Hardware tech info needed please

[BlazerX]

Hi for all you techies out there i have a question.
I bought a HPDC 7800 Convertable Mini Tower with Intel Core 2 Duo @ 2.66,3Gb RAM,365watt PSU did not come with a hard drive.
1.I want to know if the Hard drive that i need is a SATA and If a Laptop SATA will fit
2.Im will be using it for gaming and Video Editing what GPU should i get around the Budget of 50-150
3.Should i upgrade ram to 4Gb or 8GB
4.and is it worth having Windows 8
5,Can Dolphin/PCXS 2 would run games well on this comp
thanks for answering my questions

 

[Originality]

Without checking that series specifically for details, I can answer the following.

That CPU series means it will use SATA drives. Mini towers tend to still use 3.5" drives, but some are shrunk to the point that only 2.5" (laptop) drives fit.

For the GPU, you're limited to low profile cards. I'm not an expert on those, since my knowledge tends towards laptops or gaming rigs.

You don't need 4GB. That said, RAM is cheap so if you have the spare budget, feel free to upgrade as far as you like. Extra RAM will help with video editing, but without a good GPU, you won't really notice the difference.

Windows 8 is a matter of preference in UI. It's cheap, so it doesn't hurt to give it a try.

Emulators will run, although how well depends on the game. Not all games will be flawless (since 3Ghz dual-core is preferred) but the majority should be fine.

 

[BlazerX]

I was just looking through the H 7800 Convertiable Tower and i think it shows that its does have full Height PCI heres a link not much good with pc http://h18000.www1.hp.com/products/quickspecs/12744_div/12744_div.HTML and heres a image of the pc

 

[Originality]

Ok, that's a mid-tower. Definitely uses 3.5" drives and can fit full graphics cards, although I imagine length would be the limiting factor. And PSU wattage.

So for the GPU, try looking at the budget cards like the GT 540. I would look up the wattage requirements for it, but I'm on my iPad since I'm just about to crash to bed.

 

[BlazerX]

ok one last question would i beable to use my WD Blue Scorpoi SATA 320GB intnernal 2.5 if i buy the adapter?

 

[Originality]

Technically, you don't even need an adaptor. Just plug it in as normal (if loose) and it'll work.

Note, I'm assuming you meant 2.5" to 3.5" adaptor. If you meant some other adaptor (like molex to SATA power or IDE to SATA data cables), then I don't know what you mean.

 

[BlazerX]

I meant 2.5 to 3.5, but thanks for your help.If i have anymore questions ill write back

 

[BlazerX]

1.Doing some reasearch and this MB uses DDR2 Ram whats a good High end DDR2 Ram?
2.GPU for Nvidia im thinking of GTGTX 560 Ti or GTX 465 and for AMD HD6970 or AMD HD5770
3.Will the Intel Core 2 Duo E6750 Bottleneck those GPU's listed?
im hoping to play games like:
play some games like
Skyrim(Meduim/High)
Battlefield 3(Medeuim/High)
Empire Total War(High/Ultra)
Shogun 2 Total War(Meduim/High)

Btw will be Dual Booting WXP/W7orW8

 

[raulpica]

1. You don't need high-end DDR2, it's just horribly priced and won't give you any gains.
2. 560 Ti if you go Nvidia. The 5770 is a solid card, but the 6970 should be better. Obviously if you have budget constrains, get the cheaper one of the pair. Do NOT get the 465 (look at the next post).
3. Most certainly. You need a beefier CPU, preferably a Quad Core. Your motherboard probably doesn't support them, so you'd need another motherboard.

Also, HP motherboards tend to be the worst crap ever (failing SBs which disconnect SATA during operation, blah blah) and they're pretty slow in PCIe/RAM access, so you'll end up bottlenecking your entire system anyway.

Don't spend too much on the GPU, said that, you'll just lose every gain you might have. Just get a 465 or 5770.

tl;dr, it'd have been better to build it from the ground up.

 

[Minox]

2. 560 Ti > 465. The 5770 is a solid card, but the 6970 should be better. Obviously if you have budget constrains, get the cheaper one of the pair (I'd always get Nvidia over ATi, but that's just me).

Don't spend too much on the GPU, said that, you'll just lose every gain you might have. Just get a 465 or 5770.

Do not get a 465. 465 along with 470 & 480 are GF100 based Fermi GPUs that not only suffer from rather high temperatures but also from fairly high power drain. GF104 GPU chipsets and later improve upon the Fermi architecture mitigating these issues, so instead of a 465 I'd rather suggest a 460Ti which is a nice GF104 based GPU. Obviously you can always go for newer series as well, but please do yourself a favor by staying away from GF100.

