New Components on a old system (Please Help Urgent)

[Dijon]

Hi there Im a student at highschool and this will be my first time changing the parts but I have done alot of research so hopefully I know what to do. My question is, shouldI buy a complete Motherboard bundle with the motherboard it self and also the CPU and RAM? Since I want to up grade my old PC which has never let me down, but is not the greatest for gaming (henceforth the upgrading), I would also need to replace graphics card and PSU as they are all old, but I have no clue if they will fit so what should I do, get new components or just get 8GB RAM, new used graphics card and a old used CPU for my upgrades instead which is cheaper. I was thinking of doing the 2nd option as its cheaper and is pretty simple to change only those items but if I change the old GPU then I would have to change the PSU as it requires more power. I've finally got my hands on some cash and this is my only chance, I play games such as Fortnite, GTA and Alien Isolation, for me Medium graphics settings is alright so I dont mind even low settings either (High settings requires more expensive GPU so medium or low is good for me) and Im looking for no lower than 30 FPS if thats possible, I would rather if it was not too much work as this is my first time :D. Current PC SPECS:

 

Medion MT7 490G

Intel Core 2 Duo E6750

Micro Star, MS-7358

4GB of DDR2 RAM 667MHZ, 2.75GB usable left, (Motherboard supports up to 8GB of DDR2)

500GB HD and 250GB HD (no need for Hard drive replacement a I have enough)

Nvidia Geforce GT 240 (Should I keep this card and replace only CPU and RAM? This way is cheaper and again I dont mind low settings, but need minimum 30FPS)

Windows 7 Ultimate 64bit (Was upgraded from Windows Vista)

PSU 300 Watt (I think its intergrated in case? Im not sure I dont think it is)

If someone could please help and reply as I will be using this for studying for my exams aswell as gaming so any help will be much appreciated.

Many Thanks, Dijon.

PS. My budget is max £200/$262 (Not much I know but I am a student)

Btw also some of you guys might just say buy a used PC from online on Ebay.co.uk? But I've looked and I have found nothing and besides this PC is really special to me, hence why I dont want to sell it or throw it away, again many thanks for any help. :3

 

[BobVonBob]

If I'm honest, if you want to game on that budget your best bet would be replacing the GPU with a better one, maybe a used 960 (BEWARE there are a lot of scam 960s on Ebay, only go for ones that have actual pictures), and after that using your remaining money to find the best CPU your motherboard supports, probably some sort of Core 2 Quad for cheap on Ebay. It wouldn't hurt to change the PSU, but it looks like your case has it built in and it might be difficult to remove.

[Dijon]

Yes I was thinking about that I researched and my best bet (and the these are the ones that my mobo supports) a Intel Core 2 Quad Q9650 (a powerful CPU for price), 8GB (2GB each slot) of DDR2 800MHZ RAM. These all stay within the limit and are power friendly with 300 watt PSU. My question is, will my mob support my GPU. I found the Nvidia Geforce GT 1030 GDDR5 very appealing as its cheap, quite powerful for my gaming needs too. But my only question is, can my mobo support it? What will happen when I install it (do I need to do anything on the BIOS) and will it fit on my case as the GT1030 does not support VGA but thats not relevant to my case sorry xD. Here is my case and mobo specs:

Motherboard: MICRO STAR, MS - 7358  (it does have a x16 PCI slot, only one though)

Case: Medion MT7 490G

Thanks for the help though, :3

 

[Crunchy Dragon]

3 minutes ago, Dijon said:

My question is, will my mob support my GPU.

Yes.

4 minutes ago, Dijon said:

What will happen when I install it (do I need to do anything on the BIOS) and will it fit on my case as the GT1030 does not support VGA but thats not relevant to my case sorry

If the GT 1030 doesn't fit in your case, then look for a low profile model of that card.

 

Adapters are pretty cheap, get a DVI or HDMI to VGA adapter. Done and dusted.

[Dijon]

Never thought of that thanks so much all I will look into it. Much Love :3

 

[Dijon]

Hi guys well I found my parts I will buy them soon (no need to change PSU as GPU has same power usage as my GT 240 which is 300 watts), but my question is after I swap the graphics card or the CPU or RAM, do I have to do anything on the mobo BIOS? I have never been in BIOS and Im afraid I might mess it up. I dont think the CPU will be a problem as the Motherboard is a MSI (but old) so it should instantly accept it without change but Im not sure, this will be the last question so thanks alot for the previous help guys.