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Need some help

M

MeatWallet

n00b
Joined
Dec 28, 2010
Messages
36
It's been a long time since I have build a computer and I'm looking for some help. I think it's time I updated my old Alienware Aurora 5500. I did upgrade the video card and sound card at one point but that's about it. The only video game that I play right now is WOW and this computer won't be used for much else. I'm looking for what I can do with my current motherboard as far as processors, RAM, Video cards etc. Would it be better to get a newer motherboard or would this one suit me fine with a better processor, video card and more ram?

Here are the specs.

Processor: AMD Athlon™ 64 3200+ with HyperTransport Technology
Operating System (Office software not included): Genuine Microsoft® Windows® XP Home Edition with Service Pack 2
Nvidia 9600 GT Video Card
Sound Blaster XFi
Power Supply: 650 Watt ATX 2.0 Power Supply
Motherboard: ASUS A8N-SLI BASIC NFORCE4 MB

It still works well but I'd luck to get something newer perhaps. I've always been a fan of AMD processors but am open to Intels as well. Is one that much better then the other right now? I used to be on top of this stuff but with a 7 month old it makes it difficult.

Thanks in advance.

) What will you be doing with this PC? Gaming playing WoW mostly.
2) What's your budget? Around $800 or less.
3) Where do you live? PA
4) What exact parts do you need for that budget? CPU, RAM, Mobo? Video card.
5) If reusing any parts, what parts will you be reusing? Sound card, case, monitor.
6) Will you be overclocking? Maybe slightly
7) What size monitor do you have and/or plan to have? 24".
8) When do you plan on building/buying the PC? next month or so
9) What features do you need in a motherboard? I'm not sure, I will be just used for playing wow and maybe eventually a few FPS.
10) Do you already have a legit and reusable/transferable OS key/license? I have a copy of Win XP but am looking to upgrade.
 
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havermeyer said:
Tom's Hardware did a big write up on WoW performance a few weeks ago: http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/world-of-warcraft-cataclysm-directx-11-performance,2793.html

To sum it up, WoW really likes Intel (though, hyper threading doesn't matter, just physical cores) and NVIDIA DX11 cards in the "experimental" DX11 mode.
Click to expand...

That review is laughable at best.. Toms is taking kickbacks there or there just fucking dumb.. If you were to believe that article I should be getting around 40 FPS with my Dual Core Phenom II & 6850.. But fact is I rarely drop below 60 in ultra @ 19x12..

I haven't considered tomshardware to be a legit review sight for years.. They have a strong tendency to always favor Intel/Nvidia


Edit: @OP what case is it that your reusing & what is the res on the monitor? Also what about HDD, and Optical since there not lsited in either question 4 or 5.. Do you want the OS included in this budget.
 
Last edited:
bastage said:
That review is laughable at best.. Toms is taking kickbacks there or there just fucking dumb.. If you were to believe that article I should be getting around 40 FPS with my Dual Core Phenom II & 6850.. But fact is I rarely drop below 60 in ultra @ 19x12..

I haven't considered tomshardware to be a legit review sight for years.. They have a strong tendency to always favor Intel/Nvidia


Edit: @OP what case is it that your reusing & what is the res on the monitor? Also what about HDD, and Optical since there not lsited in either question 4 or 5.. Do you want the OS included in this budget.
Click to expand...

I'm reusing the Alienware case. I'm not sure yet what resolution. Maybe 1900x1200? The monitor is a Gateway LP2424. I'm using a Razer mouse and G15 Keyboard. I would like the OS in the budget. I think my HDD is ok, I don't really need a ton of storage.

Thanks!
 
bastage said:
That review is laughable at best.. Toms is taking kickbacks there or there just fucking dumb.. If you were to believe that article I should be getting around 40 FPS with my Dual Core Phenom II & 6850.. But fact is I rarely drop below 60 in ultra @ 19x12..
Click to expand...
And likely one of those rare times is the flight used for the review. It certainly taxes my system more than normal. /shrug
 
MeatWallet said:
I'm reusing the Alienware case. I'm not sure yet what resolution. Maybe 1900x1200? The monitor is a Gateway LP2424. I'm using a Razer mouse and G15 Keyboard. I would like the OS in the budget. I think my HDD is ok, I don't really need a ton of storage.

Thanks!
Click to expand...

What HDD is it.. Depending on what it is it would be possible to work in a fewer faster drive..


havermeyer said:
And likely one of those rare times is the flight used for the review. It certainly taxes my system more than normal. /shrug
Click to expand...
Doesn't change the fact that toms is biased & has been for a long time.
 
for an 800 dollar budget the easy way out is this + OS for 815 shipped.. Would be very potent..

Plus that gets you a better case & what is almost certainly going to prove to be a better HDD.. And since your not scavenging anything from your current system you can reinstall OS & sell your alienware on CL..

