How can I tell what hardware is compatible?

Off-Topic Games, Gaming and Hardware
1

I built a budget gaming pc for my wife 5 years ago. Nowadays it’s showing its age and it’s upgrade time, but I don’t know how to tell what’s compatible with what.

I don’t know much about hardware. I just bought the pieces and figured out how to put them together. I know more RAM and a new graphics card will make a big difference, but how can I check whether they will work with the motherboard, or the processor?

2

What is current system, full specs

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One place to start might be the PCPartPicker System Builder tool (should pop right up on Google). Start with the motherboard, then scroll down and go through the compatible parts list. However, be sure to double-check the compatibility of specific components with other sites.

Newegg and Tom’s Hardware are also good resources. Newegg has some general guides on builds and a RAM compatibility tool, and TH has reviews on just about every component out there. You might even find complete builds if you google your motherboard and “Tom’s Hardware”.

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4

Thanks for the help. I found PCpartpicker but it seems like it gives me an error message for the computer as it is now.

Current specs going down the list on PCpartpicker:

CPU: AMD FX-6300 3.5 GHz 6-Core Processor

Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler

Motherboard: Asus M5A97 R2.0 ATX AM3+ Motherboard

Memory: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler

Storage: Western Digital Black 1 TB 2.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive

Video Card: MSI Radeon R7 360 2 GB Video Card

Case: Cooler Master HAF 912 ATX Mid Tower Case

Power Supply: EVGA 600B 600 W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply

Optical Drive: Asus DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS DVD/CD Writer

Operating System: Microsoft Windows 10 Home OEM 64-bit

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I believe any graphics card you could buy new at this point will be compatible with a 5 year old motherboard. You’d have to go back a lot farther than that to have any issues.

As for RAM, if I’m not mistaken this is the ASUS tech support page for your MB. The specs call for DDR3 2133 (O.C.)/1866/1600/1333/1066.

This is the most recent list of memory sticks that ASUS approved for that MB.

6

Huh. Can you still get the option to look for compatible CPUs based on the motherboard? The site is a bit script heavy, so if you have a script blocker, you’ll need to disable it or allow an exception for the website to work.

That said, the only yellow flag I see in the build is the video card. I’d go 8 GB if you can afford it (but check the power usage). And Tureja’s right - the latest crop of GPUs are pretty much all compatible with PCIe slots, so no worries there.

Also when you say the current computer is “showing its age,” what do you mean? Is it noisy, slow, crashing or not booting properly, or something else?

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That CPU will be holding back any modern GPU upgrade and is most likely the reason your wife is not seeing the performance she wants. You need a new platform upgrade (CPU, RAM, and mobo) along with a GPU upgrade. You can keep the HSF, PSU, and case.

Something along a modern 4 core / 8 thread platform from either Intel or AMD (or better), 16 GB of mobo compatible RAM, and a SSD for the OS and game.

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