Computer update suggestions pl

C

ChillyDog

n00b
Joined
Nov 30, 2003
Messages
36
Below my current system, it's getting a bit rusty so perhaps it's time for a little update ...

Intel Pentium 4 3.0GHz
Zalman CNPS7000A-Cu
XFX 6800GT 256Mb
Creative Audigy 2 ZS
Abit IC7-Max3
OCZ 1Gb kit EL DDR pc-3200
2x WD Raptor 36.7GB S-ATA RAID0
Maxtor DiamondMax S-ATA 120GB
Plextor PX-708A
Plextor PX-116A
Antec TrueBlue 480
Windows XP Pro

Is the selection below any good ?
I have no intent to overclock, just want a good system for gaming.


Intel Core 2 Quad Pro Q6600 "Energy Efficient SLACR 95W Edition" 2.40GHz
Abit IP35 Pro (Socket 775) PCI-Express DDR2
Sapphire ATI Radeon HD 4850 "Toxic Edition" 512MB GDDR3
OCZ 4GB (2x2GB) PC2-8500C5 1066MHz Dual Channel Platinum Series DDR2
Enermax Modu 82+ 525W EMD525AWT Modular ATX2.3
Tuniq Tower 120 CPU Cooler (Socket 478/754/939/940/AM2/LGA775)

I'm a bit unsure about the GPU, I'm also looking at the HD4870. Which would be best since I don't plan to OC?
Thanks
 
- E8400 would be a better choice for you over Q6600 since you're not overclocking.
- IP35 Pro is a good mobo but depending on the price may not be such a good deal compared to a newer P45 mobo.
- If your monitor is under 24" get a 4850. Otherwise get a 4870.
- No need to spend extra for 1066 RAM if you're not overclocking. The cheapest 2x2GB kit rated at DDR2 667 or faster will suffice.
- That Enermax unit is very nice but you can save a good amount of money without sacrificing quality by going with Corsair.
- TT120 is outdated, get a Xigmatek HDT-S1283 iinstead.
 
Thx for your input,
I guess I should have added some prices ...

Intel Core 2 Quad Pro Q6600 "Energy Efficient SLACR 95W Edition" 2.40GHz (1066FSB) - OEM £98.99 (E8400 is about the same price)
Abit IP35 Pro £79.99 (a P45 is about the same price)
OCZ 4GB (2x2GB) PC2-8500C5 1066MHz Dual Channel Platinum Series DDR2 £57.99
Sapphire ATI Radeon HD 4850 "Toxic Edition" 512MB GDDR3 TV-Out/Dual DVI/HDMI (PCI-Express) - Retail £129.99
Enermax Modu 82+ 525W EMD525AWT Modular ATX2.3 £63.99 (Corsair HX 520W = £59.99)



£1.00 = $2.00
 
What is your budget? And where are you buying everything from?

Again, if you have no intentions on overclocking, get either DDR2 667 or DDR2 800 RAM. Actually, if you wanted to overclock the Q6600 at some point in the future, the DDR2 800 RAM is enough to get the job done.

At this point in time, get a P45 (or a P43) board, especially if they're at the same price as the P35 boards. The PCI Express 2.0 support gives you more potential options in the long run.

Is your Windows XP Pro license retail or OEM? If it's an OEM license, you may need to get a new one.

Which monitor/resolution are you using? What about the case? (Are you considering getting a new one?)
 
I'm willing to spend $1000.00 and I plan on buying it at http://www.overclockers.co.uk/

Perhaps this would be better then, Corsair 4GB DDR2 XMS2 PC2-6400C5 TwinX (2x2GB) but it 'only' costs about $20.00 less ... Actually I went for the OCZ because I thought they were rather cheap.

What would be a good MOBO then because they actually have P45 that r cheaper then the P35.

I have XP Pro OEM ... should get Vista instead then ?

I have an 19" LCD monitor @ 1280-1024

Was planning to keep the same case except that I was wondering if it would be able to stay cool enough?
 
Which features do you want on the motherboard?

Do you have an unused OEM license available? (Vista is a good alternate if you need one... but get 64-bit.)

Which games do you play on your old system? Which games do you want to play soon?

What is the specific case that you have? What are you using inside the case for cooling?
 
Toaster Oven said:
- E8400 would be a better choice for you over Q6600 since you're not overclocking.
- IP35 Pro is a good mobo but depending on the price may not be such a good deal compared to a newer P45 mobo.
- If your monitor is under 24" get a 4850. Otherwise get a 4870.
- No need to spend extra for 1066 RAM if you're not overclocking. The cheapest 2x2GB kit rated at DDR2 667 or faster will suffice.
- That Enermax unit is very nice but you can save a good amount of money without sacrificing quality by going with Corsair.
- TT120 is outdated, get a Xigmatek HDT-S1283 iinstead.
Click to expand...

+1 for everything but the E8400. I think a quad core would be better for future apps. maybe go with the newer quads, they just cut the prices on them. Not that the E8400 is not good.
 
Sorry, I thought my case was on my list, now its a Coolermaster, not sure about the type but it dates from 2003, it has one rear and one top fan (80x80x25 mm), I think it was called ATX or something, simular to this one without the front fans

For the moment I'm into BF2 and thats about it, I want to install Falcon 4.0 again and perhaps when a new Splinter Cell comes out or Far Cry ...

