laptop reviews

Question

by ehhhwhat: How to turn my computer into a gaming computer?

I was just given a Dell XPS 400 computer for free by a family member. I want to see if I can turn it into a gaming computer. I’m not sure about the processor. I need help! Haha. What can I do, if anything?

Best answer:

Answer by Bashir

Yes you can turn it into a gaming computer all you need is to get the disq of your favourite game insert it into your system‘s cd copy and install then you are good to go

note: not all gaming disqs works on desktop so always ask before you buy.

Enjoy

Answer by Ashley

I looked at the specifications and it doesn’t say what type of video card is in it. It says it has a PCI-express slot but it could be running off on-board graphics. Open it up and check the PCI-express slot to see if there’s a graphics card.

If there isn’t one, the first thing you should do is buy a decent graphics card, around $ 100 would be good.

Also, you can replace the CPU. It’s socket-t, also called LGA 775.

Answer by Justin S

Yes you can, not a great one but it can get the job done. Most of these computer are built so that they only work with specific processors so there isnt much you can do about that. Make sure it has at least 2gigs of RAM. Most importantly is the video card, the stock ones are really bad and will need replacing, the better card the better it will perform, but no point in getting top of the line since the performance will just be bottle necked by other parts in your computer. However you can always transfer the video card in to a new computer if you upgrade later.

I actually had an XPS 410 that I started with, upgraded the Video card, then RAM, then motherboard and case, slowly upgrading piece by piece till it was a completely different computer. Its a good solution if you don’t want to spend hundreds all at one time.

I will repeat DONT BUY A NEW PROCESSOR! mine came with a core 2 duo 2.3ghz and I bought a core 2 duo 3.1ghz and it couldn’t supply the power requirements so I had to wait till I replaced the motherboard. Also while a video card can always be transfered to a new computer, the socket type of this computer means that you will be buying an outdated processor and if you go to upgrade you will have to throw it away.

Answer by I am right

This machine runs a Pentium D processor which is very, very old technology. Even if you upgraded the graphics to card to something decent, that CPU is going to be a huge bottle-neck and I seriously doubt you’d be able to run any of the modern, graphic-intensive games with any degree of playability.

Generally, people give away computers because they’re old and obsolete, as in this case. Don’t waste money trying to upgrade it.

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