Time to Upgrade

[TipsyMcStagger]

APPROXIMATE PURCHASE DATE: In the next few days

SYSTEM USAGE FROM MOST TO LEAST IMPORTANT: Surfing the internet, general usage. NOT a gamer.

PARTS NOT REQUIRED: Reusing old Antec Sonata case but will upgrade PSU

PREFERRED WEBSITE(S) FOR PARTS: Newegg

PARTS PREFERENCES: Have been using AMD but will try Intel this time.

OVERCLOCKING: NO

MONITOR RESOLUTION: 1680x1050 Dell 2208WFP (from current configuration).

ADDITIONAL COMMENTS: Not a gamer and don't typically watch movies on the PC. General use machine. Just looking to expand storage capacity, increase speed and upgrade from XP to Win 7. I'm a novice builder. I built the machine I'm using now but I did so by following online guides.

Current configuration is an ASRock 939Dual-SATA2, AMD Athlon 64 3800+, 160 HD and 1 GB RAM




Here's what I plan to do:

MB = Gigabyte GA-EP45-UD3P

CPU = Intel Core 2 Duo E8400 Wolfdale

CPU Cooler = ZALMAN CNPS9500 AT 2 Ball CPU Cooling Fan/Heatsink

OS = Windows 7 Professional 64 Bit

RAM = G.SKILL 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 1066 (PC2 8500). I think I'd like to run 6GB though. Do I use 2 x 2 GB and then 2 x 1GB???

Video Card = Asus EN8400GS. I know this is a dated, older card, but for what I do, I don't see a need to upgrade at this time.

HD = Western Digital Caviar Black WD1001FALS 1TB 7200 RPM 32MB Cache SATA

DVD = Sony Optiarc Black 24X DVD+R ... with LightScribe LightScribe Support - OEM

PSU = Antec EarthWatts EA650 650W Continuous Power ATX12V Ver.2.2

Card Reader = Rosewill RCR-IC001 40-in-1 USB 2.0 3.5" Internal Card Reader

 

[obsidian86]

well it looks ok but if you look at the amd side of life you could get better

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103674

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131402&Tpk=asus 790x

or some onboard graphics which would be a bit bettter then an 8400gs but losing crossfire ability

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131398

as you can see there aint much in pricing between ddr2 an ddr3

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820227316

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231275

 

[TipsyMcStagger]

Thanks for the reply. I don't have any idea what crossfire ability is???

Is there much of a real world difference between ddr2 and ddr3 for my usage/needs?

Tipsy

 

[sonic-boom]

Get this HDD its cheaper and faster
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822152185&cm_re=spinpoint_f3-_-22-152-185-_-Product

 

[TipsyMcStagger]

Thanks Sonic....just added it to my wishlist.

Never used a Samsung HD. I guess it's a decent drive or you wouldn't be recommending it???

Tipsy

 

[obsidian86]

ddr 3 is ther future ddr2 is on its way out and will become harder to find and more expensive .crossfire is basically using 2 ati graphics cards working as one super card you can read bout it here http://www.tomshardware.co.uk/forum/page-245454_15_0.html

 

[sonic-boom]

Yes, that HDD is great.

 

[TipsyMcStagger]

Sounds good obsidian86. I've used AMD in the past. Might as well stick with it! For the money, I see no reason to commit to older ddr2 when the Asus board you recommend will accommodate ddr3.

I can still use my existing video card with the Asus board, correct?

And is the stock cooler adequate for the AMD CPU?

Tipsy

 

[obsidian86]

yeah you can use your card with either board

the stock cooler would be fine unless overclocking but i dont think you will wanna do that right away

 

[TipsyMcStagger]

No overclocking for me! I'm a K.I.S.S kind of guy (Keep It Simple Stupid)!

Tipsy

 

[TipsyMcStagger]

Revised Configuration

Right now, this totals $764.92 from NewEgg.

Seem like pretty good bang-for-the-buck?


MB = ASUS M4A79XTD EVO AM3 AMD 790X ATX AMD

CPU = AMD Phenom II X4 955 Black Edition Deneb 3.2GHz 4 x 512KB L2 Cache 6MB L3 Cache Socket AM3 125W Quad-Core Processor

OS = Windows 7 Professional 64 Bit

RAM = G.SKILL 6GB (3 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333 (PC3 10666) Triple Channel Kit

HD = SAMSUNG Spinpoint F3 HD103SJ 1TB 7200 RPM 32MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s

Video Card = Asus EN8400GS. I know this is a dated, older card, but for what I do, I don't see a need to upgrade at this time.

DVD = Sony Optiarc Black 24X DVD+R ... with LightScribe LightScribe Support - OEM

PSU = OCZ Fatal1ty OCZ550FTY 550W ATX12V / EPS12V SLI Ready CrossFire Ready Modular Active PFC Power Supply

Card Reader = Rosewill RCR-IC001 40-in-1 USB 2.0 3.5" Internal Card Reader

 

[impaledmango]

looks good, but I would buy a 4670, just because it's better.

