Need some input on upgrades.

E

EberKain

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So, my system is a Compaq with an Asus Motherboard. I added a gig of ram a while back and am going to add another of the same chip. I want to add a new video card, I picked out the 7300 GT as having the type of features I'm looking for and still being compatible on this Asus board. The part where I need input is, the video card says it needs a 350w power supply, but you know power supplys are broken up into different 12v rails and whatnot, and the specs on this card don't get that specific. Since other models of this card are PCI-e, do I need a PSU that has a PCI-e connector on it, even though this is an AGP card? My power supply says it has 250w max output, (+12v 14Amp) (+5v 25Amp) (+3.3v 18Amp) I'm assuming the card is going to draw from the +12V rail, but like I said, the specs aren't that specific. Some help and insight would be appreciated.

I've tried to link all the relevant information, but feel free to ask questions if you need more. Thank you for your time and if you feel I need a new PSU for this upgrade, can you please recommend something.
 
the enter key is your friend :)

the answer is no, but you'll be hard pressed to find a modern psu without one. Save your pennies instead of throwing money at dead tech, you'll get *MUCH* more for your money.
 
To answer your questions:
- No you don't need a PSU with a PCI-E connector for that card. That 7300GT as well as every AGP card I've seen so far, draws power from the AGP port and a molex connector when extra power is needed.
- That PSU will not be able to support that video card. According to eVGA, a system with the 7300GT will require a PSU with at least 18A on the +12V rail. Unfortunately, your PSU only has 14A on the +12V rail. However, considering that socket A systems drwe mostly from the +5V and +3.3V rail IIRC, you *might* be able to get away with it.

Though forget the 7300GT. For $75, you can do much much better. Hit up the For Sale For Trade subforum we have and look for a 6800 series or X850 series video card for around $40 to $55. Those cards will definitely outperform the 7300GT hands down. However, you may have to upgrade the PSU since the two series cards I mentioned uses a bit more power IIRC.

But I concur with everyone else so far. Don't bother upgrading and just save up money for a new PC. $600 if you want a gaming PC and OS and $450 for a regular PC and OS.
 
Thanks for the replys all, the advice is much appreciated. I guess my boys, 6 and 7 just inherited a new computer.

So, a few months ago I was researching and trying to decide on what to get for a new gaming system and I ran across the recent tomshardware review on a $500 gaming system. The key to there build was overclocking the E2160 chip. Which, by all reports is a supremely stable chip that can easily be pumped with minimal effort, and then even if you burn it out in a year, it only cost $60.

So, with that In mind I went shopping and this is where I'm at now. Any advice on where I should go, I've got some money to buy a new system, just trying to get the best value for my cash, and I know 50 people will give me 50 different answers when it comes to what part is top. Any thoughts would be appreciated, but unless there are any glaring problems this is probably what I'm going to go with.

I feel like this setup will give me a whole lot of power for the money when overclocking to the 3.0ghz range. Is there anywhere I can spend or save a few $ and get a boost? Thanks for the help and time again guys.

$60 Antec earthwatts EA430 430W ATX12V v2.0 Power Supply - Retail

$53 COOLER MASTER Centurion 534 RC-534-KKN2-GP Black Aluminum & Mesh bezel / SECC Chassis ATX Mid Tower Computer Case - Retail

$150 ASUS P5K-E/WIFI-AP LGA 775 Intel P35 ATX Intel Motherboard - Retail

$110 ASUS EN9600GSO TOP/HTDP/384M GeForce 9600 GSO 384MB 192-bit GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Supported Video Card - Retail

$68 Intel Pentium E2160 Allendale 1.8GHz LGA 775 65W Dual-Core Processor Model BX80557E2160 - Retail

$104 G.SKILL 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 1066 (PC2 8500) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model F2-8500CL5D-4GBPK - Retail

$51 Seagate Barracuda 7200.10 ST3160815AS 160GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive - OEM

$25 LG 20X DVD Burner Black SATA Model GH20NS10 - OEM

$85 Microsoft Windows XP Home With SP2B for System Builders 1 Pack - OEM

$18 Arctic Silver 5 Thermal Compound - OEM

$26 COOLER MASTER RR-CCH-L9U1-GP 92mm Hyper TX2 CPU Cooler - Retail

Subtotal: $750.89
 
Make those links to the actual products you would buy, with their prices. It makes it difficult to find anything that can be trimmed right now.
 
EberKain said:
Is there anywhere I can spend or save a few $ and get a boost?
Click to expand...

