Upgrade advice thread #854564181

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FlipperBizkut

[H]ard|Gawd
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Sep 25, 2002
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Hey guys. Sorry to bug you with yet another "Please build me a computer because I don't have time to do the research myself" thread, but...

My current system is:

AMD Opty165 @ 2.25/core
DFI LanParty
XFX 7900GS
2G GSkill


My wife has a very similar build, and we are both looking to upgrade. We will be keeping our drives and cases, and I have 4x1G sticks of Crucial Ballistics PC2 6400 ram to use (2G each). So I will just be looking to upgrade the mobo, proc, and video card of each machine.

My PSU is the OCZ 520w one, and my wife's is the Xclio 500w goodpower one. I'm not sure these are still up to the task at hand, so if that is an issue, please let me know on that too.

I'm looking to get out fairly cheap, but I do want to crank it up a few notches. We play mostly wow, but once prototype comes out, I will definitely be interested in it. We will be sticking to WinXP, so DX10 isn't an issue for us. We both play on 22" widescreens at 1680x1050.

Again... sorry for bugging you. I have just been out of the loop for a long time and know that you guys here are on top of your game. I would appreciate your advice.
 
If you want more speed, a 2.7GHz overclock is easy on that CPU. Then just leave it 'til Prototype comes out and see what kind of hardware it takes. Even if you don't get enough, just a video card and maybe an upgrade to 4GB of RAM will do it.
 
lol... love the title. Yah, I agree with dandragonrage, wait until prototype is out before you upgrade. Wow, release date is 2009? Well, if you can wait that long, you'll get a nicer upgrade if Nehalem mainstream is out by then.

If you can't wait that long, we need a budget to work with. ;) "Fairly cheap" means different things for some people. For instance, I replied in a thread for a "fairly cheap" gaming rig for $500, but included monitor in that $500... I'd consider that dirt cheap, lol. Then there's another thread that said, "cheap gaming computer" and the total was like $1100 or something, lol.
 
I would be looking to upgrade before then. My wife gets more lag in wow, and is really tired of it, so I figured I would just get us both new guts at the same time.

I'm looking to get by with around $400 each system or so. That would be for mobo, proc, and vid card.

Thanks again. =)
 
... and you'll be using the Ballistix you already own.... ok. How flexible is that "or so"? ... cuz I'd go with this...

$200 - HD4850
$130 - E7200
$100 - GA-EP43-DS3L
========
$430 + tax and shiping

The stock HSF should get you to around 3Ghz, which is a nice and easy OC on that chip. The chip can go much further, if you pickup a good HSF for it, like the Xigmatek HDT-S1283 w/ ACK-I7751 bolt thru kit, which would help you get around 3.6Ghz or more.

$37 - XIGMATEK HDT-S1283 120mm Rifle CPU Cooler (optional $7 Xigmatek Bolt-Thru-Kit) (FS code: HARDOCP6230FS)

There's also a Biostar TForce P43 board at a really nice price ($85), but I can't find any reviews on it. :( Newegg seems to think its a great OC'er, though:
PCI Express 2.0 and Record Breaking OC Performance
Click to expand...

EDIT: Dunno if worse customer support and warranty (1-3yr?; visiontek has lifetime warranty) is worth saving $20, but the Sapphire 4850 is $195 - $20 promo code VGA62320. Oh, and it has a $20MIR... click on the slickdeals link below...

According to slickdeals, that code is also valid on the Asus version, and the Asus version has a $30MIR: http://slickdeals.net/permadeal/129...-GDDR3-PCI-Express-Video-Card-155-after-20MIR
 
So just out of curiosity, is AMD back in the game at all, or is Intel still the best bang for the buck? Also, I have never used an Ati card, so... not that I am worried about them at all, but is there a comparable nVidia card out for the same price point? Also, if I were to do little to no overclocking, would that build still provide a noticeable increase in speed over my current rig?

Thanks again. I really appreciate your time.
 
Eh, the coupon codes are expired now anyway, so you'd have to pay full price now; so yes, there is a comparable card. At the $200 pricepoint, the 9800GTX is comparable, but is not as good as the HD4850.
 
Right now, in terms of processors, Intel is still the best option around. AMD is worth considering, however, if you're really trying to cut corners with the price -- cheap motherboards for AMD processors generally have more available features than their Intel counterparts.

In the video card department, AMD -- which now owns ATI -- is looking pretty good with its HD 48xx series cards.
 
Well... I picked up 2 of the mobos recommended... http://www.zipzoomfly.com/jsp/ProductDetail.jsp?ProductCode=10008667

2 of the procs recommended.... http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115052

and 2 of the MSI branded 4850s (which were only $190 each since I bought 2)... http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814127359

All said and done, the final cost was $842.10. Not too bad for upgrading 2 computers. Thanks again for the help, and let me know if there is anything I should look out for, or any advice you can give me for my new purchase.



edit to fix proc link
 
I had to finagle the link in order to get the processor... but good job.

If/When you decide to overclock either (or both?) computer, get the Xigmatek HSF as enginurd recommended earlier.
 
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