New build with old parts?

Dont see why not,
at worst you may need to back up your data and re-install Win7 then scoot your data back onto that O/s
Whats your budget and Current/intended specs btw? people on here might come up with a better build for you, maybe cheaper as well  
Moto

I have no access to my hard drive at the moment as the psu and/or vid card died but will it give me the opportunity to backup after I plug it into the new mobo/hardware anyway?

as far as what I am thinking of using I am trying to stay cheap but still play some games (I mostly play world of warcraft). So far I plan on getting:

Foxconn A74ML-K 3.0 AM3 AMD 740G Micro ATX AMD Motherboard ($45)

AMD Athlon II X2 245 Regor 2.9GHz Socket AM3 65W Dual-Core Desktop Processor ($58)

G.SKILL 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333 (PC3 10600) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory ($80)

SAPPHIRE 100245DDR5L Radeon HD 4850 512MB 256-bit DDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFireX Support Video Card ($99)

Rosewill TU-155 II 500 Black 0.8mm cold rolled steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case with 500W Power Supply ($70)

I want to plug in my old

HDD: 250GB SATA-II 3.0Gb/s 8M Cache 7200RPM Hard Drive

16X DVD+/-R/+/-RW + CD-R/RW DRIVE DUAL LAYER

I am sure I will have many questions when I start to build and get parts...thanks so far!

Most of the time it won't work so you'll have to format the HDD and install the OS again. If you have important data on the HDD, put it into some other computer and backup on DVDs.

I could live with the reformat but there was some data that I would like access to which I did not back up...if I simply put it into some other computer won't I have the same issues with new hardware, etc.?

First thing, buy your new psu and gfx card

use them to power up your old Rig and recover any valued stuff to an external hard drive.

consider dropping that new case and psu 'deal', re-use your old case to save money, mod it to freshen it up if you are bored with how it looks,
but that $70 can go towards a much better gfx card, a 5770 will stamp all over Wow, and you'll be safer/happier with a better (i.e. non generic) psu
maybe try a Asus, AsRock or Giga board if budget stretches. something with a 790 chipset or higher
but you can use your optical and hard drives no problem  

I know its a pain your WoWrigs down, but the amount of time your going to be spending on it, take a little more to get a better longer lasting system built, no point in having a halfbaked annoying rig now,only for it to run unsatisfactorily for the next two years
wait a month (long time I know) get the extra funds up, and invest in your screentime
Hope this helps man,
Moto

You could even drop the chip to a x3 435, my Gf and I both run those fine on WoW, both unlocked fine (although no guarantee ofc) and mines clocked to 3.5GHz on stock cooler
Moto

first off thanks for the tips...there are some good combos and parts you guys are throwing out. let me know if everything below is compatible. for some reason this combo saves me like $20 on shipping too and i think it is a nice bump in performance...

ASUS M4A77TD + AMD Athlon II X3 440 combo ($137 plus $15 rebate)

G.SKILL 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333 (PC3 10600) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory ($80) same price roughly as corsair, is either better?

PowerColor AX5750 1GBD5-H Radeon HD 5750 1GB 128-bit DDR5 PCI Express 2.1 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFireX Support Video Card ($124 + a $20 mail in rebate)

COOLER MASTER Elite RC-310-OWR460 Black SECC ATX Mid Tower Computer Case RS-460-PSAR-J3, Elite 460W Power Supply ($70)

is 460 watts enough for this system?

also if i did go with the SAPPHIRE 100245DDR5L Radeon HD 4850 512MB 256-bit DDR5 ($99) would it be compatible anyway? Thanks!

If add that HDD to another computer (leave the existing boot HDD alone) you will be able to access it to back it up.

450W is more than enough. You can go for the 4850, is compatible and slightly weaker than the 5750.

As Motopsychojdn said, if you can reuse the case get a HD 5770. Back up on DVDs everything you need from your HDD, you'll have to format it and reinstall the OS on the new mobo. You can do that on another PC.

ok thanks...so i guess i will have to find a friend who will let me add my HDD as a slave so I can get my data?

if i do plug in the HDD to the new system will it give me an option to save or copy my old data before it reformats?

Youll need to boot windows up on your harddrive, then move the files to your friends hard drive, you will have permission issues otherwise
So technically your mates hd is the slave on 'your' windows O/s and your moving files over to his for 'storage'
Moto

You have that backwards. You can <almost> never boot someone elses computer with your hard drive unless they have the exact same motherboard and graphics card. You have to make your HDD the "slave" - a term which has no meaning with SATA HDDs.


Your HDD sould not be the boot drive (probably will show as D: drive) and you can just copy files to DVD, USB stick or his HDD to back it up.

Assuming you have access to a second PC, pop your old HDD in and "Take Ownership" of it in Windows. This will allow you to recover files such as documents, pictures, saved games etc. but NOT the applications themselves. The method will vary from one version of Windows to the next but the OS specific directions are easy enough to google and print out. Keep in mind that if your HDD is SATA and your friend's rig is an old OEM system, he actually may not have any SATA ports on his mainboard or the proper power connections on his PSU. If this is the case, you can get a USB enclosure at your local CompUSA for $20. Personally, I tend to keep a little toy I picked up from Thermaltake for issues like this. Lets me slot in any SATA HDD and read/scan it without having to reassemble an enclosure or crack my case. ESATA and USB connections makes backing up data a dream. You may want to think about investing $35 in a BlacX for the future, "Better to have and not need, than need and not have".

New build with old/scavenged parts...I've always referred to them as Frankenstein builds. They tend to make fun projects and you can learn alot from them.

GL

I did not know about hdd enclosures, sounds like a good investment. i should get my parts in a few days and i will let you all know how it went. Thanks for all the help!

i like the Frankenstein build name!

Best answer selected by rsnyc.