Jump to content

HELLLLLLP!!!


wilco

Recommended Posts

Ok Gents -

 

First off for those of you who remember me....hello ;)

 

Next...I need some help. I need to upgrade my pc. I built my last one and its been 4 or 5 years...and in doing some research...LOTS has changed. I dont do a lot of gaming...very casual so I dont need a pc that will blow anyone out of the water...I am only looking at spending maybe 4 to 500 tops.

This will age me...but I have an AGP graphics card and IDE hdd...IDE DVD and DVD RW...I also have a case and a newer 500 watt CPU (with all the new connections)

 

From what I understand there are MOBO's with on board graphics...At most ....there may be a game of Sims or possibly CIV4 played so graphics cards are not a priority...here is what I think im looking at...

 

1) MOBO

2) Processor (prefer AMD)

3) Memory

4) SATA HDD???

5) Graphics Card???

 

Hopefully someone can help point me in the right direction. I would like reliable products as well...I dont have the time and patience for problems and troubleshooting like I used to ;)

 

Thanks in advance for any help! ;)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Well...I have a case and a psu...I was only looking at spending around $400 maybe $500 right now and maybe putting a little more towards it later...what I will need to replace is my mobo , processor and memory for sure...I just dont know what to look for or what to steer away from. I would like to get a mobo with on board graphics....and maybe get a vid card later on. I coudl also probably stand to replace my HDD...I know nothing of SATA but it looks like thats the way to go. I have been an AMD / ATI guy...but if its better to go for pentium and nvidia...i will look. If you see anything out there...i would appreciate it!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

honestly if I were you I would go for a quad core Intel system. AMD just hasn't kept up with Intel (I was an AMD guy prior to my current system)

 

For under $500 here is my suggestions:

 

ASUS P5Q Pro Turbo LGA 775 Intel P45 ATX Intel Motherboard - Retail

 

Intel Core 2 Quad Q9550 Yorkfield 2.83GHz LGA 775 95W Quad-Core Processor Model BX80569Q9550 - Retail

 

OCZ Reaper HPC Edition 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model OCZ2RPR800C44GK - Retail

 

That comes to $360 after mail in rebate

 

If you have the cash to lay down I would go ahead and upgrade to at least this video card as well, that way you don't really need any more upgrades for a bit:

 

ASUS EAH4870 DK/HTDI/1GD5 Radeon HD 4870 1GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFire Supported Video Card - Retail

 

Grand total of $562.87 with $45 in mail in rebates bringing it to $517.87 and you have a modern gaming rig.

 

This is not the very newest but it is better than AMDs best and is fairly upgradable.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

You might need a new PSU but the 500 watt may get you by. It really depends on the age and quality of the PSU.

 

 

If you plan on the system lasting you another 4-5 years, you will want to spend more than 500 initially probably. Otherwise, you will have to settle for 1-2 year old tech that may still be really good now but will start to show it's age compared to newer stuff in a year or two's time.

 

I have two different combo deals here for you with mobo/cpu and both are under 500.

 

 

INTEL

http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDet...st=Combo.197504 Intel Quad 2.66 + Asus Mobo for $299.

OCZ RAM with great timings. DDR2. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx...N82E16820227267 $44.99 - $10 MIR.

 

Vid card for the Intel setup: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx...N82E16814150351 ATI 4870 w/ 1GB: $119.99 on special

 

Total Price not including shipping or the MIR: 463.98

 

AMD

The AMD getup: http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDet...st=Combo.198621 AMD Phenom 3.0 Ghz with Asus Mobo. $314.99.

Same RAM as the Intel above. OCZ RAM with great timings. DDR2. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx...N82E16820227267 $44.99 - $10 MIR.

 

This setup should perform a little better than the Intel above but depends on the applications being used.

 

You want an Nvidia card with this setup.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx...N82E16814143191 BFG GTS 250 with 1GB RAM. 139.99

 

Total Price not including shipping or the MIR: 499.97

 

 

Now, I chose the video cards that I did for the different setups because the Intel setup supports AMD's crossfire mode and AMD supports the Nvidia SLI mode. The ATI card IMO is the better card here and could be used on the AMD system to save some money but you would not be able to combine two cards later for the extra graphics performance. I do not think you would need to anyway because you said you do not game much but the potential is there.

 

Also, if your case is really old or not full sized, the newer cards may not fit well or at all so make sure of dimensions. Also make sure your PSU has the plugs to support these cards.

