[DaMaceIAm]

Hi peoples. I just bought a new computer, Black Friday sale and all. A direct result of buying a new computer, after being told I could run the latest games, I of course went to buy new and the latest games. Sadly...it doesn't hold up that ideal. So I need help on what components I need to upgrade. I'm sure what I need is a mother board with dual core ability...but in the end my skills at figuring out what is compatible, what works so on and so forth...lets just say they don't exist. The games in question I wish to run are as follows: SkyRim, Borderlands 2, and Battle Field 3. I wish to run these on high specs with little or no lag/glitching. Here is my specs, also a link to the site where I bought the tower. http://www.officedep...sktop-Computer/ I truly appreciate any help on this. Thank you all.

Item # 202525
Manufacturer # H3Y79AA#ABA
processor brand Intel
processor model Core i3
processor number Core i3-2130
memory 8 GB
hard drive capacity 1500 GB
optical drive DVD±RW/DVD-RAM/DVD±R Double Layer
operating system Windows 8
processor speed 3.4 GHz
memory speed PC3-10600
memory type DDR3 SDRAM
maximum memory capacity 8 GB
wireless connectivity 802.11b/g/n
network connectivity 10/100/1000 Ethernet
modem no modem
ports 2 USB 3.0; 4 USB 2.0; 1 Ethernet; 1 DVI; 1 VGA 15-pin D-sub
memory card reader yes
video graphics integrated Intel HD Graphics 2000 with up to 1541MB total available memory
audio hardware Beats Audio; High Definition Audio, up to 7.1 channels
peripherals included wireless keyboard; wireless optical mouse
warranty length 1-year limited
model name Pavilion p7-1410
brand name HP
manufacturer Hewlett-Packard
form factor desktop computer
hard drive type HDD

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Gday DaMaceIAm, .

You do not need a new Motherboard, and the CPU is OK for running most games.
What is limiting performance in games is the integrated graphics contained in the CPU and the only way to get better performance is to add a discrete graphics card in the motherboard PCIe x16 slot. First option would be a card that draws power only from the slot but this would not give you games running a ultra settings. Second option is a more powerful card. The limiting factor to doing this is the rather weak (300w) power of the PSU, typically found on HP/ Dell/etc computers.

What sort of budget would you have for an upgrade?

Your Motherboard specs, > http://h20000.www2.h...rodTypeId=12454

[iammykyl]

Gday DaMaceIAm, .

You do not need a new Motherboard, and the CPU is OK for running most games.
What is limiting performance in games is the integrated graphics contained in the CPU and the only way to get better performance is to add a discrete graphics card in the motherboard PCIe x16 slot. First option would be a card that draws power only from the slot but this would not give you games running a ultra settings. Second option is a more powerful card. The limiting factor to doing this is the rather weak (300w) power of the PSU, typically found on HP/ Dell/etc computers.

What sort of budget would you have for an upgrade?

Your Motherboard specs, > http://h20000.www2.h...rodTypeId=12454

[DaMaceIAm]

After going over what you said iammykyl I ran a dxdiag. I was told before that the computer had something like a Radeon 5000 series or something. Your explanation of how I was just running off the integrated graphics rather surprised me. I was told wrong. Ok, off of bad sales man ship....or was it good sales man ship? heh.

Alright, what I have to spend right now is around $400. I would prefer a powerful card. The real question is, what do I need to run games like Elder Scrolls Sky Rim, battle field 3 and so on at least medium graphics settings with *no* stuttering? Money isn't too big a problem. Saving just takes time. I got lots of that.

I'm sorry to pose another question, after realizing I was told wrong about the computer's capabilities it opens a new door. I have a legit reason for taking the tower back. Would it be worth it to exchange for another? I paid around $500 for it. Would it be cheaper to get more or less the same tower with more? Or just upgrade my current tower? And please don't go researching a bunch of computers, a yes or no will do just fine. Armed with new wisdom I believe I can find a more suitable rig, if its cheaper.

And thank you again iammykyl, I appreciate it.

[iammykyl]

Hi.
Sat, 6pm, and going out for dinner tonight, so will give options Sun, colleges may post in the meantime. Ask as many questions as you like, we are here to help.
Sales man, in my opinion, a con artist. If at all possible, I would be returning the computer for a refund.
Do you think you would be up to building your own rig?

[DaMaceIAm]

As it happens I am capable of building a rig, I used to be a hardware IT tech. I was never very good at figuring out components, although good a actually building them. Truth be told I was more gamer then anything else. Something fun was becoming work, so I quit and moved on to become a carpenter. Which is way more fun then work. Anyhow, enough life story. I would rather not build a rig, I want to have a policy on it. In case of a power surge, rampant dogs, dog hair...ect. I want to be able to replace it in case something goes wrong.

thanks again for your help.

