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Need advice on upgrading

Forum Homebuilt Systems : General Homebuilt - Need advice on upgrading

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N1FTy   02-13-2007 at 04:12:37 PM

Hey everyone, I am a new user here so please let me know if I did something wrong or need more detail.

I am looking to upgrade my current system to a more current one, but at a tighter budget. I am willing to spend extra money if the bang for the buck warrants it, but I would like to keep it as cheap as possible. I only need to upgrade my motherboard, CPU, and video card; however, I would upgrade my memory and PSU if needed.

Current specs:
AMD Athlon 64 3000+ Newcastle 2.0GHz Socket 754 Processor Model ADA3000AXBOX

DFI LANPARTY UT nF3 250Gb Socket 754 NVIDIA nForce3 250Gb ATX AMD Motherboard

CORSAIR ValueSelect 1GB (2 x 512MB) 184-Pin DDR SDRAM DDR 400 (PC 3200) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model VS1GBKIT400

MSI NX6600GT-VTD128 GeForce 6600GT 128MB GDDR3 AGP 4X/8X VIVO Video Card

SAMSUNG SpinPoint P Series SP2014N 200GB 7200 RPM IDE Ultra ATA133 Hard Drive

Thermaltake Silent PurePower W0009R ATX12V 420W Power Supply

What I'm looking to upgrade to:
Intel Core 2 Duo E6400 Conroe 2.13GHz 2M shared L2 Cache LGA 775 Processor
http://www.newegg.com/product/prod [...] 6819115004

MSI P965 Platinum LGA 775 Intel P965 Express ATX Intel Motherboard
http://www.newegg.com/product/prod [...] 6813130055

HIS Hightech H195PRQT256DDN-R Radeon X1950PRO 256MB 256-bit GDDR3 PCI Express x16 IceQ3 Turbo HDCP Video Card
http://www.newegg.com/product/prod [...] 6814161062

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skyguy   02-13-2007 at 04:46:20 PM
- 0 +

You need new RAM. That mobo needs DD2-533 or higher, not DDR.....won't fit.

Reply to skyguy
cutthroat   02-13-2007 at 04:53:44 PM
- 0 +

The upgrade looks good, but you will have to change your RAM and PSU, so it's basically a new build.

That motherboard you have chosen supports Dual channel DDR2 533/667/800 memory, you should probably go with 2x1GB PC5400 or PC6400, depends on your budget.

Your current PSU won't be enough for that upgrade, go with a quality brand 500W+.

Reply to cutthroat
raven_87   02-13-2007 at 07:50:40 PM
- 0 +

I'd personally jump for another brand motherboard. As MSI wouldnt be my frist recommendation right now.

Perhaps if this was the 478/socket A era.........


You should be able to pick up an Asus, Gigabyte or Epox board along that line for the same amount of $

Reply to raven_87
N1FTy   02-13-2007 at 07:53:45 PM
- 0 +

Whats a good brand for PSU? I'm not very familiar with the companies that make power supplies and which ones make good products. Also, whats a good wattage for a new PSU to be at if I wanted to be able to upgrade in the future?

Oh, and why is MSI not a good brand in your opinion? I read the motherboard review off of THG and it was a recommended buy.

Reply to N1FTy
alcattle   02-14-2007 at 10:42:46 PM
- 0 +

I have used MSI and no problems with them. Tom's review list it's shortcomings. Biggie I see that might hit you is only 2 IDE ports. So your HDD and one other Drive (DVD). It is a decent O/Cer with features some people need (FireWire, 4 SATA ports)

Reply to alcattle
Viceras   02-14-2007 at 11:42:05 PM
- 0 +

It is basically a new build. Check my sig i've just bought this and will be putting it together shortly. It might be a good idea if you could give us your budget so we can better advise you on the products you can realistically buy for the build "bang for buck" as it were.

Reply to Viceras
raven_87   02-14-2007 at 11:53:58 PM
- 0 +

PSU's

Seasonic, PC&P, TT, NZXT, Antec, BFG, OCZ, Sparkle, Silverstone and FSP.

Reply to raven_87
fredgiblet   02-15-2007 at 12:45:14 AM
- 0 +

Personally I'd suggest the 6300 if you have a tight budget, it is still a screamer but it's cheaper than the 6400.

I dont neccesarily agree with the seeming consensus that you will need a nes PSU, I think you might be able to pull it off with your current one, but even if you can you should start planning to get a new one.

Good luck.

Reply to fredgiblet
raven_87   02-15-2007 at 01:29:57 AM
- 0 +

I'd say he's right, if its a unit that wasnt packaged with a case from TT, then chances are you should be alright. The system you have in mind isnt what I would call power hungry by any stretch of the imaginationl.

Reply to raven_87
N1FTy   02-16-2007 at 06:38:06 AM
- 0 +

For IDE, I currently have only one the 200GB hard drive and a DVD-RW drive.
I'm thinking my budget will most likely be around $700. My current PSU was not bundled with the case, but my case does have 4 other case fans. It is a COOLER MASTER Praetorian PAC-T01-E1 Silver All Aluminium Alloy ATX Mid Tower Computer Case. Also, what do you mean by a 6300/6400? Are you talking about NVidia cards?

Reply to N1FTy
alcattle   02-16-2007 at 08:24:30 AM
- 0 +

Those are different C2Ds. They go e4300, e6300, 6400 and e6600. There are faster models then they go to the Q68xx line (Quad)
You have 1 18A +12 rail. Will run most cards upto 7600.
Read this:
New Card, Old System

Reply to alcattle
N1FTy   02-17-2007 at 02:45:10 AM
- 0 +

Does that mean my current PSU cannot support my hypothetical upgrades? If I have to make so many upgrades, I figure I might as well upgrade my monitor as well 8) . I prefer LCD monitors and I like to game often. What monitor would you guys recommend?

*EDIT* I prefer to get an ATI X1950 PRO because it seems to be the best buy for an upgrade. Or is there an NVidia equivalent at the same price if I have PCI-Express?

Reply to N1FTy
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