Computers & Networking

[Ralahad]

I need a sound system (speakers) and while getting those I want to upgrade my desktop's hardware for even better performance...so can someone please recommend both a sound system (speakers) & some upgrades (Video Card/Graphics/Memory/etc.) for my computer system? My budget is $309-400, but I could possibly that to $500-600 (although I would really prefer not to). Thank you for your help!

Desktop:

Windows 7 Home Premium 64-Bit

System Manufacturer: Lenovo

Processor: Intel(R) Core(TM) i3-2100 CPU @ 3.10GHz (4 CPUs)

Memory: 6144MB RAM

(Hard Disk Drive - Local Drive C has 1.33TB)

DirectX Version: DirectX 11

Display: Intel(R) HD Graphics Family

(Approx. Total Memory: 1760MB)

Current Display Mode: 1600 x 900 (32-Bit) (60Hz)

Monitor: HP S2031 Series Wide LCD Monitor

[RedWyv3 Best Buy Employee]

This will require a bit of research, so please be patient. We'll need to look to see what hardware that model has, so please include the model number of the machine. This best to see what update slots you have, etc. 

[Ralahad]

Product Family: Lenovo H420

Machine Type: 7752

[macrobb]

First, here's the manual: http://www.manualowl.com/m/Lenovo/H420/Manual/192543

Now, looking at the system specs, I don't see anything I'd upgrade except for the video card. But I would upgrade that.

As far as what you need, you have a PCI-E X16 slot. This means you can use most modern cards.

You now have a choice. If you play 3D games - WoW, FPS games like TF2 and the like, StarCraft2 - You'll want a powerful video card. However, if all you do is watch movies and/or want some more Aero speed, you don't need so powerful a GPU.

Here's a nice "media accelerator" card. Decent(10x better than what you have), but not great for gaming:

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/Asus+-+NVIDIA+GeForce+GT+520+1GB+DDR3+PCI+Express+2.0+Graphics+Card/3195...

And here's a good powerful gaming video card:

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/EVGA+-+GeForce+GTX+550+Ti+1GB+GDDR5+PCI+Express+2.0+Graphics+Card/284311...

However, a powerful video card also takes lots of power, which the cheap power supply in your system was *not* designed for. If you just plugged this card in, you'd likely run into crashes when you tried to play a 3D game, probably after about 5 minutes or so.

So, if you want one of these, you'll need a power supply.

I recommed Corsair. Here's a couple of options:

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/Corsair+-+Builder+Series+500-Watt+ATX+CPU+Power+Supply/2193223.p?skuId=2...

This is a cheaper 500W model, which is *plenty* for the above. However, Corsair's "Builder series" models haven't been great on quality control, and a number have arrived dead. So, you can take a chance on having to go back to the store to replace it, or spend more on something thats a lot less likely to be DoA:

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/Corsair+-+Gaming+Series+600-Watt+ATX+CPU+Power+Supply/1073679.p?id=12182...

Instructions for replacing any pieces in your computer are in the linked manual, so don't worry about that.

[Ralahad]

Yeah, I think I'll get these two out of the ones that you recommended...thanks!

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/EVGA+-+GeForce+GTX+550+Ti+1GB+GDDR5+PCI+Express+2.0+Graphics+Card/284311...

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/Corsair+-+Gaming+Series+600-Watt+ATX+CPU+Power+Supply/1073679.p?id=12182...

Also what about a sound system (speakers)? Does it matter what I get? Any recommendations?

[RedWyv3 Best Buy Employee]

 The sound system is completely irrevevant, as it's external. Your computer will output the same sound (.03mw, I think?) no matter who you have on the other side. Personally, if I was a rich person with lots of money and an addition to video games and music, I'd get a 3.55mm to RCA (red and white) out, such as this:

Peripheral Electronics iSimple 3' 3.5mm to RCA Audio Cable

Model: ISVE923 | SKU: 7992988

This audio cable connects your portable music player to your vehicle's radio, so you can listen to your MP3s in your ride.

 4.5 Read reviews (2)

Sale: $14.99

Then, I would go massively overboard and hook it to my high end Bose system, with build in ceiling speakers, with some floor stands with 10" drivers, and then.. then! Then I would sit down at my computer and play World of Warcraft in immersive, drop dropping sound complete with earth shattering base.

But, being that I'm just a standard joe, any speaker system (designed for computers) will work.

Here's a List of Computer Speakers from Best Buy

These are fairly obvious to figure out. They all have a 3.55mm plug on one side (computer side) and an AC adapter for power. They simply amplify whatever the computer sends to them. It's up to you if you want a bass unit or not, or additional speakers, or.. or..

Generally, a cheap set of speakers will handle your day to day windows applications, while a more expensive (larger) set are more for gaming and music use.

[Ralahad]

Okay, I'm gonna get:

EVGA - GeForce GTX 550 Ti 1GB GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 Graphics Card

Corsair - Gaming Series 600-Watt ATX CPU Power Supply

Logitech - Z313 2.1-Channel Speaker System (3-Piece) - Black/Silver

Will these be available at any Best Buy Store or will I have to order online and have it shipped/store pickup?

[macrobb]

Personally, for gaming and such, I *really* recommend a set of headphones. Not only do you get better sound response, you get a much better 3d audio "picture"(as long as you select "headphones" in your game's audio settings) due to how the positional audio works, and you can hear stuff that others can't; great for hearing that spy sneaking up behind you, or that enemy walking just around the corner.

That being said, a lot of people like speakers. In audio, there's a lot of personal preference around.

Here's some good pages for reading up on about audio:

Speakers vs headphones: http://www.dansdata.com/spkvshead.htm

General posts, including things like cables, and low-quality speakers: http://dansdata.blogsome.com/category/music/

[Ralahad]

Maybe later since at the moment I can just use the earbuds that I bought for my iPod Touch.

[Ralahad]

I spoke too soon...my earphones just broke after 7 months of use lol -.-