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Building a new computer, reusing a few parts.

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Hello, I hope this is the correct section to post in.

I want to build a new computer, but I don't have the budget to do a 100% new build, so I will try to do it in phases. I have been putting a little extra money aside for a few weeks, and am almost ready to do the first part of build and am in seek of advice to make sure I maximize the money I am going to spend.

Right now for a PC I have

P4 3.0ghz
x1950pro 512mb
Windows XP 32bit
1G ram
500W power supply
Acer 22in 1680x1050


Now I want to reuse as many parts as possible from this computer when building my new one. I figure the first step I should take is getting a new case and cpu. That will also require me to get a new mobo and ram.

Right now this is what I have picked out for a mobo
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...

and the CPU to go with it
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...

For ram i'm looking at
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...

and case
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...

I'm also looking at getting windows 7. The home version is 99 dollars on newegg, im pretty sure this is the cheapest around? I wish it wasn't so expensive.

If i'm overlooking something, or picking parts that I could get similar ones for cheaper please let me know.

Also is my current 500W power supply good for this?

I know I will be bottlenecked by my graphics card. But that will be my next planned upgrade when money is available.

Thanks for taking a second to help me out.

~Jake


Update.

Thanks everyone for helping me choose what I want. I understand this isn't a typical build.

After reading what everyone suggested, this is what I put together. I will purchase within the next couple days, so please let me know if there is anything wrong with what I've selected.

Reused gear

Power Supply
XCLIO GOODPOWER 500W 500W ATX SLI Certified CrossFire Ready Active PFC
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6817189005

From what I understand, this should be enough to power everything until I get a new graphics card.

GPU
HIS H195PRF512DDN-R Radeon X1950PRO 512MB 256-bit GDDR3 PCI Express x16 CrossFireX Support
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6814161061

As I've said, i know this is extremely underpowered, but these two things will be my next upgrade.

I will also use my optical drive, sound card, internet card, and peripherals from my old PC.

NEW STUFF

CPU
Intel Core i7-860 Lynnfield 2.8GHz LGA 1156 95W Quad-Core Processor
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?Ite...

It would have been nice to go x58, but the added cost just doesn't seem worth it at the moment.

Case
Rosewill Smart One ATX Mid Tower Computer Case
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?Ite...

OS
Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...

Motherboard
GIGABYTE GA-P55-USB3 LGA 1156 Intel P55 USB 3.0 ATX Intel
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...

RAM
G.SKILL 6GB (3 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...

I went up to 6gigs with this, because I read i7's run better with 6 rather then 4.



That should be about anything. if you have any other suggestions please let me know, especially if they are how to make this a bit cheaper :) 

Thanks again!
~Jake

More about : building computer reusing parts

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Yer old PSU ain't gonna work ...

Your graphics card is NOT compatible with that mobo ...

About the only things you can salvage are the Case and the Monitor/spkrs/kb/mse

PSU must be a 24 pin and might as well be SLI/xFire ready

GPU must be PCIe 2.0 (x16) ... (Not any flavor of AGP ... simply will not fit).

RAM must be at LEAST DDR2 ... DDR3 is current standard.

You CAN, also salvage your optical drive but your HDD is likely way too slow and small for current OS/Apps ... Some folks try to limp, tho ... not at all worth it.

Save up!! ... You will need $450 as an absolute bare min (plus OS)

= sorry ... them are the true facts.

Thanks for looking at what I've put up here. If I am not mistaken I thought my graphics card would work. It is a PCIe card, not AGP, please correct me if I am wrong. And I believe the Ram I put in the link is DDR3. My current harddrive, while small, is 150Gigs and 7,200 rpm sata. I don't believe they've changed very much? As for the PSU, thanks for the heads up, this is what I have currently, I believe it is 24pin, but it may be too low of a wattage?
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...

Thanks for the feedback.
Related ressources
Ask the community

Here, you tell us whether the card is agp or pci-e
http://img.zdnet.com/techDirectory/_NVPCX.JPG

After that it looks good, the hard drive will work fine (assuming it's working).

and running xp until you can get win 7 will also work.

(if you plan on getting a fancy gpu down the road, a nicer PSU now or then might be in order)

Also you see if you can find some combo deals and save a buck. Also that case is expensive if you wouldn't mind cutting back. Cases, though it may not seem like it, are easy to upgrade. Because as long as it's atx, you really don't have to worry about compatibility.

Edit: look just saved you 20 bucks

http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?Ite...

And this might interest you
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?Ite...

OH !!!

You must have a Prescott ?! ... Not a socket 478 ??? .. sorry 'bout that !!!

