Update time, please help!

[bmf_rrh]

Hi all. I will be upgrading in a week or 2. Could you guys help with the parts i will need. Right now i have :

Case: Lian Li
Motherboard: ASUS K8V Deluxe
Graphics Card: ATI Radeon 9800
Processor: AMD Athlon 64 3000+ 2.00 ghz
Monitor: Benq 24"
Ram: 1 gb
Hard Drive: 74.5 gb

Would like to go with some bang for the buck parts that can run the current games. I dont have a ton of money, but i can do a few things at a time. Budget around 500.

Thanks Guys

Robert

 

[antiacid]

shop around for a p5q, 2x2gig ddr2 ram and an e8400. Then, look for an hd4850.

 

[aevm]

Are you in the USA?

Antiacid's solution sounds pretty good. It would cost about 100+50+180+150.

What kind of PSu do you have? Recommended 450W+ for one HD 4850, 550W+ for two. I suggest you get a P5Q Pro so you can add that second card later, btw.

 

[aevm]

Maybe a new HDD too. Recent disks are very fast compared to what was on the market 5 years ago. For example $70 or $75 gets you a very fast 640GB made by Seagate or WD. But that can wait. For now get the MB/CPU/GPU/RAM sorted out.

 

[Noya]

Wow, a 24" 1900x1200 monitor? You need a good video card to turn up settings in new games at that res.

I would dump most of the budget into the graphics card (gtx260 or 4870 1gb), as any Intel dual-core and 4gb of RAM will be a HUGE improvement over your old single core and 1gb of DDR400.
260
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814143155
4870
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814161247
(don't go for the 4850 or 9800gtx+, neither of those cards is enough to max the newest games on a 1680x1050 22"...not a chance on a 24" unless you want mediocre frame rates at medium settings and possible screen tearing)


Intel e5200
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819116072&nm_mc=OTC-Froogle&cm_mmc=OTC-Froogle-_-Processors+-+Desktops-_-Intel-_-19116072

And a P45 motherboard that will allow overclocking ($80+).
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128345
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813186148
If you can stretch it:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128359

Memory $36-
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?nm_mc=AFC-SlickDeals&cm_mmc=AFC-SlickDeals-_-NA-_-NA-_-NA&Item=N82E16820227289

Corsair 550w $70
http://www.buy.com/prod/corsair-550w-vx-series-12v-atx-80-plus-certified-power-supply-corsair/q/loc/101/205852646.html


Overclock the e5200 to 3.2ghz or so, whatever the stock cooler can take (check temps).

That's pretty much the best setup if gaming is the main goal. And if you don't video edit or use other pro-level software, don't even think about a quad core.

After the above, I would grab a new 640gb hard drive.

 

[nocteratus]

Wow, a 24" 1900x1200 monitor? You need a good video card to turn up settings in new games at that res.

I would dump most of the budget into the graphics card (gtx260 or 4870 1gb), as any Intel dual-core and 4gb of RAM will be a HUGE improvement over your old single core and 1gb of DDR400.
260
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814143155
4870
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814161247
(don't go for the 4850 or 9800gtx+, neither of those cards is enough to max the newest games on a 1680x1050 22"...not a chance on a 24" unless you want mediocre frame rates at medium settings and possible screen tearing)


Intel e5200
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819116072&nm_mc=OTC-Froogle&cm_mmc=OTC-Froogle-_-Processors+-+Desktops-_-Intel-_-19116072

And a P45 motherboard that will allow overclocking ($80+).
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128345
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813186148
If you can stretch it:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128359

Memory $36-
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?nm_mc=AFC-SlickDeals&cm_mmc=AFC-SlickDeals-_-NA-_-NA-_-NA&Item=N82E16820227289

Corsair 550w $70
http://www.buy.com/prod/corsair-550w-vx-series-12v-atx-80-plus-certified-power-supply-corsair/q/loc/101/205852646.html


Overclock the e5200 to 3.2ghz or so, whatever the stock cooler can take (check temps).

That's pretty much the best setup if gaming is the main goal. And if you don't video edit or use other pro-level software, don't even think about a quad core.

After the above, I would grab a new 640gb hard drive.

+1

and CPU cooler AC Freezer pro 7 $27
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835186134

 

[bmf_rrh]

Antiacid. Thanks, i will study up those parts.


Aevm. Yes, i live in the USA. I have a ANTEC ATX 480 power supply. Can i use my current card as a second card? Will take note on the hdd.


Noya. Monitor is a 24" 1920 x 1200. Thanks for the excellent recommendations, and making it so easy to view. Could you please give me some recommendations for a guy that will not overclock. Why should i not think about a quad core? I dont want the computer just for gaming, also like to look at pictures, and read forums.


Nocteratus. Sounds like a very good idea, my computer now over heats every so often.


Thanks for all the help guys

Robert

 

[antiacid]

if you want to run a 24 inch, i'd suggest going for a 4870 instead of a 4850.

