Upgrade suggestions from the gurus

D

Dishpointer

n00b
Joined
Dec 9, 2007
Messages
23
First post here but I have been reading through the different posts for the last 2 months. I desperately need to upgrade to a new rig. I don't usually upgrade that often but when i do, I want it to last a few years. My current rig is an AMD Athlon 3200, Asus A7N8x Deluxe MB, and an Nvidia 6200 GPU. This system is over 3 years old and is really starting to show its age.
I'm really not into gameing but I would like to try MOH4 with the new system. I plan on using my new system for general apps, burning DVDs, and watching movies. I would also like to use it for a HTPC in the near future. I really don't have a budget but would like to keep it below $1200 for the computer (not display).

Since browing through the Show your LCD thread, I really like the Sharp LC-32GP3U so I would like to have a GPU that could handle that. Should I jump on the EVGA 8800GT Micro Center deal or should I get a different card?

CPU...I would like to try Intel as I have always had AMD. I was thinking about going with the E8400 or Q6600 but am open for any suggestions. Should I go for the new 45nm processors?

Motherboard...I have always used Asus so anything that will handle multiple hard drives/DVD drive.

Memory...I have 512MB and barely get by so please give me a good suggestion based on the CPU/MB.
I plan on purchasing parts in about 2 weeks but could wait if something new comes out within the next month or two. Can you guys help me out?

Thanks
 
New GPUs in the next month or so. They aren't in the price range you're looking, but they should drive prices down on everything else. You

I'd recommend picking up a 4GB (2 2GB sticks) kit of DDR2-800 or DDR2-1000/1066 for a good price soon, as RAM prices are going up again.

I wouldn't recommend going with ASUS -- their boards are more expensive than most without offering more features and their customer service is abysmal. Popular boards right now would be the Gigabyte P35-DS3L/DS3R/DQ6, Abit IP35-E/IP35-Pro, and DFI Blood Iron P35-TR2L/ P35 Dark. MSI also has some good boards, but they tend to have stupid layouts. Prices range from $90-200. Look through and buy the one with the feature set you're after -- they're all reliable and good overclockers.

E8400 is good a little past 4Ghz on good air cooling from what I've seen, while the Q6600 tends to top out around 3.6-3.7Ghz. If you have the cash, get the quad, because you have a long upgrade cycle so the extra 2 cores will come in handy in the long run.

Keeping a Q6600 cool is a real task. You'll need to spend on the HSF. The Thermalright Ultra 120 Extreme and a Scythe S-Flex fan is king of the air cooling hill, and it runs $75 or so with the fan. Doesn't come with one.

Planning on that display you're going to want at /least/ an 8800 GT, ideally the new Radeon 3870GX2 or an 8800 GTS 512MB or 8800 GTX/Ultra.

Going to need a quality PSU. I'd recommend the Corsair 620HX -- ~$80-90 AR.

$300 CPU, $75 HSF, $100 motherboard, $100 RAM, $100 PSU, $300 GPU, $100 case, $30 DVDRW, $115 HDD.

$1220 total. You can get better prices and keep it in budget pretty easily, though just barely.
 
silent-circuit said:
Planning on that display you're going to want at /least/ an 8800 GT, ideally the new Radeon 3870GX2 or an 8800 GTS 512MB or 8800 GTX/Ultra
Click to expand...

Thanks for the great suggestions. I just purchased the new Radeon 3870GX2 from Micro Center. I hope it runs the 32" Sharp without any problems. Now I just need to narrow down a good motherboard and CPU. Now that I purchased the video card, what type of board do I need to look at since the GPU is Crossfire and not SLI?

Thanks again
 
Actually you don't need a motherboard that supports Crossfire to use with the 3870 X2. It has a built-in Crossfire chip on it already. Or did you want to use two of those cards in Crossfire?

In any case, pick any P35 or X38 chipset motherboard that suits your needs and wants. Make sure that you're not overpaying for useless items.
 
Q6600 G0 stepping from ClubIT - $280
Thermalright Ultra 120 Extreme - $60 (look around)
Scythe S-Flex 120mm fan - $15 (look around)
4GB OCZ DDR2-800 CAS5 Vista Upgrade Edition - $90 shipped, $70 AR ($20 MIR) at NewEgg

As for the motherboard,
Abit IP35-Pro - $200 shipped, $150 AR ($50 MIR)
OR DFI P35 Dark - $140 shipped (motherboardpro.com)
OR (if you want to be able to get a second 3870GX2 at some point, ONLY) ABIT IX38 Quad GT - $230 shipped, $200 AR ($30 MIR)
 
Thanks silent-circuit. Your help has guided me in the right direction. If I have any other question, I might pm you.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top