Need some PC guru's help

[Cajuncowboy]

Okay so here is what I am doing...

This is kinda a home school project for my daughter. We have an old PC tower and want to upgrade it. It hasn't been used in over a year. It has windows XP on it and it is an HP Pavillion.

MY daughter wants to swap out some of the internals and build her own FrankenPC.

We want to increase the processor speed, add a new hard drive, replace the MB and increase the RAM. We also want ti put Windows 7 on it as well.

Probably upgrade the video and sound card as well.

Also, the current PC does not have WIFI built in but would like to add that to it. Is there an external option for this or does this need to be built in. IT has two front USB ports and four in the back.

Any suggestions on brands, models or type of components to do this?

Thanks in advance.

 

[Hoofbite]

You can get a USB adapter for the WiFi.

As for the rest of it, I'm not sure what parts you aren't looking to trade out and it seems like you'd be better off just getting a whole new computer.

 

[a_minimalist]

Sounds like fun. I used to love screwing around with that stuff. I don't remember much but I think you're better off starting off with a fresh tower. There's a possibility your old one won't fit everything you've mentioned. That all depends on how old it is though.

If I remember correctly TigerDirect is a good place to shop around and get a good idea about pricing and brands.

 

[BrAinPaiNt]

You can get a USB adapter for the WiFi.

As for the rest of it, I'm not sure what parts you aren't looking to trade out and it seems like you'd be better off just getting a whole new computer.

This.

Chances are if you want a good size jump in your CPU chip you will need a new mother board. And with those new things and a new hard drive and memory about the only thing missing from a new computer is a tower that would fit the new mono and a power supply.

You can buy the different components on tiger direct or talk with one of thief people and see what deals they can offer, they can pretty much have a computer made with what you want and I, and my workplace, have not had probls with them in the past.

 

[Baileyneverfailey]

Keep in mind that replacing the motherboard, processor, and RAM basically means an entire new PC. That being said, I've been building my own PCs since I was 14 years old, self taught. It's not hard at all. I taught my wife how to do it and she built her own last year as well, and she had never even looked at the inside of a computer before.

Newegg.com is one of the best places to buy components IMO. Great prices and deals, and their customer support is top notch. They will replace anything that doesn't work properly no questions asked.

 

[Kangaroo]

You need to scrap that one the issues with HP, Dell etc they have proprietary cases and motherboards any upgrades inside other than HD,memory or things like DVD players.

If you want to upgrade mother boards etc they will not fit and the processors upgrade is very limited.

Just start over ground up you get a medium price Case or if you want to customize or you can go to like a cyberpower if you want to custom one on a cheap

 

[tupperware]

Build it yourself!


[youtube]XFkykETgkoo[/youtube]


http://www.newegg.com

 

[NorthTexan95]

If you want to best computer for the price I concure with the posters above that buying new would probably be the best choice. For around $500 you can buy a brand new Dell with an i5 processor which will include a copy of Windows 7.

Now, if the point is the fun of building a Frankenstein machine then that's another story. Replacing the motherboard is the best place to start but there could be a big issue. PC makers, like HP, don't build their machines for easy self upgrades. The case your old HP is in may not accept a standized motherboard. The power supply in that case may not be enough to support an upgraded system. You may find out you need to replace the entire case. Fortunately, you can find solid cases with a decent power supply for less than $100 if you're on a budget.

What I would do is start by determining if your old HP case will work. You may need to google some internet forums to find your answer. Once you determine what exactly you need then I would go to NewEgg.com to look for specific parts. NewEgg is great because of all of the user reviews. You can find a lot of insight if you look at those reviews with a discerning eye. NewEgg not only sells individual parts but they also sell combos (such as motherboard, processor, ram) in one package so you can be sure they'll work together.

The best advice I can give is to do your research and ask lots of questions. It's no fun puting your computer together only to find that the RAM you bought doesn't work with the motherboard. It also stinks when you realize that for an extra $50 you could have had a video card three times as powerful.

 

[baj1dallas]

I built an awesome tower from parts I bought on Tigerdirect and Newegg. See what specials they have. Make sure that the processor is compatible with the motherboard. Find out what the old power supply is rated for, you may or may not be able to re-use it. If you do, make sure to blow it out with some air duster.

 

[Kangaroo]

If you want to best computer for the price I concure with the posters above that buying new would probably be the best choice. For around $500 you can buy a brand new Dell with an i5 processor which will include a copy of Windows 7.

Now, if the point is the fun of building a Frankenstein machine then that's another story. Replacing the motherboard is the best place to start but there could be a big issue. PC makers, like HP, don't build their machines for easy self upgrades. The case your old HP is in may not accept a standized motherboard. The power supply in that case may not be enough to support an upgraded system. You may find out you need to replace the entire case. Fortunately, you can find solid cases with a decent power supply for less than $100 if you're on a budget.

What I would do is start by determining if your old HP case will work. You may need to google some internet forums to find your answer. Once you determine what exactly you need then I would go to NewEgg.com to look for specific parts. NewEgg is great because of all of the user reviews. You can find a lot of insight if you look at those reviews with a discerning eye. NewEgg not only sells individual parts but they also sell combos (such as motherboard, processor, ram) in one package so you can be sure they'll work together.

The best advice I can give is to do your research and ask lots of questions. It's no fun puting your computer together only to find that the RAM you bought doesn't work with the motherboard. It also stinks when you realize that for an extra $50 you could have had a video card three times as powerful.

Dell, HP , IBM etc have proprietary cases the mother boards from new egg etc will not fit in them

 

[67CowboysFan]

http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/category/category_tlc.asp?CatId=31&srkey=barebones kit

If you want to build your own this is a good place to start.

 

[IAMKING]

Sounds cheaper and less of a hassle to just dump it and buy a new one

 

[Cajuncowboy]

Sounds cheaper and less of a hassle to just dump it and buy a new one

It's primarily for a home school project for her and then it is something she can use.

 

[Kangaroo]

It's primarily for a home school project for her and then it is something she can use.

Now days it is generally cheaper to start over you can always by one revision behind the latest and save a ton of money and still have a major upgrade

 

[NorthTexan95]

It's primarily for a home school project for her and then it is something she can use.

Tiger Direct and New Egg are generally the best places to shop online. I prefer the reviews on New Egg but sometimes Tiger Direct has better pricing.

 

[NorthTexan95]

It's primarily for a home school project for her and then it is something she can use.

Tiger Direct and New Egg are generally the best places to shop online. I prefer the reviews on New Egg but sometimes Tiger Direct has better pricing.

 

[IAMKING]

It's primarily for a home school project for her and then it is something she can use.

Ahh I glossed over. Thought it was somethin she needed for home schooling. Go with new egg or tiger direct like suggested for parts.

 

[Joshmil53]

In my eyes, NEVER buy a pc new. If you're looking for cheap, ALWAYS build custom. Just look on Newegg/Tigerdirect/PCPicker for parts. Any ideas what she'd be using the computer for? I could recommend some parts, too.

 

[the kid 05]

Keep in mind that replacing the motherboard, processor, and RAM basically means an entire new PC. That being said, I've been building my own PCs since I was 14 years old, self taught. It's not hard at all. I taught my wife how to do it and she built her own last year as well, and she had never even looked at the inside of a computer before.

Newegg.com is one of the best places to buy components IMO. Great prices and deals, and their customer support is top notch. They will replace anything that doesn't work properly no questions asked.

I'm partial to tigerdirect.com but thats cause the warehouse is 15 mins away from my house. But I've always had good service through them items shipped fast (when i lived 1.5 hours away).