 

[aevm]

Can you use a Radeon 9800 alone with a HD 4850 in a P5Q Pro? Honestly, I'm not sure. You definitely can NOT make them work in Crossfire. You MAY be able to have both working, each with its own monitor(s), but I'm not sure because the Radeon 9800 is really old and it may not be supported by the same drivers as the HD 4850 or HD 4870. Since you can't really install two versions of drivers at the same time, I'm guessing you can't reuse the old card. You can certainly try, but no guarantees. Get your system working with the new card and the latest drivers, and then add the old card and see if the drivers can handle it. If you have only one or two monitors don't bother because you can just connect them both to the new card.

Your PSU is good enough for a HD 4850 or HD 4870. It may be able to support two HD 4850 cards too, but the minimum recommendation for that is 550W. I'm pretty sure it would work anyway, but pushed close to the max and that is not healthy. It would result in more heat, more noise, lower efficiency. If you ever add a second card, I'd suggest upgrading the PSU at the same time. Until then what you have is fine.

 

[bmf_rrh]

What kind of a rig would you guys build with $1000. Thinking about building a new rig and giving the old one to my wife. The new one would be mostly for gaming. I would rather not overclock, dont want to deal with the over heating.

Thanks guys

Robert

 

[shortstuff_mt]

This is what I'd build in that price range if overclocking wasn't in the picture:

Intel Core 2 Duo E8500 Wolfdale 3.16GHz 6MB L2 Cache LGA 775 65W Dual-Core Processor - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115036 $187.99

GIGABYTE GA-EP45-UD3P LGA 775 Intel P45 ATX Intel Motherboard - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128358&cm_sp=DailyDeal-_-13-128-358-_-Homepage&guid=28e23a828ae049b990b0a9ec48cbc426 $136.99 - $20.00 MIR

G.SKILL PI Black 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231209 $49.99

SAPPHIRE 100259-1GL Radeon HD 4870 1GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFire Supported Video Card - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102801 $244.99

Western Digital Caviar Black WD6401AALS 640GB 7200 RPM 32MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive - OEM
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136319 $79.99

PC Power & Cooling S75CF 750W EPS12V SLI NVIDIA SLI Certified (Dual 8800 GTX and below) CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS Certified Active PFC Power Supply - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817341011 $119.99 - $40.00 MIR

Antec Three Hundred Black Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case - Retail
http://www.buy.com/prod/antec-three-hundred-atx-computer-case/q/loc/101/207906549.html $61.65 (shipped)

Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium SP1 64-bit English for System Builders 1pk DSP OEI DVD - OEM
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16832116488 $99.99

Total - $981.58 - $60 MIR's

 

[bmf_rrh]

Can anyone tell me the difference between http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128359 and this http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128358&cm_sp=DailyDeal-_-13-128-358-_-Homepage&guid=28e23a828ae049b990b0a9ec48cbc426 motherboard?

Thanks

Robert

 

[shortstuff_mt]

The UD3P has two PCI Express slots and supports crossfire. The UD3P also has dual LAN ports. If you're looking at ATI GPU's, I'd get the UD3P so that crossfire is an option in the future.

 

[bmf_rrh]

Thanks so much for the help shortstuff_mt. I think i will, instead of going all new, use your first 4 recommendations. The question i have now is when i decide to go with a new hard drive, what is the easiest way for me to transfer all my music and pictures? I have lots of both.

Thanks again

Robert

 

[aevm]

You could just install the old disk and the new disk at the same time and copy from one to another.

Or, you could save them on DVD-R disks before you upgrade. Worst case scenario, your 74 GB disk is full of music and pictures. Then you'd need 17 disks, worth about $6 in total, and 3 or 4 hours of work. You should have backups on DVDs anyway, just in case you get a virus or a HDD crash and lose all files.

BTW, if you're not quite sure where the files are on disk, look under C:\Documents and Settings\<username>\My Documents

 

[bmf_rrh]

Hi all. I have been going back and forth deciding whether to upgrade and buy a dell for the wife, or build new and hand this one down to her. If i were to go new, what is the difference between the mid and full size case besides the extra room? Does it make a big difference? Can you guys throw me out some case recommendations. My case sits inside a desk cabinet, so looks matter very little.

Thanks All

Robert

 

[aevm]

What size is your desk cabinet? Some full towers are really big these days and might not fit. Anyway, you don't need a full tower for that build and hey tend to be more expensive too.

Check out the Antec 300, Antec 900, Antec 1200, NZXT Tempest, CoolerMaster RC-690, CoolerMaster HAF 932. Just go to www.newegg.com and search for each one if you want to see pictures and specs and user reviews. Here's an example:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811119160

For what it's worth, I agree with shortstuff_mt on the Antec 300 recommendation. That makes the most sense for your budget. The Antec 1200 for example is better but costs a lot more and it's overkill for your setup.