Upgrade mobo/cpu/psu for under $175

[jerameez]

APPROXIMATE PURCHASE DATE: Next week

BUDGET RANGE: $150-$175 Before

SYSTEM USAGE FROM MOST TO LEAST IMPORTANT: Streaming internet video (mlb.tv, hulu.com, etc.) and surfing the internet.

PARTS NOT REQUIRED: keyboard, mouse, monitor, speakers, OS, case, HDD, RAM

PREFERRED WEBSITE(S) FOR PARTS: newegg.com, tigerdirect.com or whatever you guys feel is a reputable site
COUNTRY OF ORIGIN: USA

PARTS PREFERENCES: just as long as its reliable

OVERCLOCKING: Maybe

SLI OR CROSSFIRE: No

MONITOR RESOLUTION: 1920x1200 I believe (2007 Visio LCD TV)

ADDITIONAL COMMENTS: This is to upgrade an HP a350n (microATX case) with a new mobo/cpu and psu. I am not a gamer at all so an onboard video better than the ati 9550 that I have is fine. Computer is hooked up to my 47" LCD TV for watching video from the internet and a surround 5.1 surround sound system. I would prefer an HDMI hookup but that is not a dealbreaker.

Here is what I have so far:

mobo/cpu compbo (4 RAM slots or is 2 RAM slots enough?):

Gigabyte MA785GM-US2H Motherboard & AMD Athlon II X2 215 Dual Core Processor Bundle

or

Biostar A785GE Motherboard & AMD Athlon II X2 215 Dual Core Processor Bundle

and for the psu (for PCI-e video card expansion later):

XION Simple Power 630W ATX Power Supply

Total price is $160 and that's about where I want to be. Thanks for your help, I've been trolling for for a few weeks and you guys are great.

 

[tecmo34]

Switch your PSU to the Corsair CMPSU-450VX, which is a much better PSU, even at less wattage. I would look at this combo instead... MSI 785GTM-E45 Motherboard & AMD ADX440WFK32GI Athlon II X3 440 Triple Core Processor Bundle

 

[jerameez]

That looks like a good setup however I'm worried about the 2 RAM slots instead of 4. I don't imagine a situation where I need more than 8 GBs but it leaves me a little worried.

 

[tecmo34]

For your needs, I don't see you ever really needing more than 4GB of RAM. The need for more than 4GB is when you start getting into CAD, CS4 or HD Video Editing type of work. Don't worry about needing more than 4GG of RAM.

 

[WR2]

+1 for the MSI 785GTM-E45 Athlon II X3 440 bundle. 4GB will be plenty of RAM for the whole life of your computer.

I'd suggest the Corsair 400CX 400W $50 and $20 rebate for a power supply.

Why not list all the parts (make/model) you're going to carry over so we can look for compatibility issues for you.

 

[jerameez]

Thanks a bunch, that was the only thing holding me up for some reason.

 

[WR2]

NewEgg's Corsair 400CX has free shipping. TigerDirect added about $7 for shipping.

 

[jerameez]

The RAM is SAMSUNG 512mb ddr2 pc3200 (2x1Gb) to start until I can afford to upgrade.

The HDD is HP supplied 160 GB Ultra DMA 7200 rpm.

 

[WR2]

It looks like the DDR2 400 (PC2 3200) RAM you have isn't compatible with the MSI 785GTM-E45 which uses DDR2 1066/800/667.
Since you probably need to buy RAM also I'll have a look around at DDR3 combos for you.

The HDD should be OK. What type is it? SATA (narrow data cable) or IDE/PATA (wide thin data cable)?

 

[tecmo34]

I would think about upgrading your hard drive down the road. TigerDirect has a great deal on the Seagate 7200.12 500GB, which is a great drive.

 

[jerameez]

HDD is PATA. Man, its funny how outdated this stuff is!

I didn't think I'd have to upgrade all this stuff; I might need to save up some more money now but keep the suggestions coming.

 

[jerameez]

I would think about upgrading your hard drive down the road. TigerDirect has a great deal on the Seagate 7200.12 500GB, which is a great drive.

Looks like the 1TB version is cheaper after rebate... interesting.

 

[tecmo34]

Yeah, I just noticed that great deal on the Seagate 7200.12 1TB....

 

[WR2]

BIOSTAR A785G3 AM3 AMD 785G Micro ATX $65
Athlon II X3 440 Rana 3.0GH $75
CORSAIR CMPSU-400CX 400W $50 and $20 rebate
$190 before rebate - $170 with rebate.

You could buy 1 stick of 2GB DDR 3 RAM now or just pop for the whole a whole 4GB set of 2.

 

[jerameez]

BIOSTAR A785G3 AM3 AMD 785G Micro ATX $65
Athlon II X3 440 Rana 3.0GH $75
CORSAIR CMPSU-400CX 400W $50 and $20 rebate
$190 before rebate - $170 with rebate.

You could buy 1 stick of 2GB DDR 3 RAM now or just pop for the whole a whole 4GB set of 2.

Any suggestions on RAM? There are a lot of brand names on newegg.com!

I found this:

Crucial Ballistix 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333 (PC3 10600) Desktop Memory Model BL2KIT25664BN1337

G.SKILL Ripjaws Series 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333 (PC3 10666) Desktop Memory Model F3-10666CL8D-4GBRM

 

[WR2]

I found this set of G.SKILL 4GB DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) $108 on the BIOSTAR A785G3 RAM qual list.
The Crucial Ballistix you found would work as well. The price difference is only $2. Only 4 customer reviews on NewEgg but they're all 5 eggs.

 

[WR2]

Biostar A785G3 motherboard website
You can grab the download manual there and browse before purchase.

 

[jerameez]

Best answer selected by Jerameez.

 

[jerameez]

Thanks for everybodys help last week. I settled on some hardware and wanted to make sure it was compatible. Thanks in advance...

Kingston HyperX 2GB 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Desktop Memory Model KHX6400D2/2G

and

GIGABYTE GA-MA785GM-US2H AM3/AM2+/AM2 AMD 785G HDMI Micro ATX AMD Motherboard

Got a combo cpu/combo deal at tigerdirect.com for a cpu/combo and need to match it up with a $45 2 GB stick (before rebate)

 

[WR2]

The match looks OK.
Usually with DDR 2.0v RAM you expect to see CAS4 speed, not 5, in high performance memory.
If you can find a good 1.8v CAS5 or 1.9v-2.0v CAS4 for about the same price it might be a better choice.