<$500 system upgrade, feedback please

[cali4me]

hi all, im looking for input so please comment.

im trying to upgrade my system for <$500; less spent the better. i plan to be using it primarily for gaming and intend to oc. here's my current rig:
Pentium 4 524 3.06GHz (stock hsf)
ABIT NI8-SLI mobo (nForce4)
x2 1GB Corsair DDR2 533
----
EVGA GeForce 8600GTS PCI-E x16
NZTX Apollo Mid Tower
Western Digital Caviar SE16 WD6400AAKS
LG DVD/CD Burner
Enermax 535w EG565AX-VE(G)FMA PSU


i think it would be best to replace the cpu, mobo, and memory since they are the oldest and slowest components, but im not sure. googling has led me to believe that the parts below give me the best bang for my buck, what you think? are these the best value for my money(?) or is it worth paying more for "better" parts? if so, what should i get?

C2D E8400 3.0Ghz & GIGABYTE GA-EP45-UD3R Combo ($270 -$15MIR)
CORSAIR 4GB (2 x 2GB) DDR2 800 ($57 -$30MIR)
XIGMATEK HDT-S1283 ($29)

Grand Total: 390.35 -$45MIR

 

[aford10]

It looks like a good budget system. If you really wanted to cut some cost, this is a good, cheap board
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128338
It will save about $50 from the combo you have picked. It's a micro atx board, but it should suit your needs. With the money saved, you could even upgrade the cpu to the E8500. It costs about $15 more than the E8400, so you will still be under the $270 combo price.

You could even keep that board (which is a good board), and get the E8500, for a total of about $290 after the $15 rebate.

 

[cali4me]

is the only difference between the E8400 and E8500 160MHz? if so, is 160MHz worth $24 (especially considering i intend to oc anyway)?

E8400 - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115037
E8500 - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115036

EDIT: also, is a 535W PSU enough? what if i add hard drives and/or upgrade my graphics?

 

[aford10]

The E8500 can be OC'd more than the E8400, gives higher potential. At stock speeds it will outperform it in every way. I would pay the $24 for it. I've seen people have it OC'd up to 4Ghz. It all depends on how much you want to get out of your system.

 

[cali4me]

so what about memory; are certain brads better than others or does it not matter? also, i was thinking about getting these (see below) but im afraid it will bottleneck my system and/or its oc potential. what do you think, will ddr2 800 + oc be enough or should i spend the extra $$ on ddr2 1066?

CORSAIR 4GB (2 x 2GB) DDR2 800 ($57 -$30MIR)

 

[jalpaugh1978]

aford10 01-27-2009 at 03:51:08 AM | BBCode | Report | Hide Show message
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It looks like a good budget system. If you really wanted to cut some cost, this is a good, cheap board
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6813128338
It will save about $50 from the combo you have picked. It's a micro atx board, but it should suit your needs. With the money saved, you could even upgrade the cpu to the E8500. It costs about $15 more than the E8400, so you will still be under the $270 combo price.

You could even keep that board (which is a good board), and get the E8500, for a total of about $290 after the $15 rebate.


Aford10 is right...I just built my brother-in-law a new pc with that board and the Intel E5200 and it flies. Much faster than my current rig. LOL, it's kinda ther reason I decided to build again

 

[aford10]

RAM is the most common cause of BSOD's. If you get cheap RAM, you are just increasing your chances of getting bad RAM. OCZ, G. skill, corsair are some of the better brands. I would stick with the DDR2 800. It's a little more stable than the 1066 and it is relatively cheap. This is a good kit
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820227267

 

[cali4me]

i'd really appropriate anyone's thoughts and input on first post.


so between these three kits (below) which one should i get? or do you know of better deals? (im looking to get the most for my money)
G.SKILL 2 x 2GB DDR2 800 $40
CORSAIR 2 x 2GB DDR2 800 $57 -$30MIR = $27
OCZ Reaper HPC Edition 2 x 2GB DDR2 800 $60 -$20MIR = $40
OCZ SLI-Ready Edition 2 x 2GB DDR2 800 $51 -$20MIR = $31

 

[Levi182]

G.skill for sure man there the best

As for the processor get an e7400 and overclock it to 3.5Ghz and it will perfrom the same as the e8400 stock even a little better,

But that MOBO cpu combo you have is great the mobo is amazing the same for the cpu.

That cooler is great and you still have plenty of cash to spend on an amazing GPU i would suggest a sapphire 4870 or an nvidia XFX 260 GTX

 

[aford10]

If you were going to undercut on the cpu and just oc the crap out of it, you should do it with the E5200 not the E7400.

The corsair is a great deal right now. For the price you really can't beat it. My second choice would be the OCZ reapers. The 2 options are the lowest latency available for DDR2 800. Both great options.