Edit: or an Alternate that I would do personally for the better video & more memory

http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.546483.11-146-065
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.573094
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835103065
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231422
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817151096
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814150506
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822152185
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827151192

815 Shipped.. has a slower CPU, but will still do the job nicely.. But the big bumps in the Video & Memory
 
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Thanks for the replies everyone, I appreciate it.

I'm not sure what kind of HDD it is, I would have to open it up and see. The computer isn't in front of me right now and I mostly like won't get to see it until next week. So let's assume a new HDD would necessary also.

How would something like this look?
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.573157
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814127510
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136513
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231193
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16832116754
 
MeatWallet said:
Thanks for the replies everyone, I appreciate it.

I'm not sure what kind of HDD it is, I would have to open it up and see. The computer isn't in front of me right now and I mostly like won't get to see it until next week. So let's assume a new HDD would necessary also.

How would something like this look?
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.573157
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814127510
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136513
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231193
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16832116754
Click to expand...

That green drive isnt good for gaming, And a GTX 460 at 210 shipped is NOT a good buy. Also DDR3 is cheap enough I wouldnt stop at 4gb unless it was a budget breaker..
 
bastage said:
That green drive isnt good for gaming, And a GTX 460 at 210 shipped is NOT a good buy. Also DDR3 is cheap enough I wouldnt stop at 4gb unless it was a budget breaker..
Click to expand...

+1 to this.

The GTX 460 at $210 is a shitty buy considering that you can get the HD 6870 for $240.
 
What HDD would you guys recommend? I've always had Nvidia cards but if the HD6870 is that much better maybe I will take a look at them. Is there anything in Nvidias lineup that is comparable to the HD6870 at around the same price? Also, would it be wise to wait until after the first of the year if I were going to upgrade?


Thanks so much for everyone's help, it is greatly appreciated.
 
MeatWallet said:
What HDD would you guys recommend? I've always had Nvidia cards but if the HD6870 is that much better maybe I will take a look at them. Is there anything in Nvidias lineup that is comparable to the HD6870 at around the same price? Also, would it be wise to wait until after the first of the year if I were going to upgrade?
Click to expand...

I recommend this hard drive:
$70 - Samsung Spinpoint F3 HD103SJ 1TB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive

As for Nvidia, the closest competitor to the HD 6870 would be the GTX 470 at around $250 or so. Any higher than $250 for a GTX 470 and you're getting ripped off considering that the faster HD 6950 is around $300.
 
Danny Bui said:
I recommend this hard drive:
$70 - Samsung Spinpoint F3 HD103SJ 1TB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive

As for Nvidia, the closest competitor to the HD 6870 would be the GTX 470 at around $250 or so. Any higher than $250 for a GTX 470 and you're getting ripped off considering that the faster HD 6950 is around $300.
Click to expand...

I agree on both.. Also if you stretch the budget to eh 6950's all the ones currently sold being reference apparently can unlock to a 6970 & thats a hell of a card for 300 bucks.
 
Still trying to piece together a few things. I picked up a HD 5850 and was looking at the rest of these listed below. My budget has changed to $500. How does this look? Also, would a Sandy Bridge setup be possible for around $500 or would the below combo suit me fine for what I will be using it for?

CPU/MOBOhttp://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.580584&nm_mc=AFC-C8Junction&cm_mmc=AFC-C8Junction-_-RSSDailyDeals-_-na-_-na&AID=10521304&PID=3463938&SID=
Ramhttp://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231275&nm_mc=AFC-C8Junction&cm_mmc=AFC-C8Junction-_-RSSDailyDeals-_-na-_-na&AID=10521304&PID=3463938&SID=
HDDhttp://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136795&nm_mc=AFC-C8Junction&cm_mmc=AFC-C8Junction-_-RSSDailyDeals-_-na-_-na&AID=10521304&PID=3463938&SID=

PShttp://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817151094&nm_mc=AFC-C8Junction&cm_mmc=AFC-C8Junction-_-RSSDailyDeals-_-na-_-na&AID=10521304&PID=3463938&SID=


Windows 7
 
Another quick question, would the mobo I have listed work with the new Bulldozer AMD's or would I need a different one? If so, are there any available that would work?
 
MeatWallet said:
Another quick question, would the mobo I have listed work with the new Bulldozer AMD's or would I need a different one? If so, are there any available that would work?
Click to expand...

Sorry, but none of the currently available AMD motherboards are compatible with Bulldozer at all. Bulldozer requires a new Socket AM3+, which will work with current AMD AM3 CPUs - but the forthcoming CPUs will not be electrically compatible with the existing Socket AM3. This means that if you buy any AMD motherboard today, you will need to buy a new motherboard all over again with Bulldozer.
 
E4g1e said:
Sorry, but none of the currently available AMD motherboards are compatible with Bulldozer at all. Bulldozer requires a new Socket AM3+, which will work with current AMD AM3 CPUs - but the forthcoming CPUs will not be electrically compatible with the existing Socket AM3. This means that if you buy any AMD motherboard today, you will need to buy a new motherboard all over again with Bulldozer.
Click to expand...

OK, thank you!
 
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