Hi

My son is doing an animation degree at university and has been complaining about his PC running slowly when doing complex 3D animations. I am going to upgrade his machine and would like some advice.

Current config

Pentium 4 3.2 GHz processor
1 GB ram
ATI X1600 pro graphics card
450W psu

Proposed config

Core 2 duo E8400 processor + new m/b
4 GB ram
Graphics?
psu?

1. Am I right in assuming a better graphics card is necessary and if so which one bearing in mind money is tight.

2. What rated psu would be suitable?

Thanks. Malc

1. Am I right in assuming a better graphics card is necessary and if so which one bearing in mind money is tight.

2. What rated psu would be suitable?

You are absolutely right. In fact, graphics can have a bigger impact on performance than the CPU in today's graphics oriented world. The graphics processor unit (GPU) on today's modern cards can also have many millions more transistors on the die than CPUs, generate more heat than CPUs, and consume more power than CPUs. I recommend you check your budget then check out Best Video Cards For The Money: August '08 : The Best Graphics Cards for the Money: August 2008 - Tom's Hardware. The new motherboard will take PCI Express. The old motherboard, if you decide to keep it, may be AGP, so you will have to verify.

Then, AFTER you have selected a graphics card, use the eXtreme PSU Calculator Lite to determine the power supply unit (PSU) requirements. Plug in all the hardware for that computer over the next 2 or 3 years (including extra drives, bigger or 2nd video card, more RAM, etc.). Be sure to read and heed the notes at the bottom. I recommend you set Capacitor Aging to 30%, and if participating in distributive computing projects (e.g. BOINC or Folding@Home), I recommend setting TDP to 100%. Research the video card and pay particular attention to the power supply requirements for the card listed on the video card maker's website. Then look for power supply brands listed under the "Good" column of PC Mechanic's PSU Reference List. Ensure the supplied amperage on the +12V rails of your chosen PSU meets the requirements of that video card. Don't try to save a few dollars by getting a cheap supply. Digital electronics, including CPUs, RAM, and today's advanced graphics cards, need clean, stable power. A good, well chosen supply will provide years of service and upgrade wiggle room. I strongly recommend you pick a supply with an efficiency rating equal to, or greater than 80%. Look for the 80 Plus - EnergyStar Compliant label. And don't forget to budget for a good UPS with AVR (automatic voltage regulation).

Thanks for the info.
If I buy a decent graphics card say, ATI HD 4850 and decent psu and use the existing m/b (it has a pci-express x16 slot) with 2 MB ram (the max the board will support) then would that be a significant step forward?
This would help budget wise. I would then be able to upgrade the cpu, m/b & memory later when finances allow.

would that be a significant step forward?

Absolutely.

OK will do that, thanks very much for your help and advice.

Malc

You are welcome and good luck.