Upgrade a Cheap Computer to Gaming Computer!

​It does not take much to have a gaming computer. Just have to know what games you want to play and see what they require to play them.
Many folks think a gaming computer has to cost 500 dollars or more. 

​This is simply not true!
The photo to the left shows a an HP Core 2 Quad workstation I bought for 35.00 and had eight gig of DDR3 memory installed.  I bought a 500 gig Western Digital 7200 off Ebay for $10.00 and a AMD Firepro V5900 2 gig Video card for 25.00 for total of $70.00.  This PC has a Windows Pro COA (License Key for Windows 7)  I just reloaded a clean install of Windows 7 I am done.  Getting a copy of Windows 10 will cost about 30 to 40 dollars.  Thats $110.00 dollars on a gaming PC

It plays WOW at med to high settings at 70 FPS
Starcraft 2 at high setting at 40 FPS
​Fortnite at medium setting 720p at 50 FPS

With desktop computers you might have some flexibility to upgrade your computer to increase gaming performance. Some simple upgrades would be:

• CPU - Some budget PCs will have a low processor to keep the cost down on the sale's floor.  Many time these processor can be replaced with a faster CPU that is capable of playing games. For example an Intel Celeron CPU wont play many games, but the i3 or i5 will handle games just fine.  Many times after a year or two the newer generation CPUs are released and the i5's and i3's will drop in price significantly.
• RAM - System memory or RAM is vital for a fast PC.  More system ram you have installed will keep your PC from having to close apps or close pages and programs from crashing because you are running low on memory. 8 gig is the Minimum recommended for Windows 10
• Video Card - Most budget PCs will only include on board video for their computers.  This is fine for basic office use and watching video online, but for gaming you really do need a dedicated video card to play the latest games.  A basic 2 gig Video card by Nvidia or AMD will increase performance significantly.  Just be aware that older video cards may not play newer released games.
• Hard drive - The craze for Solid State Hard drives is in full effect! These drives load applications and Windows super fast and keep your system from lagging in some game play because you are able to load games faster. the prices on SSD's has fallen to wear you can get a 240 gig SSd for as little 25 bucks!

Using Offer up, Five Mile, and Craigslist are great for bargain hunters!  With the popularity of Youtube you can learn how to do just about anything!  
There are lots of bargains to be had.  With computers the manufactures want you upgrade every 3 years. You can buy a fast PC for cheap and upgrade to a better video card.  No need to spend a huge amount of money!

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