Expert: Karl Zick - 3/9/2007

Question
Hello,

I seriously need to upgrade my old computer. I need a gaming machine that can handle the more complex PC games that are coming out but when I checked the PC Specialist website( where you get the manufacturer to design your PC according to your own specifications), I found that the computer that would fit my needs would cost £1,869!(double that to show amount in dollars). This is twice the amount that I can afford to pay and is extortionate, so I thought of simply buying the components I need and getting a Computer-Repair shop to replace my old components with new ones.
I can't remember some of my current PC's specs, but I know that it has 2.0 Gigahertz speed, only 128 MB RAM, a 16* DVD-ROM, faulty (52*)?)) CD-RW drive which I don't use,  and I'm not sure what the graphics card is (but is likely to be only 128MB with a possible 256 MB?). To save hassle(and because I'm not tech-minded, I usually buy from one of the standard manufacturers, but they appear to always deliberately inflate the price and reduce the gaming potential of their PCs by lowering RAM and graphics card memory(indeed Time, the company I bought from has since gone bust, due to huge customer dissastisfaction). So I reckon that RAM and the graphics card are the only things that I need to upgrade, in order to play current PC games while avoiding constant slowdowns. So, could you please tell me what product I need to buy(I live in the UK) or what exact product specification:- I understand that "CORSAIR" memory is what I need for RAM and that the higher it is, the easier it'll be  to play the more modern PC games(I thought I'd go in for 4096 MB CORSAIR RAM, as that's the highest available and will avoid the need for further upgrades). Graphics cards are a nuisance as they apparently consume too much power so I suppose I'll have to stick to 512 MB rather than ther 768 MB which is the highest available right now, and uses up 200W of energy. What do you think?

Also, I currently have a problem in that my mouse and keyboard stop functioning at the same time or at different times, from a couple of minutes to a day and a half , at various times. It's not the mouse or keyboard that are the problem as I replaced them a while back with new ones, and the problem persisted even after I bought two or three different  expensive antivirus software packages(I don't have Internet access, and only download PC game mods occasionally, so I doubt that viruses could be the cause, anyway). I thought that perhaps the internal connections in the hard-drive leading to the mouse and keyboard terminals(USB ports?) might be slightly faulty. What do you think? Is it worth sending it to the PC repair shop or am I going to be forced to buy a new one?

Lastly, I keep being told by the computer-tech-literati that one should just make one's own computer from scratch, given the vast costs added on by the manufacturers. Is there some idiot-proof  standard guide that can tell me exactly what I need to do, step by step, in order to make my own computer/which components to buy, without causing electrical faults or some other possible disaster? I am in desperate need for a "future-proofed" gaming PC that costs me less than c. £1,000 UK pounds sterling, and yet doesn't need upgrading for several years.

Thanks for your patience,
Geoff

Answer
Hi Geoff,

I would not waste my time upgrading your old PC.  One of the most important upgrades you can make (as you know) is your RAM - but you need to go to DDR-II and your motherboard will probably only handle DDR.  Also, buying DDR-II is more important than the brand.  Corsair builds good stuff, but I have always been happy with Kingston.

I have been building computers for over 20 years and could give you a long list of motherboards, CPU's, RAM, video cards, etc., but if you are going to take it to a shop to build they will probably charge you a fortune.  If you try to build it yourself and run into a problem, then what?  You could fry your processor or something and have to start all over.  Also, no matter what you do, how about your operating system?  Everyone is using Vista now, and that is another expense.

What I recommend is to go shopping for a new machine with Vista on it and comes with a good support agreement.  You might poke around Geeks.com or Newegg.com (my two favorite sites for components) to get a feel for what the going prices on 'deals' are - and then go to Dell.com for a serious look at their best 'bang for the buck'.  Their XPS 210 sells for $1,099 with a 19" flat panel monitor, it is a real powerhouse, and you can add whatever you want to it.   Taking a quick look, they will upgrade the DDR-II RAM for $130 a Meg - but you may be better off ordering it from Newegg or someplace.

While shopping, lool for either a 64 bit AMD Athlon dual core or an Intel Core Duo processor.  I prefer the AMD and it is about half the price of an Intel.  THIS IS THE MOST IMPORTANT FEATURE IN A NEW PC.  Under no circumstance should you buy a computer with an Intel Celeron in it - and that is what most of the deals' come with.  The AMD Sempron isn't much better.

Hope this helps.