I am looking to possibly upgrade the below computer. It is a HP/Compaq. I would like the opinions of the fine people here as to what would be the max I could upgrade this ting to with out changing the motherboard. Since this is mostly used for GAMING I am starting to get behind on some of the newer GAMES that I want to play. When I go to http://www.systemrequirementslab.com/referrer/srtest and have it check games for me the main thing that it shows fails is the video card but I figure that if I am going to be upgrading the video card I might as well see what ELSE i can up grade while I am at it. I am not too worried about the HARD drive as it currently have about 75% free space on it. Me and my wife both have laptops that we use to store all of our pics and videos on plus I am one of those type people that will install a game and play it until i beat it or get really bored with it and then uninstall it until i get ready to play again. Any help will be greatly appreciated.

Here are the comp specs:

WindowsXP

Base processor
Athlon 64 3700+ 2.2 GHz
•2000 MT/s (Mega Transfers/second)
•Socket 939
Chipset
ATI Radeon XPress 200

Motherboard
•Manufacturer: MSI
•Motherboard Name: MS-7184
•HP/Compaq motherboard name: AmethystM-GL6E

Memory
ComponentAttributes
Memory Installed1 GB (2 x 512) Currently have upgraded this to 3 GB
Maximum allowed4 GB* (4 x 1 GB) requires the replacement of the installed 512 MB DIMMs
Speed supportedPC3200 MB/sec
Type184 pin, DDR SDRAM
DIMM slotsFour

Hard drive
•200 GB
•7200 rpm

16x DVD(+/-)R/RW (+/-)R DL LightScribe drive

PCI K56flex data/fax modem Since I use ComCast Cable for internet I could remove this Right?

Video graphics
Integrated graphics

Sound/audio
•Controller: AC97 audio
•Location: Integrated

Network (LAN)
Integrated 10/100 Base-T networking interface

Expansion slots
Slot typeQuantity
PCIThree (two available)
PCI ExpressOne (available)
DIMMFour (two available)

You'll find it hard to upgrade the CPU further as socket 939 processors are a little hard to find outside of Ebay.
You have a PCI-Express slot to upgrade the graphics (which is definitely the best upgrade for you) however we don't know what power supply you have. it's quite likely you'll either be very limited in your choice of card, or will have to replace the PSU (I recommend replacing it anyway, for future upgrades - you can always reuse it).
I don't see the HP model number, so we'll either need that or you'll need to provide info on your current PSU.
You can remove the PCI modem if you like as it won't be in use.
What's your budget for upgrades?Calum,

Thanks for the fast response. The comp is a HP Pavilion a1245c, with a product number of EG137AA. I tried to look around on the HP website for any info on the PSU but couldn't really find anything. I would physically check it but it is at home in Louisiana and I am currently in Angola. I don't mind replacing the PSU.

So if I had a budget of $500 and wanted to just replace the PSU and Video cards what would be my best bet?

I have attached the Spec sheet that I got from HP.

[attachment deleted by admin]At a guess, from some Google searches, it looks to be a 300W unit, in which case it'll need replacing.
For a PSU, I'd recommend this - 600W is be enough for most upgrades, and will even power a new midrange system, so you should be able to keep it for a good few years.

As for the video card, take your pick. From lowest price/lowest performance to highest price/highest performance.
Radeon 4670
Radeon 4830
Radeon 4850

I didn't go any higher than the 4850 because it would be wasted on your current system. To be fair, anything above a 4670 will probably be bottlenecked by your CPU, but there's no harm in getting something a little better - even if you can't fully utilise it now, you could always use it again, in a new system one day for example.

If you want to spend $500 there's more you could do, but those upgrades would probably be the best bang for your buck.
Hope this helps.Thanks again Calum.

I will have to see if I can get the PSU and the 4850 on order so they will be home when I get there. I appreciate the help.I did find an Opteron 180 cpu at a few different sites for about $200.00. It's a 2.4ghz dual core. "Buy.com" was one of them. I don't know what games you are playing or what kind of frame rates you want, but there are alot of pci-e video cards out there that are inexpensive<$200.00 like a 8800gt or a 9800gt or the 4850 which is a great card for the money and if you have a budget of $500.00 that leaves you $100.00 for a psu if needed.$200 for an Opteron 180 seems like a rip-off to me.
Sure, it's an upgrade ... but for that price, why not go for a new motherboard and CPU?
I've already linked to a 4850, amongst other cards, for <$150.I agree it is expensive for a socket 939 processor but it is the fastest dual core pro for that mobo that is still avail. Unless you can find an Opteron 185 or you want to go with the fx60. The only reason that would be the choice is because they did not want to replace the mobo.