Edited by ZeroDamage
Link to comment
Share on other sites

AMD combo $190

http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDet...st=Combo.203014

 

XFX HD-487A-ZHFC Radeon HD 4870 1GB $150

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx...N82E16814150394

 

At $340 this combo will pack a wallop. Will work fine with your 500w PS too. I recommend taking the leftover cash and getting a new hard drive.

 

Update: The X2 550 Black Edition Callisto would be a better CPU with the fat 6mb cache. It's only $15 more but you'll loose the instant $25 off combo.

Edited by bushwack
Link to comment
Share on other sites

AMD combo $190

http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDet...st=Combo.203014

 

XFX HD-487A-ZHFC Radeon HD 4870 1GB $150

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx...N82E16814150394

 

At $340 this combo will will pack a wallop. Will work fine with your 500w PS too. I recommend taking the leftover cash and getting a new hard drive.

 

AMD is way behind the curve on performance which is why I stayed away from posting tech that is that old. As an upgrade, it would not be worth it.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

AMD combo $190

http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDet...st=Combo.203014

 

XFX HD-487A-ZHFC Radeon HD 4870 1GB $150

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx...N82E16814150394

 

At $340 this combo will will pack a wallop. Will work fine with your 500w PS too. I recommend taking the leftover cash and getting a new hard drive.

 

AMD is way behind the curve on performance which is why I stayed away from posting tech that is that old. As an upgrade, it would not be worth it.

I updated my post, but still the original CPU I posted is a Phenom II AM3 socket, it's not that old and sounds like it would suit his needs well with the Radeon 4870. Will blow him away compared to his current system and sooo cheap. You can spend 2 or 3 times as much but I guarantee your computer won't be twice as fast. Well unless your just going to be encoding video all day. :prplwacko:

 

I'm running an old intel 2160 1mb (clocked up to 3.2) and see no reason to upgrade yet because most current gen games are more bound to the GPU, so put more money into that.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

AMD combo $190

most current gen games are more bound to the GPU, so put more money into that.

 

 

Depends on the games. With so many games using complex AI and physics, the CPU gets as worked as much if not more than the GPU. If the GPU has to wait for the CPU to complete some AI and physics calculations, then a beastie GPU is irrelevant.

 

Anyway, for what Wilco needs, either of the combos we listed will be good and if he doesn't plan on doing much in the way of gaming, I would support the AMD for the sake of keeping the underdog alive.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

For Future proofing you system as much as possible, I would now go with a quad core at a slower clock rate than go with a higher speed dual core but that is just my preference. The quads put off more heat as a whole so you want good cooling.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

For Future proofing you system as much as possible, I would now go with a quad core at a slower clock rate than go with a higher speed dual core but that is just my preference. The quads put off more heat as a whole so you want good cooling.

He can always easy drop a AMD quad core in that mobo a couple years form now when they are dirt cheap.

Or here's a good cheap Phenom x4 combo.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDet...st=Combo.205339

 

Here's a review. For instance playing Fallout 3 really doesn't matter what CPU you have, I get in the 60's with my intel 2160 @ 1600x1200.

 

I'm an Intel guy myself, but AMDs Phenom II offering is quite compelling considering the prices.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

(edited)

I have a better way to go for you. I spent my lunch researching the new AMD stuff because I haven't been following them as much lately. They have Phenom AM3 with either the X3 or X4 designations. X3 is triple core and X4 is quad core.

 

I read this article at HardOCP to get some ideas on performance. The AMD's may be the best bang for the buck especially if you want to overclock them later. Looks like you may want to stay away from the X3's when the X4's are only a tad more in price and perform much better and are on par with the Intel stuff at a much lower cost.

 

This combo: http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDet...st=Combo.198617 $303 Mobo/Cpu combo

RAM: You want DDR3 which costs a little more than the DDR2 but is newer and faster at Triple Channel: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx...N82E16820231223 6GB at $90

 

or you can go 3x1GB modules for a total of 3GB. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx...N82E16820231229 $59.99

 

Keep either of the video cards from my previous post although the ATI I think is a better card. That will still put you under 500 with the 3GB RAM setup or just at about 500 with the 6Gb setup.

 

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx...N82E16814150351 ATI card.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

 

AM3 is DDR3 so your memory and motherboard would have to represent that. If you chose the CPU I picked above and then at the bottom left click on "View all Combos" there are a ton of other combinations that you can try out that may end up cheaper. There is one with a less mobo for about 40 bucks cheaper, etc. I honestly would not skimp too much though to be exactly at 500 or you will miss out on the better performing machine all around for a hard drive that you can get just about any time. Focus your 500 on the new stuff and use the IDE drive until later and pick up a faster SATA hard drive if you need to. It is also a possibility that you will need a new PSU no matter what you buy but do not hold back on a decent low-cost upgrade because of the added costs to make it happen. It will be worth it in the long haul, especially if you do not plan on upgrading again for a 3-4 years.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Ok fellas....right now...I have an athlon 3000....I am not going to be overclocking...very casual gaming...not intensive...I just want to have a pc right now that will be a little more up to date and suit my needs for a couple years...unfortunately right now I have a budget...and I dont want to roll over $500.

