- May 30, 2013
- 4
- 0
- 10,510
Approximate Purchase Date: 2-3 months
Budget Range: Under $500
System Usage from Most to Least Important: Media playback, some gaming, basic computing (internet, Word/Excel, etc.)
Are you buying a monitor: No
Parts to Upgrade: Unsure. My current build is approaching 5 years old (see components below) and I don’t know how it compares to modern systems, so I may consider a MB, CPU, etc. upgrade.
Do you need to buy OS: Maybe? I’ve got Vista 64 bit now and would consider an upgrade to 7 or 8 if recommended.
Preferred Website(s) for Parts: No strong preference, but I bought the parts for this one on newegg back in the day.
Location: Orlando, FL
Parts Preferences: No strong preference. I’ve got an Intel CPU and it hasn’t given me any trouble, so I’d buy it again.
Overclocking: No.
SLI or Crossfire: Maybe. My 512mb video card supports Crossfire, so there’s some upgrade potential here I would think.
Your Monitor Resolution: 1440x900. Not sure on the 40” HDTV.
Additional Comments: The only games I have are from ‘09 or older: Crysis, Half Life Series, Halo, etc. I’d like to still be able to play them and maybe something newer as well, but I don’t play nearly as much as I used to so it’s just not as important. I would like for the machine to be quiet as it’s replacing the blu ray features on my PS3 and I don’t want to watch movies in a wind tunnel.
And Most Importantly, Why Are You Upgrading: Ultimately I want to add more media playback functionality to my current computer. My PS3 won’t reliably play certain newer releases and I don’t want to have to rush to Google to figure out what’s going on, so I’m in the market for a blu ray player. I thought about just buying a standalone player, but I think the computer would be more versatile. I’ll be watching the occasional DVD/BD rental, my GoPro videos, Amazon Prime, ESPN3, maybe Hulu, maybe Netflix, & Youtube. I don’t have cable at the moment, but if I ever activate it I’d want the computer to double as a DVR.
Also, since my build is almost 5 years old, I’m interested in knowing how it compares to a modern machine and if there are some relatively inexpensive upgrades to speed it up a little. It’s still much faster than what I use at work and might still be faster than newer “budget” computers, but the reason I home assembled it in the first place is so I could easily upgrade if I wanted. If replacing 2 or 3 components can make it a whole new machine, then why not go for it?
I’ve got dual monitors and don’t want to switch the cables around when I want to switch from watching TV to using the computer. Newer video cards seem to have 2 DVI and 1 HDMI port, but my MB only has PCI Express 2.0 slots, so I was leaning towards new MB, CPU and video card. I’ll need to include a Blu Ray drive in the budget too, and maybe a sound card if the video card doesn’t transmit sound through HDMI.
With all that in mind, what are your recommendations? Should I upgrade, or is my current build fine with some minor tweaks?
Below are my current components. I’m running Ubuntu on the 160GB HD.
ASUS P5Q Pro LGA 775 Intel P45 ATX Intel Motherboard
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131299
Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600 Kentsfield 2.4GHz LGA 775 Quad-Core Processor
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115017
SAPPHIRE 100259L Radeon HD 4870 512MB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFireX Support Video Card
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102810
PC Power and Cooling S61EPS 610W Continuous @ 40°C EPS12V SLI Certified CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS Certified Active PFC Power Supply compatible with core i7
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817703005
Western Digital WD Blue WD5000AAKS 500GB 7200 RPM 16MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136073
Western Digital WD Blue WD1600AAJS 160GB 7200 RPM 8MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136075
(2) G.SKILL PI Black 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory (8GB Total)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231209
Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium SP1 64-bit for System Builders
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16832116488
Thanks,
Nick
Budget Range: Under $500
System Usage from Most to Least Important: Media playback, some gaming, basic computing (internet, Word/Excel, etc.)
Are you buying a monitor: No
Parts to Upgrade: Unsure. My current build is approaching 5 years old (see components below) and I don’t know how it compares to modern systems, so I may consider a MB, CPU, etc. upgrade.
Do you need to buy OS: Maybe? I’ve got Vista 64 bit now and would consider an upgrade to 7 or 8 if recommended.
Preferred Website(s) for Parts: No strong preference, but I bought the parts for this one on newegg back in the day.
Location: Orlando, FL
Parts Preferences: No strong preference. I’ve got an Intel CPU and it hasn’t given me any trouble, so I’d buy it again.
Overclocking: No.
SLI or Crossfire: Maybe. My 512mb video card supports Crossfire, so there’s some upgrade potential here I would think.
Your Monitor Resolution: 1440x900. Not sure on the 40” HDTV.
Additional Comments: The only games I have are from ‘09 or older: Crysis, Half Life Series, Halo, etc. I’d like to still be able to play them and maybe something newer as well, but I don’t play nearly as much as I used to so it’s just not as important. I would like for the machine to be quiet as it’s replacing the blu ray features on my PS3 and I don’t want to watch movies in a wind tunnel.
And Most Importantly, Why Are You Upgrading: Ultimately I want to add more media playback functionality to my current computer. My PS3 won’t reliably play certain newer releases and I don’t want to have to rush to Google to figure out what’s going on, so I’m in the market for a blu ray player. I thought about just buying a standalone player, but I think the computer would be more versatile. I’ll be watching the occasional DVD/BD rental, my GoPro videos, Amazon Prime, ESPN3, maybe Hulu, maybe Netflix, & Youtube. I don’t have cable at the moment, but if I ever activate it I’d want the computer to double as a DVR.
Also, since my build is almost 5 years old, I’m interested in knowing how it compares to a modern machine and if there are some relatively inexpensive upgrades to speed it up a little. It’s still much faster than what I use at work and might still be faster than newer “budget” computers, but the reason I home assembled it in the first place is so I could easily upgrade if I wanted. If replacing 2 or 3 components can make it a whole new machine, then why not go for it?
I’ve got dual monitors and don’t want to switch the cables around when I want to switch from watching TV to using the computer. Newer video cards seem to have 2 DVI and 1 HDMI port, but my MB only has PCI Express 2.0 slots, so I was leaning towards new MB, CPU and video card. I’ll need to include a Blu Ray drive in the budget too, and maybe a sound card if the video card doesn’t transmit sound through HDMI.
With all that in mind, what are your recommendations? Should I upgrade, or is my current build fine with some minor tweaks?
Below are my current components. I’m running Ubuntu on the 160GB HD.
ASUS P5Q Pro LGA 775 Intel P45 ATX Intel Motherboard
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131299
Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600 Kentsfield 2.4GHz LGA 775 Quad-Core Processor
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115017
SAPPHIRE 100259L Radeon HD 4870 512MB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFireX Support Video Card
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102810
PC Power and Cooling S61EPS 610W Continuous @ 40°C EPS12V SLI Certified CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS Certified Active PFC Power Supply compatible with core i7
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817703005
Western Digital WD Blue WD5000AAKS 500GB 7200 RPM 16MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136073
Western Digital WD Blue WD1600AAJS 160GB 7200 RPM 8MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136075
(2) G.SKILL PI Black 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory (8GB Total)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231209
Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium SP1 64-bit for System Builders
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16832116488
Thanks,
Nick
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