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Can I upgrade on a $300.00 USD budget?

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I currently have a

G31T-LM2 motherboard by Elite Group. It's not overclockable.
Intel E5200 2.5 ghz dual core processor
2x2 gigs 667mhz memory.

I want to upgrade, but don't want to spend more than $300.00

Is this possible? I know there are CPU+Motherboard combinations out there for around $300, but what I'm worried about is the RAM. Do I need to upgrade my slow ram if I were to buy a new mobo+cpu?

Would my low budget even allow me to get a decent upgrade or should I just wait it out?

More about : upgrade 300 usd budget

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If your RAM is DDR, the old 184-pin RAM, you will NEED to upgrade to 240-pin, if you want to get a better motherboard/processor. I'm sure there are a couple motherboards that still use 184-pin, but I really haven't checked. I got a Phenom II x4 955 BE and a Gigabyte GA-770TA-UD3 motherboard for $246 after rebate, add in 4GB of DDR3 1333 RAM and that will be right around $350. It might be overkill for what you need, and DDR3 isn't a huge step up over DDR2 from what I know.

What is your main purpose for this system?

EDIT: Firefox didn't tell me that "hat" should have been "what". Stupid lazy browser. :( 

He has DDR2 RAM, Not DDR

There are plenty of options for upgrading without breaking RAM compatibility.

Especially cheap Quad core upgrades with Intel's Core 2 Quad and a decent mobo for $300(Total)

Or an AMD 790FX Combination with a Phenom II. Alot of AMD Boards still use DDR2.
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DDR2 can work in DDR3, just at the RAMs max speed (so underclocked). Really any motherboard/CPU upgrade path can work since it is 240-pin RAM, although I would go for an upgrade if you can get a good deal on it.

Look said:
DDR2 can work in DDR3, just at the RAMs max speed (so underclocked). Really any motherboard/CPU upgrade path can work since it is 240-pin RAM, although I would go for an upgrade if you can get a good deal on it.


DDR2 and DDR3 are incompatible so that will not work. DDR2 and DDR3 both use different voltages as well as the fact that the notches are in different positions.

jesmoke said:
DDR2 and DDR3 are incompatible so that will not work. DDR2 and DDR3 both use different voltages as well as the fact that the notches are in different positions.


Oh? Thanks for clearing that up, I just assumed. Never looked into it, now I look like a fool. :ange: 
CPUs Master
Motherboard Expert

You can easily get an Athlon II X4 with a motherboard for under $200 if you don't need crossfire support, than you have at least $100 left over for new DDR3 memory. Or you could get a Phenom II X4 with a AM2+ motherboard and reuse your current DDR2 memory.
CPUs Expert
Motherboard Expert

That is really not got that horrible of a machine. What do you use it for?

You might get more legs out of a faster hard drive or new graphics or a fresh OS install.

~$300 can buy you a lot of computer. (Especially if you sell your old parts and wait for a Dell outlet coupon.)

I've seen some really good deals on the Dell Outlet page recently.
CPUs Authority
Motherboard Authority

One option is just to get a good P45 board, and overclock your CPU which should give you some decent performance and may hold you off till you can save enough money for a new build. Of course, getting a decent AM2+ board and an AMD Athlon II or Phenom II CPU would cost a little more but certainly provide you with a bit more performance and you can still use that DDR2 RAM.
CPUs Authority
Motherboard Expert

tpho2500 said:
It looks like your ram is DDR which you will have to upgrade because I have no seen any mobo that is not a P4 that uses DDR.

Let's see some other replies.


FYI there were asrock boards for c2d that could use ddr or ddr2 two sockets of eacg type on the board.

Hey guys, I forgot to mention my memory is DDR 2.

I mainly use my computer for gaming. I already have a good psu and a decent video card so all I need now is motherboard, cpu and maybe memory.

Here are my complete specs from Everest

Motherboard Name ECS G31T-LM2

CPU Type DualCore Intel Pentium E5200, 2500 MHz (12.5 x 200)

System Memory 4096 MB (DDR2-667 DDR2 SDRAM)

DIMM1: SHARETRONIC 2 GB DDR2-667 DDR2 SDRAM (5-5-5-15 @ 333 MHz) (4-4-4-12 @ 266 MHz) (3-3-3-9 @ 200 MHz)

DIMM3: SHARETRONIC 2 GB DDR2-667 DDR2 SDRAM (5-5-5-15 @ 333 MHz) (4-4-4-12 @ 266 MHz) (3-3-3-9 @ 200 MHz)

Video Adapter NVIDIA GeForce GTX 260 (896 MB)

Best solution

CPUs Master
Motherboard Authority

ASUS M4A78LT-M LE AM3 AMD 780L Micro ATX AMD Motherboard - Retail
Item #: N82E16813131619
$64.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...