I would stretch (or wait) for an X58 ... The Socket 1156 only has PCIe 2.0 lanes for the GPU slots (not the rest of them) which means that USB3/SATA3 implementations use up most/all of the remainder. ... not so for X58 (all 2.0).

= al =

oh I know for a fact its PCIe, and I plan on upgrading within a month after I get everything else. I'll probably pick up the PSU then if it's not an issue using the one I have now.

I'll look for some combo deals. Any cases you'd recommend? I can't help but read the bad reviews on some cheaper ones. I don't move my computer at all, but I don't really want to have to buy a new case down the road.

Thanks for your input.

Alvin Smith said:
OH !!!

You must have a Prescott ?! ... Not a socket 478 ??? .. sorry 'bout that !!!

I would stretch (or wait) for an X58 ... The Socket 1156 only has PCIe 2.0 lanes for the GPU slots (not the rest of them) which means that USB3/SATA3 implementations use up most/all of the remainder. ... not so for X58 (all 2.0).

= al =


I'm not exactly sure what this means. I don't ever really plan on going with more than one video card. SLI or crossfire setups get a bit confusing to me. So I understand the 1156 only has 1 PCIe slot, but that's all I really see myself using.

I guess I should have said that I will use this computer for competitive sim racing, specifically Iracing. And it's biggest requirement is the processor, a graphics card takes a back seat, and it's not really that demanding for it overall.

Thanks again
~Jake

I guess the Prescott P4 started using PCIe (prolly not 2.0, tho) ... and I am just going to guess that your PSU might have a 24 pin connector, as well (tho prolly not extra GPU power connectors) ...

.... You must be very very careful with this build ... it is a mine-field BUT I think you might actually be able to salvage MUCH ... If your PSU is under 480 Watts you are gonna have to be very carefull with your calculations ... very.

OK ... I MUST bail, I have a big schedule from now until Friday morning ... I'll try to check in ... I wish I had time to suss all (exactly) what you have and to vet all the compatibility ...

... For now ??? Just be really carefull and do not make ANY assumptions.

We need an exact model# for mobo/psu/gpu if you did not already post.
Links without descriptions are poor forum ettiquite and fewer techs will help if they have to chase links ... post the entire description with exact model#s.
(along with any links)

= Al =

Alright, I'll try to be as specific as possible.

New Stuff

CPU:
Intel Core i5-750 Lynnfield 2.66GHz 8MB L3 Cache LGA 1156 95W
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...

Motherboard:
GIGABYTE GA-P55-USB3 LGA 1156 Intel P55 USB 3.0 ATX Intel
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...

RAM:
G.SKILL Ripjaws Series 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...

Case:
COOLER MASTER Centurion 5 CAC-T05-UW Black Aluminum Bezel , SECC Chassis ATX Mid Tower
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...

Although, mentioned there might be a cheaper case out there that does the same job, suggestions would be nice.

OS:
Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...

Old/reused Stuff

Power Supply
XCLIO GOODPOWER 500W 500W ATX SLI Certified CrossFire Ready Active PFC
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...

GPU
HIS H195PRF512DDN-R Radeon X1950PRO 512MB 256-bit GDDR3 PCI Express x16 CrossFireX Support
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...

I can't find info about my HD, but I assure you its 150gig 7,200 rpm western digital SATA. I also have 2 other smaller HD's that I might hook up later if everything works.

I also have a newer CD/DVD drive that should be fine as well.

I have a soundblaster sound card which is PCI, and a PCI internet card as well. So I believe that covers all of my computer components.

I will definitely upgrade PSU and GPU soon after.

~Jake

If you wanted to get a beast computer then I would suggest you go the way alvin suggest with x58 and A higher class CPU.

but is sounds like to me you are running on a budget. So go with the p55 it's a good chip with good value. If your programs are CPU intensive, you might want to step it up to an i7. Overclocking your i5 will also yield good results.

I'll be back in a bit after I look at cases And possibly good combo deals.

If i'm correct what we are salvaging (for the moment) is the OS?, Monitor, and gpu

As for the psu it will work with your system until you decide to upgrade the GPU and start overclocking the CPU (if you decide to)


Case is cheaper and comes with free shipping, and slightly nicer (i think)
NZXT BETA EVO Classic Series CS-NT-BETA-EVO Black Steel / Plastic ATX Mid Tower Computer Case
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...

The ram gets 10$ off with a promo code and very similiar
G.SKILL 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model F3-12800CL9D-4GBNQ

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...

And best of all you can get them together and save even more
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?Ite...

OK ... You DO have a Prescott platform and it sounds like you know exacly what you have ... It also sounds like you have your head screwed on right, regarding your expectations of needing to upgrd the PSU/GPU very soon ... The 150GB HDD will prolly do fine, for boot/apps (tho you'll need to reload ALL if you upgrade.

