Help :| hi build a new computer!

[:| Hi]

Hey guys, my birthday is coming up and the parental units are ordering me to draw up a list of things I'd like for my birthday. I figured I'd might as well upgrade my gfx card as well, anybody mind helping me find one?

System specs are:
(copy pasta from xfire)

Manufacturer:   
Compaq-Presario
Processor:   
AMD Phenom(tm) 9650 Quad-Core Processor (4 CPUs), ~2.3GHz
Memory:   
3072MB RAM (I plan on getting another gig as well)
Hard Drive:   
488 GB
Video Card:   
NVIDIA GeForce 9800 GT

To add to all of this, I've got a 400W power supply

Internet cookies for all that help


Edit; as per Toris and Ciu's reccomendations, I (and Flyboy) will be building a new computer. Any suggestions from you guys would be great!

[M00SE]

I'd put a new power supply down on that Bday list aswell.

The new cards on the market will most definitely need a bit more power than what you have at the moment.

How much are they willing to spend on a gfx ?

also, what OS are you using?

[:| Hi]

I'm running Win 7 atm.  I'm looking at a GTX 560 or a 570 at the moment.

Edit: no idea how much they plan on spending. I'm turning 18 this year so that ought to free up a bit in the wallet, christmas is right around the corner as well

[Thorondor123]

Take the money and save it. Get some more money around Christmas. Save some more money and buy a new PC

That's my suggestion anyway. In my opinion, there is no sense in getting a 570 for that setup. It would be bottlenecked by everything.

[:| Hi]

Ah, that was the last thing I wanted to hear! 

The woes of computer gaming

[Ciupita]

Ah, that was the last thing I wanted to hear! 

The woes of computer gaming

I don't know much about computers but with those specs, a new graphics card would be waste of money.

[:| Hi]

Alright, so then, what would be good parts to build around the 570?

[Thorondor123]

Some kind of a i5 processor, 8 gigs of ram (it's almost free nowadays), appropriate motherboard, 500W PSU...

Something along those lines.

[:| Hi]

Alright, thankee. I'll be making friends with newegg

[flyboy_fx]

Ah, that was the last thing I wanted to hear! 

The woes of computer gaming

I don't know much about computers but with those specs, a new graphics card would be waste of money.

We have  basically the same exact specs, HI.

Your GFX card is just a wee bit better. So, looks like we both be upgrading ya? xD

[:| Hi]

Yeah man, we'll talk over FB on individual parts we're getting then.


Is there a particular part I should start with?

Is it better to start with a mobo or a processor as a base? I would assume the former

[Dukat]

You should start with the CPU.

1. either core i7 2600K or core i5 2500

2. a mainboard suitable for your needs, in this case socket 1155 (important).

3. Memory, 2x 8 GB DDR 3 1333

4. your desired GPU GTX 560 or GTX 570

5. power supply 600-700W

You can pick a AMD system as well. Might be a bit cheaper. Then you start with a phenom II X6 and pick a suitable mainboard.

[:| Hi]

Are there any recommended ram companies, or I should say recommended brands to buy ram from?

[flyboy_fx]

I love G.skill ram!!!!!

[buddycole46]

im rocking g.skill right now and have had corsair. both have worked flawlessly.

i got a new system pieced together with decent specs for somewhere around 800 bucks.