For the PC savvy...

[DarthHK]

Recently I got my hands on a HP Pavilion a6750f, [http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16883107864&nm_mc=OTC-Froogle&cm_mmc=OTC-Froogle-_-Desktop+PC-_-Hewlett-Packard-_-83107864] a Nvidia GeForce 9800 GTX, [http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/nvidia-geforce-9800gtx-review,1800.html] and thinking about getting this power supply. [http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817339024] No ass kissing intended, you guys are probably the most experienced I know at this sort of thing. Over the years I've been more of a software guy, helping friends run older games on newer computers and vice versa, but I now realize just how little I know about hardware. I mean, I know the basics like a quad core processor will beat a duo, and what the
state of the art graphics cards are, but I've never actually dicked around with the insides of one of these technological wonders. (No pun or horrific mental images intended.)
So, I've done a little Google searching on the subject, and all the results lead back to this wonderfully informative article. [http://www.pcworld.com/article/82184/avoid_static_damage_to_your_pc.html] From what I understand, basically I should make sure the hardware fits, clear the area, and avoid static discharge. Again, before I do cut open my baby I want to be sure this is all, the meticulous, cautious, clueless rat bastard I am.

So asides from telling me I'm beating a dead horse as there are probably at least a dozen threads before this one with similar problems, does anybody have additional advice?

If necessary I can take pictures of my work area.

 

[Nivag the Owl]

Find the specs of your current power supply and note all the available cables. Make sure the new power supply has the same ones. Secondly, you should get something at least 700W. Don't go too far over as it will be uncessasary and waste money.

EDIT: Sorry if I pointed out things that you already know, I didn't check the links

 

[DarthHK]

\

I mean, I know the basics like a quad core processor will beat a duo,

...This is not necessarily true. ;o

F***!!!!

Find the specs of your current power supply and note all the available cables. Make sure the new power supply has the same ones. Secondly, you should get something at least 700W. Don't go too far over as it will be uncessasary and waste money.

Interestin'... most people said 650 should be fine, but I'll do more research.

 

[Daye.04]

Actually that's pretty good advice and I'd probably stick by it.
I'd also try to clean up any possible dust in the casing and let the computer rest off the plug a day or two so there's absolutely no static electricity when you install the supply.

Getting your motherboard fried is the worst thing that can happen.

Also:

I mean, I know the basics like a quad core processor will beat a duo,

...This is not necessarily true. ;o

Aaand speaking of wich. You guys probaly allready know this. But there's suprisingly how many there is that doesn't
Remember to clean your computer once in a while. Monthly or so at least, open and check that there's not too much dust inside (Wich is very likely if you check monthly). ANd if there is. remove it. A clean computer is a happy computer =D

 

[Nivag the Owl]

Interestin'... most people said 650 should be fine, but I'll do more research.

650 might be ok. I personally went with a 700 because my PC is high-spec in all areas. It depends on everything else as well really but it can affect the speed of the PC and I would still recommend a 700W.

 

[Nimbus]

Actually that's pretty good advice and I'd probably stick by it.
I'd also try to clean up any possible dust in the casing and let the computer rest off the plug a day or two so there's absolutely no static electricity when you install the supply.

Getting your motherboard fried is the worst thing that can happen.

Also:

I mean, I know the basics like a quad core processor will beat a duo,

...This is not necessarily true. ;o

Exactly. Unless a game is especially optimised for quad-cores, the clock speed is generally the spec to look at.

As for advice, I would buy some of that static-free paper to lay down in your workspace. It might be being overcautious, but I don't like putting down sensitive parts on any old surface.

EDIT: Oh, and you can cheap out on every other part of your computer, but DO NOT cheap out on the PSU. If something goes wrong with the PSU, the entire rig can be bricked.

 

[spuddyt]

better than that 650w powersupply is this 450w (and no i'm not kidding - read a detailed review, particularly including how many amps on how many rails - corsair kicks ass and that brand above is renowned for the frequency of failure in their products)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139003&Tpk=450vx
as far as putting a new graphics card in is concerned, just unscrew the case, touch the metal of the case while it is plugged in but not switched on at the wall to discharge yourself then (assuming the vanilla computer uses integrated graphics) just slot the card into the pci express x16 slot (should be marked on the manual and if not, on the motherboard itself) (honestly the only bit you really need to be careful with regards to static is the harddrive, i've built a whole computer on carpet like this and it still functions to this day)

 

[cherimoya]

http://www.allmats.com/site/439205/page/853474

i used to live in an apartment with two cats and wall-to-wall carpeting, so i had one of those with the wrist strip.

i have no way of proving it, but i'm positive that thing saved me a lot of heartbreak and RMA downtime.

 

[DarthHK]

Interestin'... most people said 650 should be fine, but I'll do more research.

650 might be ok. I personally went with a 700 because my PC is high-spec in all areas. It depends on everything else as well really but it can affect the speed of the PC and I would still recommend a 700W.

According to the official site [http://www.shopping.hp.com/store/product/product_detail/FQ563AA%2523ABA] it runs on a 300W PSU, no more specifics are given, so I guess I'll have to open it up to see anything else. (Believe it or not this is the most information I could get from a dozen different sites.) I mainly need the new one for this new graphics card which I hear is quite power hungry. I'll look into more and the one spuddyt recommended. *sigh* Why didn't I build one from scratch?

http://www.allmats.com/site/439205/page/853474

i used to live in an apartment with two cats and wall-to-wall carpeting, so i had one of those with the wrist strip.

i have no way of proving it, but i'm positive that thing saved me a lot of heartbreak and RMA downtime.

