CPU upgrade question

I would say around the £150 mark should be fine for me...I think that works out at around $200?

I'm not sure if TigerDirect will ship there. They do have a UK counterpart, but they don't appear to have the same hardware listings. In fact, they're severely lacking on their UK site. I have however taken a peak at eBuyer. Just give me a few minutes and I'll see what I can dig up :)

Thanks nekkidtruth, your help is really appreciated :)

If the RAM you refer to is from your PTGD1-LA, it's DDR, not DDR2.

Motherboard Specifications, PTGD1-LA (Grouper) - HP Customer Care (United States - English)

The mainboard is microATX, (24.5 cm square), which affects your choices if you wish to swap it out. I don't know whether the board has any proprietary features that would make replacing it difficult. (I'd guess not, but I don't know.)

It may be possible to do a worthwhile upgrade (Core2 CPU, new motherboard, DDR2 or DDR3 RAM) for £150, but I'm not hopeful. You may be better served by saving up for something more up-to-date (Socket 1156 board, Core I5 CPU, DDR3, new case, PSU.)

I'm going to push your budget a little bit here....

Intel Core 2 Quad Q8400 2.66GHz Socket 775 1333FSB 4MB L2 Cache Retail Boxed Processor - Ebuyer - £134.48
Gigabyte GA-G31M-ES2L iG31 Socket 775 onboard VGA 7.1 channel audio mATX Motherboard - Ebuyer - £32.94

Just a note for educational purposes....the 775 socket is in EoL (End of Life). This however does not mean it isn't a viable option. The above CPU/motherboard combo coupled with 4GB of RAM will give you a blazing fast machine for years to come. This is your best option for the amount of money you're looking to spend (Intel side of course). If anyone else has any other suggestions and or has any other options/prices, I'm sure they'll chime in :)

bobkn said:

It may be possible to do a worthwhile upgrade (Core2 CPU, new motherboard, DDR2 or DDR3 RAM) for £150, but I'm not hopeful. You may be better served by saving up for something more up-to-date (Socket 1156 board, Core I5 CPU, DDR3, new case, PSU.)

bobkn is absolutely right about saving up for something more up-to-date, but I personally don't think it's necessary. If you're a true computer enthusiast and like to have the latest/greatest then absolutely, but if you just want a machine that's going to work fast/reliable for at least a few years down the road, anything Core2Duo and up will suffice. Core2Quads even more so.

I like the look of those suggestions nekkidtruth, I think I will go with them :)
Now will I be needing a new case and fan to go with them? lol

The quad cores definitely run hotter for the most part. The CPU will come with a decent fan/heatsink, but you may need to get a better one. This really all depends on the ambient temperature. Is the room your PC is in chilly or warm? You won't really know if you'll need an extra fan in the case until you have the machine up and running. There are several tools to check temperatures once it's up of course.

As for the new case, that's up to you. If you're going to upgrade any other components in the near future (Such as Graphics card or other hardware) you may want to get a new case, most come with a power supply and any newer one will come with a decent power supply. Speaking of, that reminds me. The newer motherboards have a different type of connector where the PSU plugs in. That Gigabyte motherboard has a 24-pin ATX connector. Make sure your current power supply (if you don't buy a new case) has that attachment. If not, you can buy a converter for like a couple of dollars, or £'s in your case.

I currently have a cross fire 530watt power supply it said on the box it has a sata & PCI-E connector built in.

i think this is the one:
Micropoint UK Ltd :: Power Supplies :: 4M530-PK - HIPER POWER 530W

I can't seem to find any indication of the pin connector on that page. Unless I'm blind haha.

Anyway, the PSU itself is perfectly fine. You're definitely fine power wise. There is a large plug that plugs directly into the motherboard, count how many holes it has. If there are 24, you are fine :) Obviously you would need to do this while the machine is off

Although it's very easy to upgrade components in a computer on your own (It really is...), it's never as black and white as "I'll just swap out this piece of hardware!". You have to be mindful of the other hardware as well and compatibility. Take this upgrade for instance, you have to be sure your PSU is up to par (And it is), your RAM is the correct type of RAM (May want to double check to make sure it is in fact DDR2 that you have currently) among other things. This is just for educational purposes. You may know this, but others may not. :)