Crucial 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1066 (PC3 8500) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model CT2KIT25664BA1067 - Retail
Item #: N82E16820148150
$96.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...

AMD Phenom II X4 925 Deneb 2.8GHz Socket AM3 95W Quad-Core Processor Model HDX925WFGIBOX - Retail
Item #: N82E16819103656
$139.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...

Total $301

For 300 What i put together will be a great rig you might be able to find a little better prices if you have a Micro Center around but newegg is about the best deals for the most part I would still look around to see what you can find but this is what I would do if i only had 300 for an upgrade.

Now If you wanted to you could skip going to DDR3 and stick with your DDR2 and get a little better processor but as I see it while you are buying new you might as well go to the newer technology and this way a year from now you want a little more power you can easily throw a faster processor and some faster RAM in this system.
CPUs Authority
Motherboard Expert

tpho2500 said:
It looks like your ram is DDR which you will have to upgrade because I have no seen any mobo that is not a P4 that uses DDR.

Let's see some other replies.


Look said:
If your RAM is DDR, the old 184-pin RAM, you will NEED to upgrade to 240-pin, if you want to get a better motherboard/processor. I'm sure there are a couple motherboards that still use 184-pin, but I really haven't checked. I got a Phenom II x4 955 BE and a Gigabyte GA-770TA-UD3 motherboard for $246 after rebate, add in 4GB of DDR3 1333 RAM and that will be right around $350. It might be overkill for what you need, and DDR3 isn't a huge step up over DDR2 from what I know.

What is your main purpose for this system?

EDIT: Firefox didn't tell me that "hat" should have been "what". Stupid lazy browser. :( 



Seriously, how can his RAM possibly be DDR1 when he says it's running at 667MHz with a E5200? O_o



To OP: When you say it's not overclockable, are you using a pre-made computer? ie. HP or Dell?

What you could do is just get a new or used 775 motherboard for $50 that will allow you to overclock. There's a guy selling a $40 750i mobo in the classifieds section IIRC.
CPUs Master
Motherboard Authority

Bluescreendeath said:
Seriously, how can his RAM possibly be DDR1 when he says it's running at 667MHz with a E5200? O_o



To OP: When you say it's not overclockable, are you using a pre-made computer? ie. HP or Dell?

What you could do is just get a new or used 775 motherboard for $50 that will allow you to overclock. There's a guy selling a $40 750i mobo in the classifieds section IIRC.


2 post ago he said it was DDR2 and to be honest whoever said it was DDR is an idiot because There has never been a socket 775 board with DDR1. DDR1 died with the socket 478.

also, ur ram is already faster than it needs to be! pentium dualcore: 800mhz fsb, so u only need ddr2 400mhz. core2duo: 1066fsb: ddr2 533mhz. core2quad: 1333mhzfsb, so u need 667mhz ram. ddr stands for DUAL DATA RATE !!!

saaiello said:
2 post ago he said it was DDR2 and to be honest whoever said it was DDR is an idiot because There has never been a socket 775 board with DDR1. DDR1 died with the socket 478.


Our old family computer was a Gateway, had a P4 3.0GHz socket 775 with PC3200 DDR RAM, that was 6 years ago.
CPUs Master
Motherboard Authority

Look said:
Our old family computer was a Gateway, had a P4 3.0GHz socket 775 with PC3200 DDR RAM, that was 6 years ago.

You also said DDR2 works in a DDR3 slot so its doubtful it was a socket 775 it had DDR1

saaiello said:
You also said DDR2 works in a DDR3 slot so its doubtful it was a socket 775 it had DDR1


I make one mistake, and then everything I say isn't credible? The only reason you say that is because I corrected something you said.

Here is a link to the spec sheet: http://support.gateway.com/s/PC/R/3724/4365sp3.shtml
And here is the motherboard spec sheet: http://support.gateway.com/s/MOTHERBD/Intel2/102007/102...