[DaMaceIAm]

Hello again. I'v been looking at other possible rigs and I came up with this one. Its a custom rig I put together from HP site. I honestly don't know, I'v been out of the loop for too many years. I look this stuff up online and I get so many different answers. It would take months of reading to catch me back up. I just need a computer that can handle high levels of drafting (AUTOCAD) and a good gaming experience. Anyhow, I'm starting to grasp at straws here. I haven't a clue as what to do. Thank you again for any help. and I hope you enjoyed your dinner out.

Oh, I don't know if it will help, but heres my dxdiag as well.

Operating system Windows 8 64
Processor 3rd Generation Intel® Core™ i5-3450 quad-core processor [3.1GHz, 6MB Shared Cache]
Memory 8GB DDR3-1333MHz SDRAM [2 DIMMs]
Hard drive 1TB 7200 rpm SATA hard drive
Secondary Hard Drive No secondary hard drive
Graphics card 2GB Nvidia GeForce GT630 [DVI, HDMI and VGA via adapter]
Primary optical drive SuperMulti DVD Burner
Networking Wireless-N LAN card (1x1)
Productivity ports 15-in-1 memory card reader, 2 USB 3.0, audio
Office software No Additional Office Software
Security software No additional Security Software
Sound Card Beats Audio ™ -- integrated studio quality sound

Attached Files

•  DxDiag.txt   61.06KB   147 downloads

[DaMaceIAm]

Ok, after relaxing for awhile in my thinking chair, depending on certain things I know what I will do. Question one, will my rig, excluding the card run Games like SkyRim and battle field 3 flawless at med-high graphic settings? If so, then what card do I need? I can handle power requirements. And if not, then what rig should I that is $1000 max. I do not want to put together a rig. I'v been out of that too long.

Sorry to put all my problems on you guys, I'v tried figuring it out for my self, but I just don't have the knowledge anymore.

thank you all again.

[DaMaceIAm]

I take it all back, I believe I did figure it out. I went and did a hardware scan and compared it to other rigs doing what I want. You are very right, my rig is a good rig. it just needs a better card. I also think I found the perfect one. http://www.tigerdire...merReviewsBlock tell me what you think.

[iammykyl]

You said you prefer to run with having a service agreement so I advice proceed with caution.. Any alteration to the system, or in some instances opening the case, will void your warranty. Please check with the vendor.
The card is not a bad choice but is limited by the 192 bit memory interface..


Just some info,
> http://www.geforce.c...-GTX-550-Ti-OPS
> http://www.tomshardw...ics,2977-4.html
Actual reviews for the card are hard to find. In the box is an adapter, Molex to PCI so if your power supply does not have a PCIe cable, you will still be OK. On the next link, shows many cards using total system power, > http://www.legitrevi...rticle/1572/14/ on this test platform, > http://www.legitrevi...article/1572/3/ (264w with the proposed card) Even though I have seen elsewhere, "400w recommended power supply" I think you will be OK with the 300w.

[DaMaceIAm]

Well it turns out still got it. After more research, when you sad that card was ok but nto best, I looked and found the best card. A Radeon 7950. Add a 600 watt powersupply and I was ready to go. Did it my self too. Felt good to work on computers again. The results were, flawless fps, no glitching on SkyRim on Ultra graphics, with only shaders down to high, and it is so beautiful, its almost scary.
Although I ended up finding my own answers, I honestly don't think I would have gone down the upgrading path is you hadn't told me my rig was fine, just needed a graphics card. And my fault for not making sure of what hardware was actually there. And now I have an awesome computer that will play anything out there on with awesome speed for just about 800 bucks. I owe it to you boss man.

Case Closed.

[iammykyl]

Great result, well done, Really good that you got stuck in and not just left it to the forum.
Keep an eye on your temps for a while just in case the cooling system may not cope with the extra heat from the GPU.
Use Windows Update, create a drive image and a recovery CD using tools in windows.
I advice against using Reg cleaner/optimizers, programs that promise to fix you PC, internet optimizer, in fact all such programs, they usually cause problems. The only general purpose utilities I use are free Revo Uninstaller, (with care) > http://majorgeeks.co...ller_d5706.html and Auslogics Disk Defrag > http://majorgeeks.co...frag_d5266.html

Best of luck.

[DaMaceIAm]

Awesome and thank you.