* Antec earthwatts EA430 430W ATX12V v2.0 Power Supply - Retail

You really want a better power supply. I would suggest this Corsair CMPSU-450VX PSU - $69.99 - $10 MIR = $59.99 + free shipping

* COOLER MASTER RR-CCH-L9U1-GP 92mm Hyper TX2 CPU Cooler - Retail

--------------------------------
Originally Posted by Danny Bui

Here are some recommendations for better CPU coolers:

Scythe SCNJ-1100P Ninja Plus Rev.B CPU HSF - $35 (optional: Thermalright LGA775 Universal Bolt-Thru-Kit - $5)
Xigmatek HDT-S1283 120mm Rifle HSF - $37 & Xigmatek ACK-I7751 Rentention Bracket - 7$
Thermalright Ultima-90 HSF - $46 & Panaflo FBA09A12M 92mm Fan - $3
ZEROtherm Nirvana NV120 120mm HSF - $50 ($60 - $10 MIR)
Noctua NH-U12P HSF - $59
Thermalright Ultra-120 eXtreme CPU HS - $57 + Scythe S-Flex Fan SFF21E - $15

The more you spend, the more cooling you get and therefore higher chance of better overclocks. The current most recommended heatsink is the Xigmatek HDT-S1283, which cools as well as the Thermalright Ultra-120 eXtreme, for a lower price.
--------------------------------
 
Thanks AndonSage, I like the looks of that Xigmatek cooler, I think I'll switch over to that.

Looking at the the power supply you linked, it seems to be virtually the same thing I had on the list.

the Antec has outputs of +3.3V@20A,+5V@20A,+12V1@17A,+12V2@17A,-12V@0.8A, +5VSB@2.5A and costs $60

the Corsair has outputs of +3.3V@20A,+5V@20A,+12V@33A,-12V@0.8A,+5VSB@2.5A and costs $80

The difference I see is that the Antec splits the same amps across two separate +12v rails which should work fine from what I've read. Why the recommendation to a different PSU?

Thanks for taking the help me out.
 
Actually, the Corsair 450VX is of better quality than the Antec EA430 and has 33A on the +12V rail whereas the EA430 only has 30A on the +12V rail. With that said, the EA430 will be fine.

However ditch the E2160. The E2180 is only $2 more:
Intel Pentium Dual Core E2180 CPU - $70

Also, there is absolutely ZERO reason why you need DDR2 1066 RAM with the E2160/E2180. So go with this slower but cheaper and still decent RAM instead:
G.SKILL F2-6400CL5D-4GBPQ 2 x 2GB DDR2 800 RAM - $85

Now why did you go with that particular Asus mobo? Nothing wrong with it but I want to make sure that mobo fits your needs. Oh ditch the AS5. The stock thermal paste on most good 3rd party HSF is more than sufficient. So no need for the AS5.
 
Yah, the Corsair units are of slightly higher quality than the Antec ones, despite the same OEM (Seasonic). I also think the Corsair is more quiet, with its 120mm fan. However, I agree with Danny, the EA430 is good enough. It also has a nice rebate, bringing the price down even more.

If you live near a microcenter, the E2180 is only $60.

I, again, agree with Danny on the RAM (and everything else, actually). Here's the reasoning behind the RAM:

/*------------- <cut n paste> -------------*/
Formulas for Intel platform @ 1:1 settings: (base FSB speed is SDR, or single data rate)
c x [Base FSB speed] = CPU speed (c = CPU Multiplier)
2 x [Base FSB speed] = RAM speed (DDR: double data rate)
4 x [Base FSB speed] = FSB speed (QDR: quad data rate; Effective FSB speed)

On Intel platforms, running the RAM higher than a 1:1 ratio with the CPU is, for the most part, useless, so don't bother trying to do so. If the BIOS does it for you, just let it. All you need is a 1:1 config, though. Here's some possible clock speeds (as always with OC'ing, your results will vary):

E2180: 10 × 200 = 2.0Ghz, DDR2-400 << STOCK speeds
E2180: 10 × 266 = 2.6Ghz, DDR2-533 << Easy OC
E2180: 10 × 333 = 3.3Ghz, DDR2-667 << Great OC

You won't notice the difference between CL4 and CL5, unless you're running benchmarks (and even then, its negligible), so don't pay a huge price premium for lower latency.
/*------------- </cut n paste> -------------*/

If you don't need all the fancy features of the P5K-E, go with either the GA-EP35-DS3L or GA-EP43-DS3L. Another good alternative is the MSI P35 Neo2-FR.

The Hyper TX2 is really all you need, or the Arctic Cooling Freezer 7 Pro, since that chip tops out around 3.3Ghz. Though, the Xigmatek isn't much more. In any case, I'd highly suggest a bolt thru kit. Either the universal Thermalright one, or the Xigmatek specific one, if you go with the Xigmatek.
 
Thanks for all the advice again, I was going with the GA-P35-DS3L but newegg doesn't have them new right now, so Iooked at the GA-EP35-DS3L and found quite a few people having hard times when overclocking it, because of the added energy features.

The Asus board has built in wi-fi, other than that, I've just seen it recommended by alot as a very stable and good quality board for OC jobs. I am looking for a different mboard, or at least, willing to swap to something else. I'd like for it to be an all solid capacator design with good overclocking features.

I think I'm just going to buy a A-P35-DS3L from somewhere else like amazon.

Thanks for all the replies again, and the help.
 
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