[...]Support for an Intel® Pentium® 4 processor in an LGA775 socket with an 800 or 533 MHz system bus[/...]
[...]* Four DDR SDRAM Dual Inline Memory Module (DIMM) sockets
* Support for DDR 400 MHz and DDR 333 MHz DIMMs
* Support for up to 4 GB of system memory[/...]

Oh damn I must be wrong again.

Wow i checked out the links, lol ur righr. However, i have an explantion.
Gateway used cheaper chipset and ram but a newer cpu becuase the older 478 p4s were discontinued.
Let this statement be rephrased like so:...
No non-oem motherboards paired up Lga775 and ddr
CPUs Master
Motherboard Authority

Look said:
I make one mistake, and then everything I say isn't credible? The only reason you say that is because I corrected something you said.

Here is a link to the spec sheet: http://support.gateway.com/s/PC/R/3724/4365sp3.shtml
And here is the motherboard spec sheet: http://support.gateway.com/s/MOTHERBD/Intel2/102007/102...

[...]Support for an Intel® Pentium® 4 processor in an LGA775 socket with an 800 or 533 MHz system bus[/...]
[...]* Four DDR SDRAM Dual Inline Memory Module (DIMM) sockets
* Support for DDR 400 MHz and DDR 333 MHz DIMMs
* Support for up to 4 GB of system memory[/...]

Oh damn I must be wrong again.

Wow good for you found the one and only 775 board that supports DDR good for you back to the OPs setup tho considering he has a E5200 any chipset that supports a core 2 CPU wont have DDR ram. That foxcon uses an 845 chipset was never meant to be used with a lga 775. Like another poster said gateway used it to be cheap and for that i feel sorry for you to even have had that 1 of a kind board.

saaiello said:
Wow good for you found the one and only 775 board that supports DDR good for you back to the OPs setup tho considering he has a E5200 any chipset that supports a core 2 CPU wont have DDR ram. That foxcon uses an 845 chipset was never meant to be used with a lga 775. Like another poster said gateway used it to be cheap and for that i feel sorry for you to even have had that 1 of a kind board.


It wasn't about finding the one board that had it, it was about you discrediting anything that I said because I said one thing wrong.

I still won't believe anything you said. You said something in a help thread without knowing what you were talking about. Get your facts straight before someone ends up with an AM3 board with DDR2 in it (or some similar "I assumed" problem).

^Isn't supposed to be harsh if it sounds that way, I just don't want anyone to end up with an issue because of assumed advice.

EDIT: I'm done arguing or trying to prove anything. I didn't think before I typed what I said and I am sorry, but people should do their own research before deciding to blindly follow someone's advice. All of my builds have gone without a hitch, but I haven't really ever had a problem with upgrading my RAM with each new build. So yeah, I made a mistake while typing. Oh well.
CPUs Master
Motherboard Authority

Look said:
EDIT: I'm done arguing or trying to prove anything. I didn't think before I typed what I said and I am sorry, but people should do their own research before deciding to blindly follow someone's advice. All of my builds have gone without a hitch, but I haven't really ever had a problem with upgrading my RAM with each new build. So yeah, I made a mistake while typing. Oh well.

But the fact is people come here for advice from us and trust our opinion and thats the bottom line.

saaiello said:
But the fact is people come here for advice from us and trust our opinion and thats the bottom line.

And that is why there is more than 1 person giving their input.

Bluescreendeath said:
Seriously, how can his RAM possibly be DDR1 when he says it's running at 667MHz with a E5200? O_o



To OP: When you say it's not overclockable, are you using a pre-made computer? ie. HP or Dell?

What you could do is just get a new or used 775 motherboard for $50 that will allow you to overclock. There's a guy selling a $40 750i mobo in the classifieds section IIRC.



Yes my computer was originally pre made. It's a Lenovo. Part of the reason I want to upgrade the whole cpu/motherboard is I want to use my current motherboard/cpu to upgrade my dad's computer. He's still using a Intel Celeron chip.

13thmonkey said:
looking at

http://www.ecs.com.tw/ECSWebSite/Products/ProductsDetai...

or the M1 (no mention of an LM2) then i'd suspect it can take a wolfdale or a yorkfield, so he couild just upgrade to a C2Q/C2D and get a lot more out of the system. would a lot cheaper and get most of the performance increase...



Yea mines a wolfdale. I think the LM2 is due to this board being made for Lenovo computers only. I wasn't able to find anything on the Elite group site regarding my board either.
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