Seriously, tho ... if at all possible ... limp on what you have and save up for a (nearly) complete build ... to avoid having to keep jerking around and reloading your OS/Drivers/Config ... what a PITA !!! (unless you just love all that).

I would only salvage the Case and the optical drive ... MIGHT limp on that PSU.

= but, that's just me =

Alvin Smith said:
OK ... You DO have a Prescott platform and it sounds like you know exacly what you have ... It also sounds like you have your head screwed on right, regarding your expectations of needing to upgrd the PSU/GPU very soon ... The 150GB HDD will prolly do fine, for boot/apps (tho you'll need to reload ALL if you upgrade.

Seriously, tho ... if at all possible ... limp on what you have and save up for a (nearly) complete build ... to avoid having to keep jerking around and reloading your OS/Drivers/Config ... what a PITA !!! (unless you just love all that).

I would only salvage the Case and the optical drive ... MIGHT limp on that PSU.

= but, that's just me =


But we ALLLL love tinkering with computers don't we?

haha,
anyways, thanks for the advice. I can't reuse the case since it was a dell (POS) proprietary system. I will upgrade the video card and power supply soon enough. Just trying not to break the bank the day there is actually money in there. I understand I will have to do a complete format and everything. I'm actually kind of looking forward to it. A fresh start will be nice, I don't think I've done it in about 5 years, and with all the knowledge I have acquired since then, I'm sure it wont hurt.

I probably wont buy for a few days yet, so I'm still open to suggestions. I appreciate the help so much. I have never totally built a computer for myself before. I've done a few simple ones for other people, but nothing that was looking for any performance.

~Jake

I am considering going to the i7. But is the cost really worth it? I don't plan on overclocking. I never wanted to get into that stuff, but will I wish I had the i7 in a couple months?

~Jake

Well, by the end of 1984, I had already lost count of how mwny computers I had built ... personally ... for myself ... I have built about a dozen and as many, for my immediate friends ... and HUNDREDS in the corporate labs I have worked in, tho all of that is quite a blur.

After my Northwood (the P4 I THOT you had) build, I stopped caring about PCs and started editing ... Sorry, but Prescott was an odd-ball transitional PIG of a platform that came out at a VERY awkwa5rd time, in platform development.

Prescotts were hot and power hogs and the BTX case standard was just a FIASCO ... SO glad I got to sleep thru everything up to the X58.

To my mind (architechturally), everything between northwood and X58 is just pure junk.

Hail Nahalem !

For gaming, your graphics card will be all important, not the cpu. The i5-530 32nm clarkdale duo is a perfectly adequate cpu to drive a 5850 class graphic card:
http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/core-i3-gaming,2588...

A 5850 class card will give you exceptional gameplay at 1920 x 1200 resolution or less:
http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/gaming-radeon-hd-ge...

Cases are a personal thing. If you like lian-li,(and I do also) then get one, you will not regret it. Otherwise the Antec 200 or 300 are quality cases that do not cost much.

Have you considered a micro-ATX? The motherboards cost a bit less and you could put it in a lian li PC-V351B cube case:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...

Your psu is not on my short list of quality units, but it should have adequate power to run a 5850 card. Since it has been working for you, go ahead and reuse it.

Are you a student? If so, you are eligible for academic pricing on windows-7.

Quote:
I guess I should have said that I will use this computer for competitive sim racing, specifically Iracing. And it's biggest requirement is the processor, a graphics card takes a back seat, and it's not really that demanding for it overall.


So a powerful cpu is important, and going x58 would be nice, but it's more expensive. What Kind of budget are we working with?

tkgclimb said:
Quote:
I guess I should have said that I will use this computer for competitive sim racing, specifically Iracing. And it's biggest requirement is the processor, a graphics card takes a back seat, and it's not really that demanding for it overall.


So a powerful cpu is important, and going x58 would be nice, but it's more expensive. What Kind of budget are we working with?


Id like to keep this first set of purchases around 500 to 600 dollars

For what it is worth, the i5-530 is a very strong cpu. It can easily be overclocked higher than i7-92- or i5-750. Unless your game can take advantage of 3 or more cores, then a quad is a waste; you give up clock speed on every core to gain more cores which are not much used.

geofelt said:
For what it is worth, the i5-530 is a very strong cpu. It can easily be overclocked higher than i7-92- or i5-750. Unless your game can take advantage of 3 or more cores, then a quad is a waste; you give up clock speed on every core to gain more cores which are not much used.


He is absolutely correct, I just assumed since your game was a sim, and it was cpu intensive that it could utilize at least 4 cores.

