Need help upgrading older system!

[MYSTic Jedi]

Well, ok, i want to upgrade my current system a little (see sig), i just ran into a good cash inflow, about $200 to spend (tax refund ) andwell, i hate computer manufacturers that take stuff out and cheap out on people. But any way my little compaq (which was a gift from my mother) has an AGP "BUS", but no slot! i hate that, so i am stuck with regular PCI vid cards....and unfortunatly, there arent many decent ones, but Monarch does have a 6200 PCI available for $80 (Link) , but it requires a 300W psu, and compaq was only so kind as to include a 250W, plus i kinda have a lot of stuff in there for that to handle any way, so i am thinking about THIS 400W psu. And one last thing, my RAM is "very" generic, some factory 256MB modual, and a Kingston Value 512MB i put in it right after i recieved the comp (it only has 2 RAM slots), but i want to replace that 256 with a much nicer 512 stick (better timings, better quality, etc..) TIHS is the RAM i am looking at, Patriot eXtreme. I do have about $200 'availible', but any less would be nice, what i have there is $170. But my real question is should i do this, or should i just get the RAM and a GF 5500 ($110) because i do hope to build myself a whole new rig around christmas, but both the leftover RAM and the 9200SE i have will be recycled (giving tto a friend who wants a better comp, but has no extra money), but i would just kinda like your opinions on this, i hope to order within the next 2 weeks. So thanks in advance for any help!

 

[Dru89]

opps, wrong window...........srry.......

 

[J Macker]

$200 is definitely not enough for upgrading your system.
Sell your comp for another $200, find a job, come up with another $400, and then we can start. seriously.

I was in that boat about 7 years ago with my first computer, but 3d cards were pci only, as there was no agp. it was new a little later. I spent $250 on a voodoo2 card, pci, which didn't last my next upgrade because it was 3-d accelerator only.

anyhow... oh yeah. back on topic.
If you REALLY want to spend the money now, then I would recommend is buy a set of 5.1 speakers & good mouse. or a good case & psu.

That psu has 19A on the 12v rail, which is not enough for more-power hungry video cards when coupled with a few hard drives.
buy either:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16817104953

and I don't understand why this one cheaper (albeit a few bucks), because it looks like it is more capable, by looking at the +3.3v and +5 v rails.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16817104952

Fortron psus are good stuff. those are in your price range, MUCH better than the one you chose.

I would not purchase a pci video card until you buy a new motherboard & cpu.
PCI video cards are weak. they suck. but if you really want, you can find a comparable one for around $40 used in the For Sale / Trade forum.

Do NOT buy the GF 5500 for $110. that is a rip off !! I'd expect performance no better than the 9200se. in fact , if you have a 9200se, don't even thing about buying another PCI video card, because the bandwidth is already saturated with that card. if you try to run at higher resolutions or textures, the information will overload the PCI bus, which also transports data to & from your hard drive.

Or, maybe I would just buy a good case and psu with $200. it won't depreciate as much.

I definitely would hold off on buying RAM. You have 768mb, which is enough, especially for your system, because you really can't play the really demanding games anyhow. Plus, DDR2 is taking over, so buying more DDR1 and then buying a DDR1 motherboard 6 months down the road is not the best idea.

 

[Monkey34]

I would wait.

IMO, the cheapest way to do this is to re-use the "guts" (cpu, hdd's, drives, sound, etc), get a new case, psu, video card, motherboard.....and if you can afford it the ram (if not re-use that too).

Wait till christmas, save your money up, and do better later. I know your probably dying to upgrade, but anything you do with $200 now wont be worth it.

Or if you creally CANT wait, maybe a mobo and psu in the existing rig? Something like this?: MATX
At least it would give you an AGP slot.

 

[daphatgrant]

Alright bud, $200 eh? Well, let’s see what we can do.

Option #1
Antec TruePower 2.0 550watt PSU & XFX Geforce FX5200 256MB PCI

Option #2
Asus A8N-SLi or Asus A8N-E & AMD Athlon 64 3000+ (a 64 3000+ isn't amazing but it's the cheapest S939 chip I can find and significantly better than a 2.8cely) & FSP 400watt PSU

It is honestly hard for me to give you a recommendation on an upgrade for your current system. Especially since your current board doesn’t even have an AGP slot, even if it did it would still be tough. If you need to do an upgrade now I would say make sure that you get stuff that you can use in a future major upgrade, that’s why I recommended a stronger PSU and $100 isn’t too bad of a price. And for a V-card if you absolutely need to get a new one I guess I’d shoot for a 5200 so that’ll be option #1. But if I could I would move you towards a new board chip. Maybe an Asus A8N-SLi or A8N-E, a Athlon 64 3000+, and a 400watt FSP PSU or option #2. Option #2 will cost you a little more than $200 but will give you a ton more upgradeability, huh, “upgradeability” is an actual word .

By doing any “basic” upgrades you are essentially throwing money at a problem that isn’t going to go away unless you do a massive system overhaul. If I were you I would make sure to only get items that you will be able to use when you do finally perform a system overhaul. Getting that 550 watt PSU wouldn’t be a good choice for now, I don’t think that you are really going to see that much of a performance increase with a 5200 over you current 9200 or any other available V-Card that is out or is going to come out (for PCI). PCI is just about extinct as AGP will soon be. I just don’t want to see you throw your money away. If it were me and I needed to burn some $ I would get the PSU from Option #1 and a lite-on DVD burner. Around $150 total and both useable in future builds.

Option #1
V-Card & PSU are around $182 w/shipping

Option #2
w/A8N-E is around $256 w/shipping
w/A8N-SLi is around $265 w/shipping

Any questions just shoot, we'll do our best to get you on the right track .

