I am attempting to upgrade my old computer. I have never tried anything like this before. I'm sure I will run into problems and am hoping someone will be kind enough to help me as I go along.

The Motherboard is a GeForce6100PM-M2 and the Processor is an AMD Athlon 7850 Dual-Core 2.8GHz. I know this isn't brilliant but I'm not going try to change these. If I succeed in my upgrading, maybe I'll try building from scratch next time!
I am on a VERY tight budget.

I have successfully changed the Hard drive and installed Windows XP. I used a Seagate Barracuda 500GB SATA-600 7200RPM 16MB. I intend to upgrade to Win 7 32-bit (Ialready have the upgrade and I'm not using it on another computer).

I will upgrade the RAM from 2 x 1GB to 2 x 2GB. Crucial's scan told me this is the maximum available at the moment. The Motherboard should be able to take more, but there are only 2 slots at the moment. I have 2 of KINGSTON 2GB DDR3 PC2-8500 1066MHZ ready to use.

I also intend to upgrade the Power Unit. THIS IS WHERE I NEED HELP NOW. I have a mini-case and am not sure what power supply will actually fit. The current power unit is aFSP 150-50GLT. It measures 18cm by 8cm by 8.5cm.

Can anybody recommend a power unit that would fit and that doesn't cost too much (£25 or so??)?

Thanks in advance.

More important than the actual size of the PSU is the size of your case. I know it's odd, but (at least for me) it's easier to find a fitting PSU if I know your case's form factor. That being said, this PSU is a good PSU if your case is an ATX Mid Tower or larger (most modern cases are ATX Mid or ATX Full). A decent PSU from a reputable brand at a very affordable price of £35.

If you're not sure about the form factor of your case, just find the exact model of it and I can find the specs myself and give you a recommendation off of that.

One thing to keep in mind is that you don't "upgrade" to 7 from XP as in replacing XP with 7. It'll have to be a clean install which means that you'll basically be starting over. Vista can be upgraded without a clean install (as long as you use the same version) but not XP. In addition the 32-bit versions of windows sometime have trouble recognizing 4 gb of ram and 32 bit versions cannot use more than 4 gb of ram. For that much memory I recommend that you go with the 64 bit version of 7. If you bought it from a store it should have the 64 version as well (look on the box). If it doesn't have the 64 bit version and you haven't opened it out you should be able to take it back for an exchange.

Thanks for your responses. Much appreciated.
I have tried to find the form factor of my case but can't find one that matches. It is smaller than a micro-ATX. The dimensions are39 x 36 x 10cm or 15.5 x 14 x 4 inches. I can get a power unit from the same manufacturer but 250 watts is the highest. Will this be sufficient?

I know I can't do a 'clean' upgrade from XP to 7. As there is no software or files on the new hard drive, this is OK. I made a mistake in buying the 32-bit version of Win 7 but have had it nearly a year and can't change it. It is the student version (I qualify as I am in education sector in UK) so I only have the 32-bit disc. Would I be better off staying with XP 64-bit rather than changing to Win 7 32-bit? I don't want to buy the other version of Win 7 at the moment. Perhaps I will in the future.

Thanks for all your help

Originally Posted by davidge

Thanks for your responses. Much appreciated.
I have tried to find the form factor of my case but can't find one that matches. It is smaller than a micro-ATX. The dimensions are39 x 36 x 10cm or 15.5 x 14 x 4 inches. I can get a power unit from the same manufacturer but 250 watts is the highest. Will this be sufficient?

Ouch...that's pretty restrictive. To get an idea of how restrictive, consider that most ATX Mid Tower cases are around 18.80" x 18.89" x 7.80".

Yeah...I don't think you'll be able to fit in a quality PSU.
As for the one you suggested, it might work, but I need to know what brand it is. Some manufacturers label their PSUs for lower wattage then they are really capable of, for good efficiency ratings. Of course, not all manufacturers do this, so like I said, I'll need to know the brand.

Fortron 250W TFX Power Supply (FSP250-60GHT)
Manufacturer: Fortron

Manufacturer Part #: FSP250-60GHT

Is the 250 watt version. The website is here: FSP >> PC Power Supply >> TFX 12V ver. 2.1 >> GLT
It shows the following info:

Outputs
+3.3V +5V +12V1 +12V2 +12V3 +12V4 -12V +5Vsb
FSP100-50GLT 100W 12A 14A 7.5A - - - 0.3A 2A
FSP150-50GLT 150W 12A 14A 10A - - - 0.3A 2A
FSP250-60GLT 250W 14A 16A 14A 16A - - 0.5A 2A


Thanks again.

I think, since this is warm up to building your own from scratch, I recommend you start your scratch project now by upgrading your case to a mid-tower ATX case. This will allow you to buy a standard ATX power supply which will give you 1000s of options, instead of the very limited and expensive options you have now with a "low profile" PSU.

A new case will also have many more and larger fan options - always a good thing. And of course, much more room to work in. The Antec 300 is nice case, plus it has washable air filters, a must in my book.

XP 64-bit is terrible because there is no driver support. If you don't have it don't get it!!! Through your educational program how much would it cost to get the 64-bit? Perhaps if you call microsoft they'll send you a disc for a nominal fee (it won't come with a serial number so you'll have to use what you have).

I've contacted Microsoft and they just said to speak to the dealer I bought Win 7 off. They said I'd have to pay again to buy the 64-bit version. I'll stick to 32-bit for now. I will update from XP to Win 7 as it will allow me to set up a Home Network more easily. On this point, there is clearly a problem with Win 7 and wireless internet. I have to type the network key every time I restart the computer. It will not remember the key and connect automatically. I've tried several fixes suggested on Microsoft forums and none of them work. This seems to be a problem for many people. Any suggestions?

On the otehr point, I don't really want to change the case at this stage. I'll just do my best to find a power supply that fits.

Thanks again.

Just when I thought things were going well... computer was working fine. This morning I tried to change the RAM. The new memory wouldn't fit (despite Crucial scan saying it would) so I put the old memory back. Now the computer won't start up. The fans come on, so there must be power going to the computer. The 'on' switch on the front of the computer does nothing and the lights on the front don't come on either.
Any suggestions please???