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Looking to upgrade my PC
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Carob Nut


Member 1717

Level 6.05

Mar 2006


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Old Mar 6, 2008, 04:16 PM Local time: Mar 6, 2008, 07:16 PM #1 (permalink) of 9
Looking to upgrade my PC

Hey there I guess it is time again to look at upgrading my PC. But I am on a tight budget. I would like something = or better than what I have that will be able to take advantage of the new hardware (DDR2, SATA, PCI-E).

Current Config
Antec Case & ATX power supply
Mobo: Asus P4P800-E Deluxe
Ram: 1gb DDR Samsung
Proc: Intel P4 2.8Ghz Extreme
HD: 1 250Gb ATA, 1 120 Gb ATA
Optical: 1 ATA DVDRW
Video: Ati Radeon 9800 Pro
Audio: Onboard

remeber I am looking for cheap with expandibility

Check out this neat Media Player that I programmed
Jason's Media Player Version: 4.21


Looking for MP3's check out my site
Metavian's FTP
Bear Leisure


Member 792

Level 16.27

Mar 2006


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Old Mar 6, 2008, 05:32 PM #2 (permalink) of 9
You want cheapness and expandability? That's going to interesting.

Your mobo and RAM are dead ends. You're going to have to replace those. Your video card is out of date and should be replaced. The only things I would suggest keeping are the hard drives and optical drives. I don't know the specifications of your power supply, so you may have to replace those. I'm thinking that you're going to keep your monitor, speakers, keyboard and mouse.

Intel Config
CPU: Intel Pentium E2160
Mobo: GIGABYTE GA-P35-S3G
RAM: 2 GB DDR2 667+ (2x1024)
Video: 8600/9600/8800/3870

The CPU and mobo will cost you around $180. You should be able to overclock the CPU to 3.0 GHz on stock cooling. The mobo also has an upgrade path to 45 nm chips with a BIOS update. It should keep you up to date for a decent while, unless Nehalem completely blows the market apart and people stop focusing on Core architecture.

The 667 branded RAM should cost less than $40. 800 RAM will cost more, but keep an eye out for sales from brand names. Only buy brand name RAM. Running no-name RAM and hitting problems isn't worth it. 2 GBs for now. You can slap in more if you need it in the future.

Video card is up to you. How much you are willing to pay is up to you. Calculate the price/performance by looking for benchmarks. Prices start from ~$90 for the 8600 to ~$250 for the 8800.

I'd still suggest getting a new PSU and hard drives. I'm always worried about PSU failures, which could wreck your entire system. I'm also skittish about hard drives, especially when they pass the 3 year mark. It's really up to you. If you decide to buy a PSU, buy name-brand. Don't buy anything over 450W. As for hard drives, buy whatever name-brand you've had the best experience with. Wait for sales at random stores, online sites and whatnot.
Carob Nut


Member 1717

Level 6.05

Mar 2006


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Old Mar 6, 2008, 05:40 PM Local time: Mar 6, 2008, 08:40 PM #3 (permalink) of 9
Thanks for the reply that's what I was looking for. Just need to bring my existing PC to the new age. The big thing I just don't want to spend money and end up with a slower PC either via Video Card or CPU, and yes a new PSU would be needed.

Check out this neat Media Player that I programmed
Jason's Media Player Version: 4.21


Looking for MP3's check out my site
Metavian's FTP
Mimmet Green


Member 28582

Level 1.86

Mar 2008


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Old Mar 7, 2008, 08:41 AM Local time: Mar 7, 2008, 03:41 PM #4 (permalink) of 9
agreed. go for DualCore...P4 is a deadend
I'M IN UR CASTLE, SAVING UR PR1NC3SS!


Member 85

Level 26.92

Mar 2006


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Old Mar 8, 2008, 11:59 PM Local time: Mar 9, 2008, 12:59 AM #5 (permalink) of 9
I just got a GeForce 9600 for only $120, great value as it benches just about as high as the 8800GT for about half the price. Although I suppose the 8xxx cards will be going down in price before too long, and they're all great.

Stay away from current gen ATI cards, though. They're pukey
mustache heaven


Member 2206

Level 26.04

Mar 2006


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Old Mar 9, 2008, 12:20 AM Local time: Mar 9, 2008, 01:20 AM #6 (permalink) of 9
The HD 3870 is a viable alternative in the same price range. Although if you manage find a 9600GT at $120 like Guru did, by all means grab one. Personally I'm curious how he got that deal myself. Mind sharing that information, Guru?
serious business
"Castitatis" (Elfen Lied - Lilium ~opening version~)
The Doujin Music Thread | backloggery
I'M IN UR CASTLE, SAVING UR PR1NC3SS!


Member 85

Level 26.92

Mar 2006


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Old Mar 10, 2008, 09:24 PM Local time: Mar 10, 2008, 09:24 PM #7 (permalink) of 9
The HD 3870 is a viable alternative in the same price range. Although if you manage find a 9600GT at $120 like Guru did, by all means grab one. Personally I'm curious how he got that deal myself. Mind sharing that information, Guru?
Got a BFG 9600 GT OC 512 GDDR3... from Best Buy. I guess it was on sale the week I got it or something? Because I can't find it for that price anywhere online. I'm pretty lucky I guess! I didn't realize it was in the 160-170 range normally.
Carob Nut


Member 1717

Level 6.05

Mar 2006


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Old Mar 10, 2008, 09:33 PM Local time: Mar 10, 2008, 11:33 PM #8 (permalink) of 9
Wow thanks all. This should make getting a new rig a bit easier. Now jsut to find the $$

Check out this neat Media Player that I programmed
Jason's Media Player Version: 4.21


Looking for MP3's check out my site
Metavian's FTP
Carob Nut


Member 1717

Level 6.05

Mar 2006


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Old Jun 7, 2008, 02:17 PM Local time: Jun 7, 2008, 04:17 PM #9 (permalink) of 9
Finaly think I have what I want
using TigerDirect.ca
==Buying==
CPU: CP2-PD-E2180 :: Intel Pentium Dual Core E2180 Processor HH80557PG0411M - 2.0GHz, 1MB Cache, 800MHz FSB, Allendale, Dual Core, OEM, Socket 775, Processor
MOBO: S458-1028 :: ECS PA1 MVP Motherboard - 2.0, ATI RD400X, Socket 775, ATX, Audio, PCI Express, Dual Gigabit LAN, USB 2.0, Serial ATA, RAID
HD: TSD-320AAJS :: Western Digital Caviar SE 320GB Hard Drive - 7200, 8MB, SATA-300, OEM
VIDEO: E145-8844 :: EVGA GeForce 8800 GS Video Card - 384MB GDDR3, PCI Express 2.0, SLI Ready, (Dual Link) Dual DVI, HDTV
CASE: ULT40035 :: Ultra Micro Fly BX6 Black Micro-ATX Case with Front USB, FireWire, Audio Ports, Clear Side and 600-Watt XVS Power Supply
Cost: $508.00

==Already Have==
RAM: 4x1024 Corsair DDR2 XMS2 CM2X1024-5400C4 (4-4-4-12) 675MHz

==Re-using==
LG-CDRW(IDE) GSA-4163B

So does this look good

Check out this neat Media Player that I programmed
Jason's Media Player Version: 4.21


Looking for MP3's check out my site
Metavian's FTP
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