And thats the problem, I'm not sure what features I need on the MOBO but as you may have noticed I don't update that often so it should last for a while :)
 
Where are you seeing the "Toxic" edition of the 4850? That isn't available in the US yet AFAIK.
 
so perhaps I should go for this after reading your advice

keuze06iv8.jpg


Thanks for your help!
 
How long do you plan on keeping the system before upgrading? I think, for gaming, an E8400 would be better, especially since you don't plan on OC'ing. Just know that these things can OC like crazy, and its very easy to do so.

So, if you plan on keeping the system longer than 2-3yrs, go with the Q6600. If you plan on keeping it for only 2 yrs, then get the E8400.
 
Longer then 2 yrs I think.

Kinda got my mind set on this now;

Intel Core 2 Quad Pro Q6600
Asus P5Q Pro Intel p45
Corsair 4 GB DDR2 PC2-6400
Enermax Modu 82+ 525W
HIS ATI Radeon HD 4850 512MB GDDR3

What cooler would u recommend for my CPU ?
That Xigmatek isn't available there ...
I've also read that it's better to replace the stock Radeon cooler?

Thank you all for your input!
And perhaps when I start OC I'll be back with more questions ;)
 
I'd go for the Corsair over the Enermax, since its cheaper and very good quality, too.

The Noctua NH-U12P is one of the best coolers around, but may be pricey. If you want something smaller and more lightweight, the Thermalright Ultima90 is good, and pair it with either a Scythe 120mm S-Flex fan or a 92mm Panaflo Hydrowave fan.
 
The Corsair is only $8 cheaper then the Enermax here ...

And I can get the Noctua for about $70, not cheap as you mentioned but as cooling is important i might go for this one.
And the Arctic Cooling Accelero S1 Rev. 2 for the graphic card.

Thx
 
I placed my order today:

Intel Core 2 Quad Pro Q6600 "Energy Efficient SLACR 95W Edition" 2.40GHz (1066FSB)
Asus P5Q Pro Intel P45 (Socket 775) PCI-Express DDR2
OCZ 4GB (2x2GB) PC2-6400C5 Dual Channel Vista Gold Series DDR2
HIS ATI Radeon HD 4850 512MB GDDR3
Be Quiet! Dark Power Pro 550W ATX2.2 Modular SLi Compliant PSU
Arctic Cooling Accelero S1 Rev. 2 VGA Cooler
Noctua NF-S12 1200RPM 120mm Silent Case Fan - 3 Pin
Noctua NF-R8 80mm Silent Case Fan - 3 Pin

For the total of $860.00 (VAT excluded)

I dropped the Noctua CPU cooler since some mentioned that I might as well use the stock cooler since I have not intention to OC...
I got the 120mm fan for on the Accelero and the 80mm to replace a noisy case fan.

I'll still have to get Vista though since I'm running XP Pro OEM now.
Vista Home Premium 64bit I think but I'm not sure whether I should get OEM again or retail version now.

Thanks again for your useful advice!
 
I never heard of the Be Quiet! brand....

The OEM version is much cheaper than the retail version (in the US, the OEM version costs around $110 compared to around $240 for the retail version), but there is a major catch. With the retail version, you could transfer the license from computer to computer, but you could only have the license on one computer at a time. The OEM license is bound to the computer you first activate it on; with few exceptions, that license dies when the computer dies.

If you expect this computer to last you several years, go ahead and get an OEM license. If you think that you'll be using multiple computers over the next few years, or you feel like you have bad luck with computers, then stick with a retail copy.

Oh, and Vista Home Premium (64-bit) is enough for your needs.
 
ChillyDog said:
I placed my order today:

Intel Core 2 Quad Pro Q6600 "Energy Efficient SLACR 95W Edition" 2.40GHz (1066FSB)
Asus P5Q Pro Intel P45 (Socket 775) PCI-Express DDR2
OCZ 4GB (2x2GB) PC2-6400C5 Dual Channel Vista Gold Series DDR2
HIS ATI Radeon HD 4850 512MB GDDR3
Be Quiet! Dark Power Pro 550W ATX2.2 Modular SLi Compliant PSU
Arctic Cooling Accelero S1 Rev. 2 VGA Cooler
Noctua NF-S12 1200RPM 120mm Silent Case Fan - 3 Pin
Noctua NF-R8 80mm Silent Case Fan - 3 Pin

For the total of $860.00 (VAT excluded)

I dropped the Noctua CPU cooler since some mentioned that I might as well use the stock cooler since I have not intention to OC...
I got the 120mm fan for on the Accelero and the 80mm to replace a noisy case fan.

I'll still have to get Vista though since I'm running XP Pro OEM now.
Vista Home Premium 64bit I think but I'm not sure whether I should get OEM again or retail version now.

Thanks again for your useful advice!
Click to expand...

nice, and you still have some pretty good upgrade options. for one you can easily OC latter if you want (just get a better heat sink) and you can still add another 4850.

I would have gone with the corsair but I am bias toward them :D
 
Its made in Germany and I've read some good (recent) reviews about it.
And it is quiet ;)
It's about $20.00 more expensive here then the Corsair HX 520W
 
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