Hi, I have a Dell Optiplex 745 small form factor with 3GB of RAM. The max is 8GB, which I found for cheap surprisingly because DDR2 is so much more then DDR3. I know they stopped making DDR2 and I need more ram for my game, its running WAY to slow. I was planning on upgrading piece by piece and then upgrading my motherboard last,. My question is should I still get the 8GB of DDR2 RAM for cheap and just find a newer motherboard that is good and takes the same DDR2 or just get a new motherboard that accepts DDR3 since I will be upgrading it for my games every couple of years. (I don't spend a lot of money on parts if I can help it, so I don't get something that will last me 7 years usually but a motherboard would be a good one to make the exception for.) The type of ram I currently have is DDR2 SDRAM 677mhz unbuffered non-ECC 240-Pin. The only upgrades I have done so far is a 3TB hard drive 7200rpm (I can only use 2TB atm) installed Windows 7 64 -bit OS added 2GB of Ram and a Nvidia Video Card SATA (its not very good, will have to upgrade soon.) I know to get this computer how I want it I will have to do a lot of upgrading including CPU, where I am stuck and confused is what kind of motherboard to get, I can either wait to get one like planned and have it be DDR2 compatible or get one now, new and it be DDR3 compatible. Any suggestions would help, I am completely stuck on what I should do. Thanks XDmandeelynn90

Unless you can find the exact same RAM from Dell, upgrading your RAM is a no-go as most of those brand pre-builds have motherboards which are altered to Dell/HP/whatever's specifics and won't accept any other RAM than those from said brands.  With 'altered' I mean that half the BIOS is gone and you won't be able -for example- to overclock or anything.

Secondly, DDR2 RAM is 5 times as expensive as DDR3, because the former is manufactured in very small quantities nowadays.  I read you found some DDR2 cheap, but does it actually work in your PC?

SFF builds don't accept any kind of mainboard since the build differs from normal desktops. Mine doesn't anyway (a HP sff 7600).  Also, these sff boxes have a poor power supply with usually between 260 and 360 watt.  Add a beefy video card (which has to be low-profile or it won't fit under the hood, or you have to buy a PCIe 90° extension) and you'd have to swap the PSU, which won't be easy again because the built-in PSU has a different size than regular ATX power supplies...

In the end, you'd be better off starting from scratch.  Cheaper and less hassles.

[QUOTE="marcthpro"] I do know that it works nothing like SLI or Crossfire, but I was hoping it would kick in if the FPS goes too damn low. Well then. [QUOTE="JimmyJumpy"]

[QUOTE="LordTrexGuy"]

Another Z480 turned up which has a 3612QM (with Intel HD 4000) and a GT 640M 2GB with 6 gigs of RAM. What do you think about this one? Surely the HD 400 and GT640M together can provide high FPS?

LordTrexGuy

With video cards, you have to watch the last two digits of the GPU number: they tell you how powerfull the card is.  The first digit with NVidia is the family number (currently at "7", i.e. GTX7xx).  Top- and mid-level are the 780 and 770/760, so, look for a laptop with either a GTX660/GTX670/770.  For gaming, don't go below "60" at the back of the number or you're dealing with entry level GPUs which aren't fit for higher end gaming.

I was talking about the "M" cards (mobile) which are far less expensive than their desktop cousins.  With a bit of luck you can find a laptop with a GTX660M for 6 to 700 bucks...

...()...get a sub later down the line I would reccomend Dayton SUB1200 ...()...

DJ_Headshot

Had contact with Parts Express over a Dayton 1200 and can recommend that shop if only for their helpfulness and friendliness.  Ordered a Dayton 1200 from a European Dayton distributor (Intertechnik in Kerpen, Germany) --to cut down on the shipping costs to Belgium-- and it's underway...

Another Z480 turned up which has a 3612QM (with Intel HD 4000) and a GT 640M 2GB with 6 gigs of RAM. What do you think about this one? Surely the HD 400 and GT640M together can provide high FPS?

LordTrexGuy

With video cards, you have to watch the last two digits of the GPU number: they tell you how powerfull the card is.  The first digit with NVidia is the family number (currently at "7", i.e. GTX7xx).  Top- and mid-level are the 780 and 770/760, so, look for a laptop with either a GTX660/GTX670/770.  For gaming, don't go below "60" at the back of the number or you're dealing with entry level GPUs which aren't fit for higher end gaming.

Frankly, I don't care too much.  I do what I do and if mods don't like it, well, that's their problem, not mine.  Besides, whatever you do or say, you're bound to offend someone somewhere anyway.  Not that I go out trying to offend people, on the contrary, but I won't back down just because of rules and regulations.  Those are there to be bent.

I've been a mod on a couple of fora, despite the fact I speak my mind and despite the fact I tend to bend the rules, so, there you go...

http://www.saveonlaptops.co.uk/MSI_GE70_0ND-453UK_1399191.html

mkjohns

@ 1920x1080 that 660M could struggle on a lot of recent games with 'high' settings.  The 'M' GPUs are seriously watered-down versions of their desktop counterparts.  Also, a 3-hours battery life isn't ideal either.

[QUOTE="JimmyJumpy"]

[QUOTE="Byshop"]

The H60 is like $50 on Tigerdirect right now. A decent 3rd party CPU fan would actually cost -more- than that.

-Byshop

Byshop

My Arctic Freezer Xtreme works like a charm and is only 40 bucks...

So, you found a fan for slightly less? OMG!?!?!?!?!! MY ENTIRE POINT IS INVALIDATED!!!!!! WATER COOLERS MUST NO LONGER BE IN THE SAME AFFORDABLE PRICE RANGE AS FANS!!!!!! I'VE DIVIDED BY ZERO!!!! NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!

-Byshop

Oh come-on Byshop... wwasn't trying to get at ya or 'invalidate' yer point; just pointing out that there *are* very good CPU coolers which cost less than $50.  And 20% less is more than 'slightly'.

That Arctic Freezer kept my 2600K@4.8GHz between 50°C and 80°C (idle/gaming) without making noticable extra noise.  Temps were on average 10°C higher in my CM Cosmos II than in my Antec 1200 case, by the way, due to the better airflow in the Antec.  The Antec was a lot quiter too than the Cosmos II.  So do cases with more fans make a difference? Sure they do.

[QUOTE="gp19"]SATA cables are all the same. Don't be tricked into buying more expensive ones. It's the HDMI cable problem all over again. I had my friends buying the Monster Cables for $60, while I was getting the same quality with my $5-$10 dollar cables.GTR12

They aren't all the same, there's the L shape cable I linked and regular flat cables.

True.

Then there's the ones with a metal holding clip, too.  And orange ones, red ones, white ones, blue ones... you name it.  Point of the matter is that there's no transfer speed difference between 'regular' cables and so called 'SATA 3' cables.  Cables that came with a 5 year old SATA 1.5 mobo won't slow down a SATA 3 HDD's transfer rate...

[QUOTE="MonsieurX"][QUOTE="Alienware_fan"]Because i was drunk.

Alienware_fan

I seriously think some looney-bin must be missing an inmate...

[QUOTE="GummiRaccoon"]

[QUOTE="dxmcat"]ok water fanboys, calm down. some people dont have the $ or the space. Yeesh.Byshop

"I'm poor so everyone else is poor"

The H60 is like $50 on Tigerdirect right now. A decent 3rd party CPU fan would actually cost -more- than that.

-Byshop

My Arctic Freezer Xtreme works like a charm and is only 40 bucks...