SgtJoo

So my parents have two computers, one they almost never use. The one they almost never use is newer, but has integrated graphics and I assume it's crap for gaming.

My question is: In lieu of purchasing a new computer, would it be possible/worth getting this computer into a decently good gaming computer?

It's a Dell Studio Slim 540s... Amazon says it's got these specs:

# Intel Core 2 Duo processor E7400, 8GB Dual Channel DDR2 SDRAM at 800MHz (Dxdiag says the processor is an Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600 2.4 Ghz 4 CPUs)
# 750 GB SATA II Hard Drive (7200 RPM), 16X DVD +/- RW w/dbl layer write capability
# Integrated HDMI and 1394 adapter, Integrated Intel GMA X4500HD Graphics Card, 10/100 Integrated network card
# Dell 19 in 1 Media Card Reader, USB 2.0 Ports: 2 front, 4 back, USB Multimedia Keyboard, Dell USB 6-Button Logitech Mouse
# Genuine Windows Vista Home Premium 64BIT, Microsoft Works 9.0


Amazon.com: Dell Studio Slim Desktop: Computer & Accessories

I would have about $1500 to upgrade it with, and it already has a huge monitor, so that's a plus.

Bear in mind the comp I game on has a 9800 GT and 8GB of RAM, but is a really old Dell XPS running on Pentium D processor.

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abc

I don't understand the question tbh. Is it worth upgrading the dell instead of buying a new gaming PC? or is it worth spending lots of money to upgrade the dell for your parents?

This is hardly easy for me because there are THREE completely different series of proccessors all commonly reffered to as "Pentium D" so I have no idea which one you have BUT the pentium D is almost certainly holding back the 9800GT. And if it's LGA775... and for that matter if you've got a decent motherboard just drop the Q6600 (or even the E7400) in and you'll instantly get a very-worth-doing boost in FPS.

The original Pentium Ds were about 2.8 to 3.7GHz and single cores. The second "Pentium Dual Core" were 1.8 to 2.2GHz low end dual cores. The third generation of "Pentium Dual core" is 2.5 to 2.7GHz dual core that is actually alright for budget gaming. Not to be confused with the new "Pentium G..." which is based on Nehalem (I7/I5 etc)


EDIT: For a while now Dell's have been pretty customisable so unless they bought it off amazon there is probably a 99% chance that the specs are totally different. Also since it's a "slim" case then you can rule out putting a good GFX card in it, like the 9800GT, as ideal as that would be. Infact that's what you need to do... move the mobo/ram/CPU from 540s to XPS case & PSU etc and move the Pentium D/ram/mobo into the 540s case and leave the 9800GT in the XPS... bingo. winner. Part of the genius is that you don't have to worry about the mobo being able to cope with the possibility of a quad or bios updates for the old Pentium D mobo or even sockets. The other clever bit, besides being free, would be that you just might be able to do this without needing to reinstall the OS which is a massive bonus.

What happened to the I5/5850 lol?

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This is getting repetitive.

SgtJoo

I'm just weighing my options. My question was whether it was worth upgrading instead of buying the i5? And the Pentium D is listed as just Intel Pentium D 2.8GHz (2 CPUs). The XPS I'm on now is XP while the Slim is Vista. Also it's impossible to do upgrades in a slim case, I'd need to move everything to the older XPS case?

And is it less hassle to go the i5 route?

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oneinchwunda

With that kinda money, surely you may aswell just get a complete new build.

Not to up to date with how much the US is cheaper than the UK these days, but I'm pretty sure you're looking at I7 (or at least I5) and a 5850?

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SgtJoo

Yep. Was looking at building an i5, P55 mobo, 5850 for gfx. I just wanted some input if I could buy a couple new parts for a lot cheaper, shift some stuff around and get comparable results. If not, a whole new build is a viable option.

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oneinchwunda

If you didn't want a complete new build, you could keep the Q6600, and mobo and ram and maybe HDD, but buy a 5850 (shouldn't be bottlenecked by the CPU) and a new case and PSU. This would make it a lot easier for future upgrades. And you could spend some of that extra money on some nice peripherals, or maybe even an SSD.

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abc

it's cheaper to custom build anyway, and by recycling a HDD, XPS case and probably an XPS PSU then it only going to get cheaper...

It'd be nicer to have a complete new system though.

__________________
"I don't like new Linkin Park, I don't like old Linkin Park... I JUST LIKE LINKIN PARK"

COD owner - COD expansion pack owner - COD2 owner - COD2: BRO player - COD3 owner - COD4 owner - COD:WaW owner - COD: MW2 owner - COD: BO owner

This is getting repetitive.