Upgrade/replace?

[vwcrusher]

I am currently using an AMD-based system I built roughly 5 years ago. It is composed of:

XION Onyx XON-303 case
ASUS M4A77D mb
COOLMAX CP-500T PS
AMD Athlon 64 X2 5200+ cpu
6GB DDR2 DRAM
Seagate 320GB 7200 HDD
GeForce GTX 260 Core 216 896MB 448-bit GDDR3 graphics card
ASUS VH242H monitor
W764 Ultimate

My guess is that the only reusable part is the case and W7....in any event the intended use will primarily be still photograph editing and storage. No games or video editing. I have been advised that a more cost effective solution may be to purchase a Dell 8500 from the outlet (~$700) and upgrade with a SSD ($100)....honestly, I am 5 years out of date...and sure could use some advice.

thanks in advance

 

[TheBigTroll]

id suggest getting a new rig. the graphics card, monitor and a retail copy of windows are still useable.

 

[vwcrusher]

id suggest getting a new rig. the graphics card, monitor and a retail copy of windows are still useable.

Yeah, that is kind of what I figured...the question is: is it still cost effective to build, given the input I received regarding the Dell, and if so can you suggest components? I am quite out of date.....

 

[TheBigTroll]

yes its much better than buying from dell

http://pcpartpicker.com/p/kuyb

use the old hard drive to store data. install the os onto the SSD.

the old hard drive will not work if it does not use a sata interface (if it uses those belts, they dont work)

 

[vwcrusher]

yes its much better than buying from dell

http://pcpartpicker.com/p/kuyb

use the old hard drive to store data. install the os onto the SSD.

the old hard drive will not work if it does not use a sata interface (if it uses those belts, they dont work)

Wow, sounds like a pretty nice system...and very cost effective. Is it in the same performance ball park as the Dell?
Do you feel that my old video card will be good enough?
BTW, the HDD I am currently using is SATA.

 

[TheBigTroll]

yes it would be enough for just standard usage since you arent gaming

if its sata, its good to go.

can you provide a link to the dell unit you are talking about?

 

[vwcrusher]

yes it would be enough for just standard usage since you arent gaming

if its sata, its good to go.

can you provide a link to the dell unit you are talking about?

Thanks...here is the Dell link:

http://outlet.us.dell.com/ARBOnlineSales/Online/SecondaryInventorySearch.aspx?c=us&l=en&s=dfh&cs=22&puid=57504e0d

Also, given that price/performance have a non-linear relationship what would a bit more performance cost? Or put another way what would an additional $100-200 buy me?

 

[TheBigTroll]

you could add a better motherboard, a larger hard drive, a slightly better case. nothing that i would consider performance increasing since you arent gaming

 

[vwcrusher]

you could add a better motherboard, a larger hard drive, a slightly better case. nothing that i would consider performance increasing since you arent gaming

Hmmm....well, would you mind suggesting a mb and drive? Also, did you see my response to your question regarding the Dell? Here is the link again....

http://outlet.us.dell.com/ARBOnlineSales/Online/SecondaryInventorySearch.aspx?c=us&l=en&s=dfh&cs=22&puid=57504e0d

and again, thanks very much for your guidance.

: )

 

[TheBigTroll]

i cant view the link.

added a 1tb hard drive for more mass storage. you can get 2tb if you pay 20 bucks more but it is only worth it if you actually use that space

http://pcpartpicker.com/p/kxru

 

[vwcrusher]

i cant view the link.

added a 1tb hard drive for more mass storage. you can get 2tb if you pay 20 bucks more but it is only worth it if you actually use that space

http://pcpartpicker.com/p/kxru

Try this link:

http://outlet.us.dell.com/ARBOnlineSales/Online/SecondaryInventorySearch.aspx?c=us&l=en&s=dfh&cs=22&puid=8da8b8f0

I noticed that you changed up the mb; if you wouldn't mind explaining why, I would appreciate the rationale.

 

[vwcrusher]

Two other questions:

I currently have this case; I assume it is compatible...yes?

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811208021

In that case is this power supply; is it still usable with the system you specified?

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817159040

 

[TheBigTroll]

nope doesnt work. im in canada. maybe thats why


i changed the motherboard since msi is a bit more well known and id trust them a little more than ecs. i havent used ECS in a long time (since the p4 and athlon 64 days) so i dont know too much what they are up to now

 

[TheBigTroll]

the power supply and case would work but i dont suggest using a low end power supply that could fry your rig

and lower quality cases arent recommended by me. it works but you wont get usb3

 

[vwcrusher]

the power supply and case would work but i dont suggest using a low end power supply that could fry your rig

and lower quality cases arent recommended by me. it works but you wont get usb3

I understand now regarding the case and PS..thanks.
Also, using a 'safer' mb is always a good idea.....used Asus in the original build.

I don't really understand why you can't use the link, but there really isn't much there anyway.....this is it:

Processor: Intel Core 3rd Gen i7-3770 Processor (3.40 GHz with Turbo Boost 2.0 up to 3.90 GHz)
Genuine Windows 7 Home Premium
Dell Outlet XPS 8500 Desktop
2 TB 7200 RPM Hard Drive
12 GB Dual Channel DDR3 SDRAM at 1600MHz
16X DVD +/- RW Drive
NVIDIA GeForce GT 640 1GB GDDR5

Any other suggestions or guidance would be great...and thank!

 

[TheBigTroll]

the specs look ok but generally with OEM pcs, they come with a ton of bloatware, use VERY low quality power supplies and generally dont off any upgrade room

 

[vwcrusher]

Best answer selected by vwcrusher.