Hey pcmasterraceGAF, my 8 year old dell dimension is looking like it's about to bite the dust, and I am looking at upgrading for absolutely as cheap as possible. As in, I was wondering if my case, power supply, fan, etc. would be OK or to continue using or not. I would also like recommendations on some parts that I could get very cheaply (I'm totally fine with buying used or open box if the site/store has a good return policy), and that I could maybe upgrade in a year or two to get decent FFXIV, Red Orchestra 2, SC2, Diablo 3, etc, performance.
From the research I've done, it seems like a good route to go would be to get a mobo that would fit an i5/i7, and get a cheap i5 now and upgrade in the future. Would this be right?
As of right now, I would only use it to run:
-Internet stuff
-TF2
-and running the more compatible games in PCSX2 would be a big plus
It seems like integrated graphics might do me fine in the immediate near term, and I could get a graphics card in the near future, or next couple years.
For reference, my machine right now is a P4 with 512mb RD ram and a radeon 9700pro, so just about anything would be a monumental improvement. :lol
Any advice, suggestions, links to hardware, insults, abuse, etc. greatly appreciated!