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Upgrading Computer, Need Suggestions ($300-400)

H

Hot Sauce

Limp Gawd
Joined
Oct 10, 2005
Messages
154
Hey Everyone,

My current processor is dying and I am looking to upgrade my CPU, MoBo, and RAM for around $300-400 CA. I am looking for suggestions for what parts to buy.
I am willing to OC my new CPU (to safe limits). I also have aftermarket cooling for my CPU (Arctic Cooling Freezer 7 Pro). For RAM I want to buy 8GB.

1) What will you be doing with this PC? Gaming? Photoshop? Web browsing? etc Gaming
2) What's your budget? Are tax and shipping included? $300-400. No
3) Which country do you live in? If the U.S, please tell us the state and city if possible. Vancouver, Canada
4) What exact parts do you need for that budget? CPU, RAM, case, etc. The word "Everything" is not a valid answer. Please list out all the parts you'll need. CPU, Motherboard, RAM
5) If reusing any parts, what parts will you be reusing? Please be especially specific about the power supply. List make and model. Everything listed in specs except CPU, MoBo, RAM
6) Will you be overclocking? Yes, to safe limits.
7) What is the max resolution of your monitor? What size is it? 1980x1080
8) When do you plan on building/buying the PC? No rush, within a month or two
9) What features do you need in a motherboard? RAID? Firewire? Crossfire or SLI support? USB 3.0? SATA 6Gb/s? eSATA? Onboard video? etc. Not sure. I don't believe any of those
10) Do you already have a legit and reusable/transferable OS key/license? If yes, what OS? Is it 32bit or 64bit? Yes, Windows 7 x64

My current specs are:

Intel Pentium Dual Core E2160
Corsair TX750W PSU
Gigabyte GA-P35-DS3L
eVGA Geforce 8800GT 512mb
60gb Maxtor Hard Drive
400gb Seagate Hard Drive
2x2gb OCZ Platinum XTC DDR2-800, 5-4-4-15

Thank you,
Hot Sauce
 
Last edited:
Well for that budget, i'd go with a used AM3/quad, and grab some cheap DDR3 1333. But if you raise the budget to about $550 then go with a sandy i3/new video card or an i5.
 
Please answer the stickied "ANSWER THESE QUESTIONS FIRST!" so that we can help you better.
 
Please answer question 8 again: I wasn't asking WHERE. I was asking WHEN.

Also, local computer store? Does this computer store have a list of parts that they carry? No point in recommending parts if that store doesn't have it.

Oh also note that your current Artic Cooling HSF is incompatible with all current sockets.
 
Danny Bui said:
Please answer question 8 again: I wasn't asking WHERE. I was asking WHEN.

Also, local computer store? Does this computer store have a list of parts that they carry? No point in recommending parts if that store doesn't have it.

Oh also note that your current Artic Cooling HSF is incompatible with all current sockets.
Click to expand...

It's N C I X. It censors it, so I didn't want to say it. I have a friend who works there and can get me a discount.
 
Danny Bui said:
Still a Canadian retailer:
http://www.memoryexpress.com/Products/PID-MX31557(ME).aspx
http://www.memoryexpress.com/Products/PID-MX35957(ME).aspx
http://www.memoryexpress.com/Products/PID-MX33234(ME).aspx

Should be set with the above parts
Click to expand...

Nice, thanks. Any particular reasoning behind these parts? I've heard that AMD is often a better choice for midrange CPU's. Also, would you suggest buying a new aftermarket cooler for the new CPU? Or can my current one be fixed to fit the new sockets?
 
Hot Sauce said:
Nice, thanks. Any particular reasoning behind these parts?
Click to expand...
The 2500K is one of the best bang for the buck gaming CPUs out now. The RAM is one of the better values for 8GB DDR3 1600 RAM. Mobo wise, it's a basic mobo since you didn't say you needed additional features.
Hot Sauce said:
I've heard that AMD is often a better choice for midrange CPU's.
Click to expand...
Not anymore. That was true about two years ago but nowadays thats no longer true.
 
Hot Sauce said:
Nice, thanks. Any particular reasoning behind these parts? I've heard that AMD is often a better choice for midrange CPU's. Also, would you suggest buying a new aftermarket cooler for the new CPU? Or can my current one be fixed to fit the new sockets?
Click to expand...

As Danny Bui stated, not any more. The current midrange AMD offerings are about to become obsolete with the new FX series CPUs. And the new CPUs will require a motherboard that's compatible with those chips. And the current AMD CPUs have been beaten in overall real-world performance by comparably priced Intel offerings of late.

And yes, you will need to buy a new aftermarket cooler for the new CPU: Your current cooler cannot be adapted to fit current Intel motherboards because the distance between mounting holes are farther apart on the newer CPUs than on your current LGA 775. And you would not want to migrate that Arctic Cooling HSF to a newer system anyway because it is too small to effectively do its job (meaning that for its size and trouble, it cools barely any better than the stock HSF that comes with current Intel CPUs).
 
E4g1e said:
As Danny Bui stated, not any more. The current midrange AMD offerings are about to become obsolete with the new FX series CPUs. And the new CPUs will require a motherboard that's compatible with those chips. And the current AMD CPUs have been beaten in overall real-world performance by comparably priced Intel offerings of late.

And yes, you will need to buy a new aftermarket cooler for the new CPU: Your current cooler cannot be adapted to fit current Intel motherboards because the distance between mounting holes are farther apart on the newer CPUs than on your current LGA 775. And you would not want to migrate that Arctic Cooling HSF to a newer system anyway because it is too small to effectively do its job (meaning that for its size and trouble, it cools barely any better than the stock HSF that comes with current Intel CPUs).
Click to expand...

Okay, thanks. How well can the i5-2500K overclock to with the stock HSF? Can you recommend an affordable aftermarket cooler for it?
 
Danny Bui said:
The 2500K is one of the best bang for the buck gaming CPUs out now. The RAM is one of the better values for 8GB DDR3 1600 RAM. Mobo wise, it's a basic mobo since you didn't say you needed additional features.

Not anymore. That was true about two years ago but nowadays thats no longer true.
Click to expand...

Thanks Danny Bui. Those parts will do great!
 
Hot Sauce said:
Okay, thanks. How well can the i5-2500K overclock to with the stock HSF? Can you recommend an affordable aftermarket cooler for it?
Click to expand...

Hardly at all. You can get a CoolerMaster Hyper 212+ for less than $40, that should be good for 4.5 GHz or so.
 
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