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Upgrading my PC: Where do I start?

MaxCSW

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Posted December 30, 2012 at 4:46PM

Ok so I have an 8 year old PC that still runs well. At the moment it runs Windows 7 ultimate at a good speed. I now want to give it a full upgrade, but it will have to be bit by bit as money allows me to. I am just wondering, what should I upgrade first? (I was thinking the processor but I really am a beginner.)

Thanks Guys

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nickf

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Posted December 30, 2012 at 7:58PM

Difficult to say , without knowing your current specs , how far you want to upgrade , and what are you upgrading for ? As for starting with CPU , you would be better off getting a bundle . eg:http://www.scan.co.uk/3xs-overclocked-bundles , this to give you some idea .

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MaxCSW

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Posted December 30, 2012 at 8:34PM

Okay thanks, I'll get the specs back to you ASAP.

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MaxCSW

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Posted December 30, 2012 at 10:25PM

Also, I'm upgrading for gaming and things like movie making and photoshop.

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nickf

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Posted December 30, 2012 at 10:39PM

I think you may well be better off starting from scratch . As you are a beginner , I would not recommend building yourself , there are plenty of good system builders out there that will make system for you . There will be very little cost difference to building yourself , and the system will be balanced and matched for you to your requirements and budget . I personally have used http://3xs.scan.co.uk/ , and vouch for there quality and value , but there is a wide choice .

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Forum Editor

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Posted December 31, 2012 at 1:00AM

The single most effective upgrade is an increase in RAM, particularly where games and big image files are concerned, and I recommend that you tackle that first - add as much RAM as your motherboard will allow.

Next, look at upgrading the graphics card.

A good deal depends on the existing hardware configuration,as nickf says - the motherboard in particular - so let us have that information before we go any further. It may well be more cost effective to cut your losses and go for a new machine, but it's difficult to tell at the moment.

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iscanut2

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Posted December 31, 2012 at 3:32PM

Ram, graphics card, ( as long as PSU can cope !), processor. If you get that far, then think about a new pc !!! AS FE says, spec would be useful to say for certain.

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