Thanks everyone for helping me choose what I want. I understand this isn't a typical build.

After reading what everyone suggested, this is what I put together. I will purchase within the next couple days, so please let me know if there is anything wrong with what I've selected.

Reused gear

Power Supply
XCLIO GOODPOWER 500W 500W ATX SLI Certified CrossFire Ready Active PFC
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6817189005

From what I understand, this should be enough to power everything until I get a new graphics card.

GPU
HIS H195PRF512DDN-R Radeon X1950PRO 512MB 256-bit GDDR3 PCI Express x16 CrossFireX Support
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6814161061

As I've said, i know this is extremely underpowered, but these two things will be my next upgrade.

I will also use my optical drive, sound card, internet card, and peripherals from my old PC.

NEW STUFF

CPU
Intel Core i7-860 Lynnfield 2.8GHz LGA 1156 95W Quad-Core Processor
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?Ite...

It would have been nice to go x58, but the added cost just doesn't seem worth it at the moment.

Case
Rosewill Smart One ATX Mid Tower Computer Case
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?Ite...

OS
Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...

Motherboard
GIGABYTE GA-P55-USB3 LGA 1156 Intel P55 USB 3.0 ATX Intel
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...

RAM
G.SKILL 6GB (3 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...

I went up to 6gigs with this, because I read i7's run better with 6 rather then 4.



That should be about anything. if you have any other suggestions please let me know, especially if they are how to make this a bit cheaper :) 

Thanks again!
~Jake

SORRY .... BZZZZZT !!! ... RAM KIT IS **NOT** COMPATIBLE !!

You will be wanting a G.Skill 2x2GB (=4GB ttl) DDR3 1600 CAS7 DUAL CHANNEL KIT

Either the Ripjaws or the Eco series

It looks like you have worked out a very capable migration and you will LOVE that CPU !

= Alvin = (The kit you chose was for X58 triple Channel ... that mobo you chose is DUAL)

6gb kit IS compatible. You will be running in single channel mode which gives the cpu a small1%? hit, but the extra 2gb will more than make up for it.

The second kit is NOT compatible. The voltage is >1.65 volts which will ruin permanently your cpu.

Since the new motherboard has 4 ram slots, you should populate them in pairs to get dual channel mode. The X58 based motherboard had 6 ram slots, so a 6gb kit(3 x 2gb) was appropriate.

For the 4 slot motherboard, you are looking at 8gb kits if you want to run in dual channel mode. Either 2 x 4gb, or 4x 2gb.

To verify compatibility, either look for kits on the motherboard's QVL list, or go to the ram vendor's configurator and enter your motherboard to get a list of compatible kits.

tkgclimb said:
The 6gb ram kit, is triple channel memory, (3x2), your motherboard and cpu only support dual channel memory (all p55's do, tri channel is for x58 only).
It just won't work, the way it's supposed to.

this kit, you selected
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6820231122

still won't work because it's ddr2, p55 takes dual channel ddr3, something like this

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...

hope this helps


Didn't notice this post. I like the looks of the ram you posted there. Will it hurt me big time only having 4 gigs compaired to 6? I can't afford 8 at the moment.

No, I'm running win 7 64bit on three gb's and I don't max out ram that often. 4gb's is standard for computer's these days it seems. You'll be fine.

The only difference in the two rams, is the one I posted is slightly cheaper and faster, but has higher timings/

Here is a link to the QVL list for your motherboard:
http://www.gigabyte-usa.com/FileList/MemorySupport/mb_m...
You will have no issues if you pick one of those sets.

If you ordered from Newegg, call them and they will be very accomodating taking a return on the 6gb kit. If you indicate that you will be ordering a proper replacement from them and will return the 6gb UNOPENED, they will probably waive the restocking fee. Order a proper 4gb kit now, and if you want, you can add a second kit later for 8gb.

If for whatever reason you can't return it, you could install just two of the modules and get 4gb in dual channel mode. I am also fairly confident that if you installed 3 modules it would work, but in single channel mode. The motherboard manual(which you should download early) is silent on the issue of three sticks, but just one stick is supported in single channel mode.

The nehalem cpu memory controllers are very good at feeding the cpu with ram data. Ram speed does not seem to be an issue.

Thanks for the help guys. I got my order canceled, and should be able to order everything as soon as the money is back in my bank account, hopefully wont be long now.

Thanks again, this website was a HUUUGE help.

~Jake

as far as running in single ch mode ... don't

I have worked several issues where single ch operation created noticible drag ... we confirmed this thru several config rotations.

Your mileage may vary, depending on chipset and RAM kit. These chipsets were designed for dual ch operation (AM3 & 1156 Socket Chipsets) ... Matched pairs.

= Al =
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