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Can you upgrade my HTPC?

post #1 of 4
3/29/11 at 8:49am
Thread Starter 
Hi,

I'm planing to upgrade my HTPC to a gaming PC and I need your help! I still want to use it as an HTPC but I really want to play Battlefield 3 when it comes out

This is what I have:
Enermax Liberty Eco 400W
Lian Li PC-V351A - mATX cube case
Gigabyte GA-MA785GMT-UD2H
GeForce GT430
Athlon X2 235e + some really big Noctua top blow CPU cooler
4GB DDR3 Memory


I think I could keep the case as well as motherboard, memory and hopefully the power supply?
What GPU and what CPU should I choose?
Should I replace the motherboard as well with an Intel one?


For several reasons the GPU is the most important part. I been struggling with black crush for over a year until I replaced the 785G GPU with a GT430.

GT430 gives me consistent black levels in 7MC/TMT5 and I need to keep it that way. So I wonder if more powerful GPU's like GTX560 will give me the same consistent black levels as my GT430 does?

Any help is greatly appreciated!
Sepp
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post #2 of 4
3/29/11 at 10:40am
Being that you went from a ATI GPU / drivers with the onboard 785 to Nvidia with the GT430, staying in the Nvida product line should retain your black levels. You could upgrade the CPU to a Phenom II X4 or X6 quad core or 6 core, but the power requirements are nearly 3x higher (125w vs 45w) than what you currently have. Add to that a more powerful video card and you're likely to be hitting the limits of your power supply. I'd be more inclined to only upgrade the video card for now, and see if that is enough to handle the gameplay.
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post #3 of 4
4/1/11 at 1:47pm
I would replace the PSU and the graphics card and leave everything else as is. The CPU doesn't play a that much of a role in a gaming box, but the GPU is the main item and you've got to make sure you have the power to run it. If you do decide to up the CPU, consider the Phenom X2s. They OC like a beast and game great (I have a 550 Black OC'd to 3.8ghz in my game box). I would measure the length of your graphics card slot to make sure you don't pick one that's too long, but you should have 11" or so. Plenty of room for a NV 550 or maybe even a 560.

BTW, gotta rant on the Graphics card manufacturers. Why can't the card length be included in the specs? It's one of the most important aspects when matching a card to a case!

BT
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post #4 of 4
4/1/11 at 2:30pm
Thread Starter 
Hi,

I basically bought a new PC today. So that I have a new HTPC and the old one is upgraded to a Gaming PC.

I will keep the GT430 for the new HTPC

Thank you guys!
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