"New" computer

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jubalskeiki

Limp Gawd
Joined
Jan 27, 2005
Messages
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In an act of sheer brilliance I bent some pins on my CPU trying to remove the heat sink so I could clean it. Now my computer won't boot so I need to get new parts. I don't do hardcore gaming so I don't really need a good gaming system...but I do a fair amount of multimedia stuff. Since I am having to do this upgrade I figure I may as well do it right. I am hoping to not really need to upgrade for the next couple of years (for me that would be doing it right). I have been looking at reviews and what not. I am thinking of going with an AM2 3800 for the proc. I would just get a new CPU, but my motherboard is flaking out too so I just need to replace the MB, CPU and video card (because I have an AGP right now).

Would upgrading to the AM2 be a good idea and more future-proof or probably not? I went with 939 when I built this computer a couple of years ago so that it would be more future-proof..but now I am not sure.

the specs I am looking at so far are the AM2 3800 an ASUS Asus M2N32-SLI DELUXE Wireless Edition nForce 590 SLI (it is a bit more with the wireless and I could run wireless by itself I already have a card...but with it built in wouldn't I be able to save a PCI slot in case I needed it for something else?) Then the XFX 7900GS video card. I don't know if the RAM I have now will work for this set-up though. And my other big concern was power...this is going to really need power. I have a 470 Watt silencer from PC Power and Cooling which powers what I am running now fine, but I am not sure if it would power the new set up I am looking at. My RAM is fine to use (or should be according to the MoBo manual).

Any recommendations or suggestions (I am by no means set on any of this...if I can get away with not having to change my PSU that would make me happy). I think that all would cost me about 400 bucks. I don't want to spend much more than that if I can avoid it.
 
if the ram was from a 939 system it wont work with AM2. great mobo btw :D almost got one myself.
 
DOH..I knew that. So if I change sockets I will need RAM as well. I really don't think I can afford much more than 500 which is pushing it with that RAM (unless someone here is selling DDR2 RAM for cheap). As I don't really game heavily I probably wouldn't notice the difference between regular and "performance" RAM. I do want good stuff though...I saw some Buffalo stuff on directron for around 60 so 120 for 2 Gigs...would that stuff be pretty good? http://buffalotech.com/products/memory/select/select-dimm/ there is a link to it.
 
One option would be a board that supports agp and ddr, so you could do this:
$163 - Intel Core 2 Duo E4300 Allendale 1.8GHz 2MB L2 Cache
$58 - ASRock 775Dual-VSTA Socket T (LGA 775) VIA PT880 PRO
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$221 + tax and shipping, re-use your old ram and vidcard, etc

Anandtech did some reviews on that board:
http://www.anandtech.com/mb/showdoc.aspx?i=2810
http://www.anandtech.com/showdoc.aspx?i=2813
http://www.anandtech.com/showdoc.aspx?i=2814

Summary: The board is a good, budget stopgap solution for people who want to get more life out of their DDR and AGP stuff. DDR400 is still fine for today's applications, and only high end graphics cards will be affected by the 4x speed of the 16x sized pci-e slot, but not by much (only 10% performance hit).

Reason to go with intel: http://anandtech.com/cpuchipsets/showdoc.aspx?i=2903

If you want to stick with AMD AM2:
$150 - COMBO: AMD Athlon 64 X2 3600+ + BIOSTAR TFORCE 550 Socket AM2 ($24 combo discount)
$165 - G.Skill 2GB (2x1GB) DDR2-800 F2-6400CL5D-2GBNQ
$30 - Zalman CNPS7000B-ALCU 92mm CPU HSF (Quiet)
$40 - Freetech PX6200TD-128M GeForce 6200 128MB ($10MIR)
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$385 + tax and shipping... you'll need a new vidcard with this mobo.
 
And what about the PSU? How much computer will the one I have now power? I have tried using the calculator in the PSU section, but I was unsure what all of the numbers I needed to plug in were. I know some of those parts I listed can be pretty power hungry. I am not planning on running SLI at all (so that should cut down on power requirements). Aside from the GPU, CPU, MB and RAM I would have one DVD-RW drive 1 80 gig HD an 1 200 gig HD.
 
the gpu's the main thing you need to worry about. a 500w should be fine for any system where the gfx card doesnt require the 6 pin connector.
 
Heh, 470W should be more than enough, since nothing in your system is power hungry. Your system uses, at most, 350W. Now, you don't just want a 350W+ PSU; you want one that delivers good, quality power. You'll need something with at least 23A on the +12V rail. According to the PC P&C website, the Silencer 470W delivers 26A on the +12V rail, so you'll be perfectly fine with either setup you choose, even overclocked.

Also, if you're doing light gaming, then all you need is a 7600GT, depending on how much you play. If you rarely play and don't care about game settings/resolution, then any cheap vidcard will do.
 
Either set-up meaning the two you recommended? I am thinking if I am going to spend 200 dollars to do this I might as well upgrade everything. I wish this weren't so transitional a phase. I am interested to see if AMD is able to catch up with Intel anytime soon. Speed-wise how would the three CPU's mentioned relate to each other..I know the two AMD's have a higher speed...but from what I have read of the Duos they perform much better than comparable AMD CPUs.

I do care some about resolution and all...I have a 128 card now that I have been using a 9250...it really doesn't work very well. It is the first time I have had to crank settings down to enjoy a game where I want it. For that reason the Visiontek makes me nervous. I don't game extremely hardcore, but enough so that I am realizing that not just any card will do. I will look at the 7600GT. That sounds like a good card from what I have read about it.
 
"Either setup, " meaning whichever platform you decide on, whether it be an AX2 or C2D. While there is a performance difference, there is also a price difference. If you want to spend the least amount possible while still getting great performance for your money, the 3600+ Brisbane is your best choice (even over the Windsor 3800+). If you want the best performance for your money, the E4300 would be best. It really depends on how much you'd like to spend. Both chips could reach 3Ghz, but you're right... the E4300 outperforms the 3600+ clock for clock. Go with whichever fits your budget. Also keep in mind that AM2 CPUs perform best with DDR2-800, while with an E4300, even DDR2-667 will still get you to 3Ghz with great performance.

The 9250 really sux for gaming. The 7600GT is currently the best midrange card. If you're gaming at resolutions higher than 1024x768, then go for an X1950Pro for around $150AR (similarly priced to the 7900S, but outperforms it).

http://www.gpureview.com/show_cards.php?card1=385&card2=466
 
I don't really overclock very far so that isn't something I would really look at. But thank you for the information
 
Going for the X2 3600 + Biostar combo, a Sapphire X1950 Pro, WINTEC RAM 1 GB (it is pretty cheap stuff now...but I can't afford to get all really good parts now), I looked at the Zalman recommended above, but from what I read...and what I see..I am not sure it would work with an AM2 MB. Can anyone tell me if this is the case? Also if it doesn't what would someone recommend?
 
arctic cooler freezer 64 pro. it works well providing you have exhaust fans behind it :) if not its only slightly better than stock.
 
jubalskeiki said:
I looked at the Zalman recommended above, but from what I read...and what I see..I am not sure it would work with an AM2 MB. Can anyone tell me if this is the case? Also if it doesn't what would someone recommend?
Click to expand...
Sorry about that, I thought there was a bracket for it, but I guess I was wrong. Anyhow, the Freezer 64 Pro's price is back to normal (was double the price when I made the earlier post), so it would be a better choice:

$20 - Arctic Cooling Freezer 64 Pro 92mm CPU Cooler
 
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