[nicknack383]

i have an istart 1360 packard bell system

with 512kb ram 333mhz pc3200
amd 3500+ 64 2.2ghz graphics card
windows xp
on board sound and graphics

and i want the following
8800gtx graphics card (nvidia)
amd 64x2 4200+ processor
2gb of ram, and
compatible power supply
and of course adaquate cooling

What will be the best way of going around this, i need to know are all of these compatible with each other. I have never built a computer before but would like to upgrade this one. My main concerns are the PSU, do i need exact wattage, and also how will i find if it has the 30A required. I also need 2 pci outs, mine is an atx 12v connection.

The ram, will it need to be compatible with the motherboard OR the processor, ie. can i upgrade that now with my current processor and plug and play the dual core with the same ram.

Will there be any problems with conflicts etc. with upgrading these things.

I also would like vista, would anybody recommend a 160gb hard drive first to put vista on, and if so what would happen to my xp. Does it stay on the 80gb hard drive, and can i put that straight on to another computer?

Thanks in advance, and sorry for all the questions.

Regards,

Nick

 

[brite750]

doing major upgrades to bigbox pc is not advisable IMO, sell your current one and build from scatch. problem is your case may not be standard, your PSU may not be standard, your drives may not be standard the list goes on, without haveing this pc right in front of me i wouldnt even venture a guess as to what would be involved, obviously new MB means new retail copy OS.

 

[brite750]

I'm not sure what you have, the link says AM2 socket MB and DDR2 ram, if thats the case you should be able to use your current stick, if there is 4 slots. Also says has PCI-E16x slot for your new gfx card. What i need to know is what your current PSU is, I can almost garentee you will need a new one, at least 500watt probably more to run that card.

 

[Rich-M]

Always match ram to motherboard.