 

[TipsyMcStagger]

A quick Google search reveals that a 4670 is a video card???

I think I'm okay with what I've got for now (EN8400GS). I can always upgrade later. Like I said, at most I'll watch some YouTube...I don't watch movies on the PC. Can't really see a reason to upgrade at the moment.

Tipsy

 

[impaledmango]

alright, you probably dont need a phenom II 955, you be perfectly fine with
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103706&cm_re=propus-_-19-103-706-_-Product

and this mobo http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131398

also a 550w psu will be more then enough

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817341022 this one

or

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139004

 

[TipsyMcStagger]

alright, you probably dont need a phenom II 955, you be perfectly fine with
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] -_-Product

and this mobo http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6813131398

Impaledmango, thanks for your input.

It looks like the 955 and the M4A79XTD are only about $60 more than what you suggest (when purchased as a combo). I agree I probably don't need that much power for what I'm doing at the moment, but I don't mind spending a few extra bucks now to give me some flexibility in the future.

I just recently bought a 1080p LCD TV, so I might try to output some video from the computer to the TV at a later time (I know I'll need to upgrade the GPU at that point).

Tipsy

EDIT: Updated PSU info. Thanks.

 

[kaosnkorruption]

Why get a Phenom II x4 955 if all you do is web surfing and general usage? You can save some cash by dropping down to an Athlon II x2 or x4.

You should get RAM in multiples of 2 (since the AMD processors do not support memory in a Triple Channel configuration); so get either 2x2GB or 4x2GB. Also, don't confuse yourself and think there is such a thing as Dual and Triple Channel memory; it's all the same, just sold as Dual/Triple Channel kits.

 

[liquidsnake718]

Thanks for the reply. I don't have any idea what crossfire ability is???

Is there much of a real world difference between ddr2 and ddr3 for my usage/needs?

Tipsy

Not much difference if you are not going to overclock or use ram/resource intensive programs like Autocad, 3ds max, or games like Crysis or GTA4.... DDR2 however is the only RAM you can use with that motherboard of yours. Just use at least 3gig so you wont have to upgrade since you are still planning on sunning XP. Are you planning on getting XP Pro 64 bit? Then get at least 4 Gigs of RAM.

 

[TipsyMcStagger]

Not much difference if you are not going to overclock or use ram/resource intensive programs like Autocad, 3ds max, or games like Crysis or GTA4.... DDR2 however is the only RAM you can use with that motherboard of yours. Just use at least 3gig so you wont have to upgrade since you are still planning on sunning XP. Are you planning on getting XP Pro 64 bit? Then get at least 4 Gigs of RAM.

Actually, I'm not going to run XP. I'm going to use Win 7 Pro 64bit, but I'm aware that the Gigabyte board is only DDR2 capable.

I'll continue to do some more reading. Thanks for all of the great info.

You should get RAM in multiples of 2 (since the AMD processors do not support memory in a Triple Channel configuration); so get either 2x2GB or 4x2GB. Also, don't confuse yourself and think there is such a thing as Dual and Triple Channel memory; it's all the same, just sold as Dual/Triple Channel kits.

Understood. Thanks for the clarification.

Tipsy

 

[obsidian86]

i only suggested the 955 since it was so close in price to the e8400 you originally chose and a 955 will walk over an e8400

 

[C00lIT]

Is your 939pin Athlon3800+ a single core or is it the Dual Core ??

If the Athlon3800 is a dual, I strongly recommend adding up to 2 gigs of ram, adding a 500gig harddrive and reinstalling Windows with Windows 7.


If the 3800 is a single core or perhaps it is needed as a second computer, AMD is the way to go for a new build as Intel is only a great new build for high end computers.

Anything I would recommend will already be posted.

Actually, I recommend an MSI Radeon 4650, those have an HDMI output that works great with new TV's... the onboard could probably do the same tho I haven't really tested it.

Good luck with your build.

 

[TipsyMcStagger]

Is your 939pin Athlon3800+ a single core or is it the Dual Core ??

If the Athlon3800 is a dual, I strongly recommend adding up to 2 gigs of ram, adding a 500gig harddrive and reinstalling Windows with Windows 7.


If the 3800 is a single core or perhaps it is needed as a second computer, AMD is the way to go for a new build as Intel is only a great new build for high end computers.

I'm 99.9% sure it's a single core. I've actually got the box here in my hand and it doesn't say anything about Dual Core...it's several years old. It just says "AMD Socket 939 3800+ Athlon 64 Processor."

Tipsy

 

[impaledmango]

check with cpu-z to be sure

 

[TipsyMcStagger]

check with cpu-z to be sure

This is what I've got.

Tipsy

 

[impaledmango]

yea, so it's only one core, may as well just scrap the system, sell it if possible or keep as back up pc.

 

[TipsyMcStagger]

yea, so it's only one core, may as well just scrap the system, sell it if possible or keep as back up pc.

I'm going to reuse the Sonata case (with a new PSU), the video card (for now) and the DVD drive.

The board, RAM and CPU will be shelved and probably tossed, eventually. Do they actually have any value???

Tipsy