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Need help updating my rig

J

jgregg078

n00b
Joined
Sep 3, 2011
Messages
8
Morning all, first time posting. I was hoping to get pointed in the right direction. I have been out of the hardware game for a few years and now that it is time to upgrade my rig, I am lost.

With some great looking new games coming out, I want to get my system updated. I will have to do this piece by piece over a couple of months, but I am at a loss on what needs to be upgraded and what is priority.

Here's what I am working with right now:

Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-MA770-UD3
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128376

Processor: AMD Athlon 64 X2 6400+ Windsor 3.2 GHz dual core
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103191

Power Supply: Rosewill 500w
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817182009

Memory: 8 gig Corsair Vengence
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820145345

GPU: EVGA 8800GTS
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130038

Either way I plan to upgrade the GPU (probably to a EVGA 560TI), but I have no idea what else needs to be swapped out and what I can get away with keeping for a decent gaming experience.

Thanks in advance for the pointers.
 
Kind of identical to what I ran a number of builds ago :)
The cpu is a nice one for its time, I sold mine for $90 a while ago, couldn't believe that.
AMD might be releasing new CPU's soon, if you are interested in seeing what their new products will be like. But that could be months.
I do not know what your budget is, but any upgrade kind of forces other upgrades upon you.
Updating the CPU means a new motherboard and memory. As you will want DDR3 (so cheap anyway), and the features new mobo's supply you with (Sata 3.0 and USB3 most easily identified).
Second gen Intel i3/i5/i7 chips are incredible buys right now. Top to bottom.
With the GeForce 560, I believe that your 12V rail is not sufficient for the card. 26A vs a required 38A I believe.
So you are basically looking at replacing every piece you have listed already :p
:edit: Rather than doing it "piece by piece", I highly recommend setting a budget and just buying everything at once, once you reach your desired goal with accumulated cash. What you are looking at to buy now will only get cheaper, you will kick yourself for the money wasted if you buy little by little as it won't work too well in your situation.
 
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Id look to swapping to a better power supply. Not that big on Rosewill PSU's.

Id want something from Corsair, XFX, Seasonic, Thermaltake's Toughpower line or Antec and in the 600 watt range for some extra headroom.

Id also want a better CPU. That board will support the new AM3 processors all the way up to the X6 although youd probably need a BIOS update but thats no big deal. Depending on how much you want to spend, you could get an Athlon X3 460 for $90 shipped or a Phenom II X4 955 for $120 shipped.

Athlon - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103936
Phenom - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103808http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103936
 
I agree that a complete overhaul will need to be done. I upgraded to a core i5 system for about $415. Might be a little more expensive for you if you plan on upgrading the graphics card. Should be around $600. I can post parts here if you're interested.

Probably the only thing you van reuse is the ram and hard drives. Unless... Can a phenom II X6 fit in an am2 socket? :confused:
 
A X6 will fit an AM2+ socket which is what that board is. I checked the CPU support list on Gigabyte's website and all the Phenom's are listed. Im sure he'll need a BIOS update but itll work.
 
Thanks for all the information folks. I think I am going to go the X6 route here. Swapping in the X6, new video card, and a better power supply should give me the boost I am looking for to get going with new games (hopefully).
 
Yes it will.

Id actually consider something like the Phenom II X4 955. Theyre going for $120 right now on Newegg. You can save the $50 you would have spent on an X6 and put that towards a faster video card. The extra 2 cores will make no difference in gaming but the faster video card will.
 
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