 

[orvil01]

Id go a little different route, pickup a used motherboard case/pse, and reuse the hd, ram, cpu, and whatever else worth saving, buy a decent agp card (i just bought a 9800pro for 60$)

figure 50 for a decent case/psu
40 for motherboard,
70 or so for decent agp card

to me it would be a worthwhile upgrade and the best route at this point

edit.

i guess if its a decent case you could use what you have already. there are cheap alternatives that will give you good performace, no need to try to spend a grand on a computer if you dont have it.

 

[MYSTic Jedi]

Well,heres the deal......I am 16, and i have a job lifeguarding at the local YMCA already, and i really just want to build my own new computer, also i am kinda holding off to see what kind of Price/preformace ratio AM2 and Conroe offer, BUT the kicker is, i have made a deal with my parents my own car comes first, so before i can buy a completely new system i have to buy a car first, and i was just seeing IF i could (and i really would like too) upgrade this my current setup. and i just recieved my tax refund from what i worked last year, and i allowing myself to have about a $200 splurge. So any way, i was really thinking about the NV 6200 (shader modle 3 and all that stuff) the only place they offer the PCI version of it (thats not extremely overpriced) is Monarch for $80, but it says it needs a 300W+ PSU, and my generic one is 250W, and it is already straining. So lets say, instead of getting more RAM, get a new case (which i'd kinda like too, this one is really small), PSU and Vid card
Case...$50...http://www.newegg.com/product/product.asp?item=N82E16811119047 (i really like this one)
PSU...$40...http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16817104952
Vid card...$80...http://www.monarchcomputer.com/Merc...de=M&Product_Code=190709&Category_Code=VC-PCI
about $180 with shipping, and i would kinda of like to avoid buying a new MoBo for now because i ahve heard that windows takes a new mobo as being a "differant" computer and thus must be reinstalled, and Campaq so grasiously did NOT include an OS CD, and even so, it would probly say i had to go buy a new copy because the other key is in use, iand i dont have another $100 to shell out on an OS! (but please correct me if i am wrong on this point) So what do you guys think about that? Or i could just try to stuggle though it and wait till i can buy a whole new comp..........Thanks

 

[daphatgrant]

Well as far as the case goes I have one of the exact same ones for a secondary rig and I really like it, has great cooling as the whole front is mesh w/filter behind. As far as the video card goes just remember that this is $80 that you are spending on something that is almost extinct, unless when you do your full upgrade you plan on using the same card. That PSU will be fine, not super powerful but FSP is a good brand. I guess if you are alright with spending the cash for the V-Card I’d say the rest is good, the case and PSU will both be useable in a future build.

 

[MYSTic Jedi]

Well as far as the case goes I have one of the exact same ones for a secondary rig and I really like it, has great cooling as the whole front is mesh w/filter behind. As far as the video card goes just remember that this is $80 that you are spending on something that is almost extinct, unless when you do your full upgrade you plan on using the same card. That PSU will be fine, not super powerful but FSP is a good brand. I guess if you are alright with spending the cash for the V-Card I’d say the rest is good, the case and PSU will both be useable in a future build.

Thanks, and yes, when i buy a new computer, i will most likely wait a little bit before buying a newer vid card, but just the updated Motherboard, faster RAM, and faster Hard drive (SATA vs. ATA)........that will make a world of differance in itself to me!

 

[daphatgrant]

<don's flame retardent suit>

With my experience I haven't really noticed that much of a huge performance increase between IDE and SATA. But with the availability and better Airflow (cables) SATA is definitely the way to go. Any other questions feel free, and hopefully we were able to help you out some. Good luck with the new parts.

 

[orvil01]

Well,heres the deal......I am 16, and i have a job lifeguarding at the local YMCA already, and i really just want to build my own new computer, also i am kinda holding off to see what kind of Price/preformace ratio AM2 and Conroe offer, BUT the kicker is, i have made a deal with my parents my own car comes first, so before i can buy a completely new system i have to buy a car first, and i was just seeing IF i could (and i really would like too) upgrade this my current setup. and i just recieved my tax refund from what i worked last year, and i allowing myself to have about a $200 splurge. So any way, i was really thinking about the NV 6200 (shader modle 3 and all that stuff) the only place they offer the PCI version of it (thats not extremely overpriced) is Monarch for $80, but it says it needs a 300W+ PSU, and my generic one is 250W, and it is already straining. So lets say, instead of getting more RAM, get a new case (which i'd kinda like too, this one is really small), PSU and Vid card
Case...$50...http://www.newegg.com/product/product.asp?item=N82E16811119047 (i really like this one)
PSU...$40...http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16817104952
Vid card...$80...http://www.monarchcomputer.com/Merc...de=M&Product_Code=190709&Category_Code=VC-PCI
about $180 with shipping, and i would kinda of like to avoid buying a new MoBo for now because i ahve heard that windows takes a new mobo as being a "differant" computer and thus must be reinstalled, and Campaq so grasiously did NOT include an OS CD, and even so, it would probly say i had to go buy a new copy because the other key is in use, iand i dont have another $100 to shell out on an OS! (but please correct me if i am wrong on this point) So what do you guys think about that? Or i could just try to stuggle though it and wait till i can buy a whole new comp..........Thanks

http://episteme.arstechnica.com/groupee/forums/a/tpc/f/77909774/m/1400925745

theres an wasy work around, to avoid having ot reinstall,
buy a used agp motherboard
and a used agp card.
best bang for the buck...

i recently built a budget machine for a friend
suplanboy/antec true 480
amd barton 2800+
512mb pc3200
9600pro
80gb hb
16x dvd-rw
total price
280.00