Could a pair of gloves possibly work on a hardwood floor and if I tell my dogs to eff off? I really am a cheapskate...

 

[ratix2]

as long as you dont have a shitload of hard drives a 600w psu should be more than enough if your only using a single video card. beefier psu's are only really necessary when your running multiple video cards. a really good piece of advice that hasant been mentioned yet is to MAKE DAMN SURE YOU GET A HIGH QUALITY POWER SUPPLY!! seriously, dont get a cheapo psu, when psu's go they have a nasty habit of taking other parts with it (my psu went a few months ago and took the mobo, proc, memory and i suspect the video card as well).

also as said before quad core isnt necessaraly better, but its better to have a quad core espically if you run a lot of multithreaded apps. they dont make much difference in single or dual threaded apps when compared to a single or dual core, but only in badly programmed apps do they perform worse.

finally, anti static gloves arent needed, just make sure you touch a metal object (like the case if it is metal) to discharge the static electricity.

 

[TMAN10112]

I started with a pre-built HP(This) and here's some of the things I have learned as I upgraded:

1)I put in a new GPU (Radeon HD 4870) and no problems once I upgraded my power supply. Although I was pretty tight on space, I could barely get it in.
2)Eventually I upgraded my CPU to a Phenom II quad-core Black Edition(3.0GHz). I'm not sure what mother board yours has in it, but I had an M2N series (here's where the problem starts), and the CPU worked with it, but could not recignize the processor model. It also dosn't allow Overclocking.
3)I recently gutted the entire PC, bought a new motherboard(This), and put everything in a full tower case(This).
4)in the end, the only parts I kept were the RAM(going to upgrade once I have some spare money and time), hard drive(going to use RAID once I find the time & money), and DvD burner.


My current rig:
-Windows Vista home premium
-450GB hard drive
-600w PSU(seems to work fine for me)
-Radeon HD 4870 (512mb)
-3GB RAM
-Phenom II quad core processor black edition (3.0GHz)
-Sunbeam Transformer ATX Full Tower (works awsomely with more then enough room and cooling)
-ASUS M4A78 PRO Mother Board(comes with an awsome OC feature called Turbo V that allows you to instantly OC you rig by simply pressing the power button, even while you playing a game)

I have pics if anyone wants to see.

P.S. HP's tend to be a bit upgrade un-friendly, but it's a real learning expirence as you upgrade.

 

[Avida]

Could a pair of gloves possibly work on a hardwood floor and if I tell my dogs to eff off? I really am a cheapskate...

The graphics card will probably come with anti-static packaging of some description, but yeah you should be fine, static damage is fairly rare, just dont rub any components on your hair or anything.

Also, holy crap that pc is cheap

 

[Baneat]

Don't buy a crappy PSU, but a named brand one. They can crap out easily, fry your mobo and cause some hard to explain system instabilities. Keep your non-dominant hand on a non-painted part of your case when touching parts and you won't ESD all over them.

 

[Abedeus]

I've got a 9800 GT, 2 GB RAM DDR2 and E2160 (I know it sucks, I'm getting E2240 in a month) and I'm happy with my 450, if I recall.

But if you want to overclock them and got a nice cooling, get a 550. 650 is overkill, unless you have an SLI or a Crossfire.

 

[Ancalagon]

Keep your non-dominant hand on a non-painted part of your case when touching parts and you won't ESD all over them.

That's probably not a good idea, since the computer won't be earthed if it's not plugged in, and it can't be plugged in if he's changing the power supply. An unpainted part of a radiator would work, though.

As for the power supply, I'd agree that the quality of the PSU is more important than the wattage rating. You can use:

http://web.aanet.com.au/SnooP/psucalc.php

to calculate your PSU requirements, leave some elbow room for safety and upgrading, and buy the best quality PSU you can afford at that level. Oh, and since you'll be ripping out half the wires in your PC, you might want to invest in some cable ties to keep things tidy, or you'll get poor airflow.

 

[DarthHK]

Alrighty, the fruits of a few hours of searching have lead me to the 550W model of the Corsair power supply spuddyt recommended earlier. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139004

Looks good to me, but then what do I know?

 

[ratix2]

good choice man. active pfc (powr factor correction) is always a plus, apfc psu's cost more than passive pfc or no pfc supplies but as before better to pay more for something that has a much lower chance of frying anything. the other thing is that newer video cards with dual 6 pin or 1 6 pin and 1 8 pin connector usually require 30+ amps through the +12v rails while single 6/8 pin cards usually require in the neighborhood of 20 amps on a single +12v rail. the psu you chose has both of these so as long as you dont throw in another video card youll be fine, its a good psu.

 

[megapenguinx]

Actually that's pretty good advice and I'd probably stick by it.
I'd also try to clean up any possible dust in the casing and let the computer rest off the plug a day or two so there's absolutely no static electricity when you install the supply.

Getting your motherboard fried is the worst thing that can happen.

Also:

I mean, I know the basics like a quad core processor will beat a duo,

...This is not necessarily true. ;o

Aaand speaking of wich. You guys probaly allready know this. But there's suprisingly how many there is that doesn't
Remember to clean your computer once in a while. Monthly or so at least, open and check that there's not too much dust inside (Wich is very likely if you check monthly). ANd if there is. remove it. A clean computer is a happy computer =D

Also too much dust can ignite :/

 

[Ignignoct]

For me, computers are things you lovingly care for, modify, and upgrade over time.

Buy a quality, high-watt PSU now and you won't need to worry about the present or future.

 

[Sewblon]

An overclocked low end CPU can be just as good as a high end CPU. The problem is cooling an overclocked CPU takes serious equipment, possibly liquid nitrogen.