I need help from a PC expert!

[Oly J]

hi people, basically, I've been a console gamer since I can remember, and I want to turn my computer into a decent gaming PC, doesn't have to be insanely powerful, just enough to run up-to-date games, and I'd like to know what I need to accomplish this,

the link below is to a page of detailed specifications for the make and model of PC I'm using

http://support.lenovo.com/en_US/detail.page?LegacyDocID=MIGR-60400

I have a dualcore processer with 2.98GB of RAM and 2.80GHz and 2.79GHz are on the properties page somewhere lol. I think the only thing I really need is a graphics card, so if someone could recommend a good one to look for that would be awesome, but I'm not sure if I need anything else or not

thanks to anyone who takes the time to help.

 

[Supernova1138]

You're looking at a new computer I'm afraid unless you are okay with running games at the absolute minimum settings. Even then, some games may not be playable. You probably have a very old CPU called a Pentium D. Check your system properties, you may also have a Pentium 4 with hyperthreading. Compared to modern CPUs the Pentium D is extremely slow, the Pentium 4 is even worse, they actually both fall below the minimum requirements for a lot of titles these days. Your motherboard does not support anything newer than the Pentium D. Thus, a CPU upgrade is not likely an option for you.

You also have a BTX motherboard and case, which may be problematic for getting a new video card. A lot of the BTX cases do not allow for video cards that take up two slots, which applies to most gaming video cards out right now.

You are also likely to need a new power supply. The 310 Watt unit your computer has isn't enough to power most video cards, though there are a couple of entry level gaming cards that should work on a power supply that weak.

All that said, if you can't afford a new system, you might be able to get away with a low power entry level gaming card like a Radeon HD 6670 or 7750 if you can find one with a single slot cooler. That should work with your power supply, and hopefully won't be held back too much by your CPU. Be warned, even with a new video card, performance on some CPU heavy games such as GTA IV and Battlefield 3 won't be good. Some modern titles may run okay, but your CPU won't be able to handle the more demanding stuff.

Bottom line: For optimal gaming performance, just get a new system, even really cheap systems with an added graphics card are much better than that 6 or 7 year old rig.

 

[Oly J]

You're looking at a new computer I'm afraid unless you are okay with running games at the absolute minimum settings. Even then, some games may not be playable. You probably have a very old CPU called a Pentium D. Check your system properties, you may also have a Pentium 4 with hyperthreading. Compared to modern CPUs the Pentium D is extremely slow, the Pentium 4 is even worse, they actually both fall below the minimum requirements for a lot of titles these days. Your motherboard does not support anything newer than the Pentium D. Thus, a CPU upgrade is not likely an option for you.

You also have a BTX motherboard and case, which may be problematic for getting a new video card. A lot of the BTX cases do not allow for video cards that take up two slots, which applies to most gaming video cards out right now.

You are also likely to need a new power supply. The 310 Watt unit your computer has isn't enough to power most video cards, though there are a couple of entry level gaming cards that should work on a power supply that weak.

All that said, if you can't afford a new system, you might be able to get away with a low power entry level gaming card like a Radeon HD 6670 or 7750 if you can find one with a single slot cooler. That should work with your power supply, and hopefully won't be held back too much by your CPU. Be warned, even with a new video card, performance on some CPU heavy games such as GTA IV and Battlefield 3 won't be good. Some modern titles may run okay, but your CPU won't be able to handle the more demanding stuff.

Bottom line: For optimal gaming performance, just get a new system, even really cheap systems with an added graphics card are much better than that 6 or 7 year old rig.

ok thanks, let's assume that I can come up with whatever money I'd need eventually (I can be quite resourceful in that regard) what kind of system would you recommend going after?

 

[Supernova1138]

For decent gaming you don't really need to spend much beyond $800 to $1000, though that's if you build it yourself. Prebuilt systems with decent graphics cards tend to be priced higher, closer to $1200 and up. If you are looking to save money, but don't want to build the whole thing yourself, get a prebuilt priced around $500, make sure it is a full size tower, not a slimline or all-in-one system, and then buy a new power supply and graphics card for that prebuilt system. You'll likely need a new power supply, as most prebuilts do not have a power supply that is good enough to power most gaming graphics cards. So if you go prebuilt, get a system for about $500, spend approx. $50 for a good quality 500 Watt power supply.

Then spend $150 to $200 for a decent graphics card. The Radeon HD 6870 and GTX 560 are pretty good performers at all resolutions up to and including 1080p. Something like that will run just about any game quite well. Switching out a power supply and adding a graphics card are quite easy to do, only tool you need is a screwdriver. There are plenty of tutorial videos on the Internet that can show you how to do that. It is quite simple, as all the power connectors are keyed to only fit in one way, so you pretty much can't screw it up.