 

[raulpica]

Do not get a 465. 465 along with 470 & 480 are GF100 based Fermi GPUs that not only suffer from rather high temperatures but also from fairly high power drain. GF104 GPU chipsets and later improve upon the Fermi architecture mitigating these issues, so instead of a 465 I'd rather suggest a 460Ti which is a nice GF104 based GPU. Obviously you can always go for newer series as well, but please do yourself a favor by staying away from GF100.

Right, I totally forgot about the entire GF100/104 thing. I'll edit my post

 

[Originality]

The CPU doesn't bottleneck the GPU, but it will lag when it comes to more CPU heavy games. Skyrim and Battlefield 3 are mostly GPU heavy games, but the Total War games are definitely CPU heavy games. Generally it's good practice to get a good balance, but it really depends on your needs.

In terms of nVidia vs AMD graphics (ATi are no more), AMD gets higher framerates and lower power drain, but nVidia has more stable drivers and better supporting software that certain games take advantage of. I personally prefer nVidia (after a decade of using ATi) and have a GTX 560 Ti myself. Overclocked of course.

If you're going to upgrade to a midrange GPU, you'll want a 450W PSU minimum with 550W preferred. If you're going to upgrade the CPU, either get a E8400 minimum or upgrade the whole rig to SandyBridge or IvyBridge. That'd prolly cost $300-400 altogether.

Edit: and as mentioned, the HP POS motherboard is the most likely part to bottleneck the system.

 

[raulpica]

The CPU doesn't bottleneck the GPU, but it will lag when it comes to more CPU heavy games. Skyrim and Battlefield 3 are mostly GPU heavy games, but the Total War games are definitely CPU heavy games.

Huh? I read pretty much around that Skyrim is a game severely bottlenecked by CPU.

The CPU does indeed "bottleneck" the GPU if it can't cope up with the amount of data (like in Total War with a massive number of units). It'll inevitably slow down the entire game, and having an uber-fast GPU won't give you any gains in that case.

 

[BlazerX]

The Gefoce 460ti does nice for the power,im hoping for with the total war games for about Meduim to Large armys,Wouldnt Ram take into effect with more army? since this is a 64bit sys ill be giving it 6GB Ram,
ill be Dual booting WXP for more Performace ill,
Whats a good 550watt PSU for the system?

 

[Originality]

Stating the obvious... CPU and GPU process different types of data. There are basically two jobs to do, and the CPU usually does the less intense of the jobs. Lack of CPU strength does not stop the GPU from doing its job, but it does leave you with choppy gameplay even with high framerates in the games that depend on the CPU for number crunching.

Whilst Skyrim needs both a good CPU and GPU, most of the data being processed is rendering the world and mobs within it. The CPU is mostly used for AI and number crunching. Total War involves so many units in is armies, which the GPU doesn't actually fully render until you zoom in, that it's up to the CPU to process most of that data. A lot of it is AI work, both for the armies and for the individual units, but there's also a lot of number crunching to do, especially when two armies engage.

 

[BlazerX]

Yes i see balance its what ima need to enjoy the games with decent capable speed

 

[Rydian]

Your average CPU is enough for modern games. Getting a good-enough CPU is a given*.

Not so for the GPU. The GPU that comes with most computers isn't recommended for gaming, which is why people focus on the GPU.

* - lolATOM? Oh yes, Atom with a PCI-Ex16 card? lolno

 

[raulpica]

The Gefoce 460ti does nice for the power,im hoping for with the total war games for about Meduim to Large armys,Wouldnt Ram take into effect with more army? since this is a 64bit sys ill be giving it 6GB Ram,
ill be Dual booting WXP for more Performace ill,
Whats a good 550watt PSU for the system?

Using XP nowadays is just a BAD IDEA™.

There are no real gains from using XP except a smaller memory footprint (less RAM used), which won't matter anyway with 6GB.

XP is something of the past, just like 98. It needs to die.

 

[GreatCrippler]

XP will not die until people stop using outdated equipment. It doesn't need to. It's simple, functional, and a good OS for weaker machines. That said... Decent Core 2 Duo with 6gb of memory? Use a 64 bit of something newer.

 

[Rydian]

Whoops, missed the XP reference (unfamiliar with most of the modded XP varieties floating around), but yeah I agree you should use an OS that's not over 10 years old.