and Vista; hence, you should be able to use Windows Vista after the upgrade. If you are considering upgrading Windows Vista on your system, run Windows Vista upgrade advisor: http://bit.ly/Q36w7t
Please reply for any clarifications.
ItsLawrence
15 Posts
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November 10th, 2012 08:00
Thank you so much William, when you mean my computer maximum supports 4GB memory, does that mean I can put 2 more 1GB memory? Can you tell me how well can the video cards work on modern online games like league of legends in high quality or the PC game sleeping dogs which requires a really good graphics card?
ItsLawrence
15 Posts
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November 10th, 2012 08:00
When I run the VistaUpgradeAdvisor.msi for scan it says can't connect to server
ItsLawrence
15 Posts
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November 10th, 2012 21:00
Thank you very much.
ItsLawrence
15 Posts
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November 11th, 2012 00:00
On the system requirement site on www.amd.com/.../amd-radeon-hd-6670-overview.aspx "400 Watt or greater power supply recommended (500 Watt for AMD CrossFireX™ technology in dual mode)"
does that mean I can't support it?
rdunnill
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8.8K Posts
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November 11th, 2012 02:00
Sapphire has a 7750-based card on the market which buyers have reported successfully using with power supplies as limited as 235 watts.
freakmarket
270 Posts
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November 11th, 2012 10:00
there is a really good review of the HD 6670 i point people at here: pcper.com/.../Power-C
at maximum graphics intensity the entire system draws 208 watts ... your system can do that easy. the reason they say you need a 400 watt power supply is a LOT of companies use crappy power supplies but Dell uses good power supplies that can actually deliver the voltage they say.
the hd 7750 that rdunnill suggested is the modern day equivalent to the 6670 ... it has almost identical performance at a little higher price and a bit lower power draw but only by a couple watts. 202 watts
7750 review: pcper.com/.../Overclocking-Power-Consumpt
rdunnill
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8.8K Posts
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November 11th, 2012 12:00
The 7750 is significantly faster than the 6670, even with its lower power consumption. The advantage of the 6670 is its lower price.
ItsLawrence
15 Posts
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November 11th, 2012 15:00
So is the XFX ATI Radeon HD6670 1 GB DDR3 VGA/DVI/HDMI PCI-Express Video Card HD667XZHF3 able to fit my computer? Compare price the 6670 is 60% lower than 7750