 

For the money that I would be spending on the followng:

Western Digital Caviar Black WD5001AALS 500GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive - OEM

 

ASUS M4A78 Plus AM3/AM2+/AM2 AMD 770 ATX AMD Motherboard - Retail

 

XFX HD-487A-ZHFC Radeon HD 4870 1GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFire Supported Video Card - Retail

 

OCZ SLI-Ready Edition 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model OCZ2N800SR4GK - Retail

 

AMD Phenom II X2 550 Black Edition Callisto 3.1GHz Socket AM3 80W Dual-Core Processor Model HDZ550WFGIBOX - Retail

 

Would all this work together? Or does something need to change...the above puts me under 450 so if I need to change something I can play a little bit. :)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I was pointing Wilco towards dual cores with the ATI 4870 cause I don't know how well the quad's will work with his 500w power supply with a descent video card.

 

 

He will probably need to buy one no matter what anyway. 500 watt PSU from 4 to 5 years ago will have a hard time with the most moderate of a system upgrade today, not to mention a lack of the needed plugs for the new motherboards and video cards. This is why I mentioned above that he will most likely need one but there is never 100% sure fire way to tell that his PSU will work unless he tries it.

 

Here's an OCZ for $85. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx...N82E16817341019

 

You do NOT want to skimp on the power supply, EVER.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Ok fellas....right now...I have an athlon 3000....I am not going to be overclocking...very casual gaming...not intensive...I just want to have a pc right now that will be a little more up to date and suit my needs for a couple years...unfortunately right now I have a budget...and I dont want to roll over $500.

 

For the money that I would be spending on the followng:

Western Digital Caviar Black WD5001AALS 500GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive - OEM

 

ASUS M4A78 Plus AM3/AM2+/AM2 AMD 770 ATX AMD Motherboard - Retail

 

XFX HD-487A-ZHFC Radeon HD 4870 1GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFire Supported Video Card - Retail

 

OCZ SLI-Ready Edition 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model OCZ2N800SR4GK - Retail

 

AMD Phenom II X2 550 Black Edition Callisto 3.1GHz Socket AM3 80W Dual-Core Processor Model HDZ550WFGIBOX - Retail

 

Would all this work together? Or does something need to change...the above puts me under 450 so if I need to change something I can play a little bit. :)

 

Depends on the specs of that motherboard. Is it DDR2 or DDR3? Depending on what it needs for RAM, that would work for you. If anything, get the better motherboard so you could always upgrade to a new CPU if you wanted to.

 

If you are worried about the power supply, I have one that is in perfect working order, it just did not have the specialized plug that my high end gaming card required. It is 620 watts and I would sell it for cheap. It is an Enermax Liberty.

 

If you are not in a rush, let me get home from work and I willl spec up another one for you for $500 mark or less with a hard drive and keep you from cheaping out too much. Anything you buy that is modern now will be much better than what you have now. But if you buy the right parts now, when you upgrade in a couple of years, you may not need any many new parts as you will if you buy lowest end. Money saver long term.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Well the reason I am upgrading is because my old pc fizzled...I have already bought a new psu (500watt-20/24 pin mobo connecton , floppy connection , 8 pin mobo connection , 6 pin pci express connector , 4 pin mobo connection , sata connection and the molex connection)thinking that was what was wrong...case is new too...

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Well the reason I am upgrading is because my old pc fizzled...I have already bought a new psu (500watt-20/24 pin mobo connecton , floppy connection , 8 pin mobo connection , 6 pin pci express connector , 4 pin mobo connection , sata connection and the molex connection)thinking that was what was wrong...case is new too...

Only thing I noticed is the Radeon card needing 2 6pin pci-e connectors, forgot about ti needing 2. Yours has how many?

If you want to heep your power supply maybe step down to a Radeon 4850? http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx...N82E16814150351

Link to comment
Share on other sites

ASUS M4A78 Plus AM3/AM2+/AM2 AMD 770 ATX AMD Motherboard - Retail

 

XFX HD-487A-ZHFC Radeon HD 4870 1GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFire Supported Video Card - Retail

 

OCZ SLI-Ready Edition 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model OCZ2N800SR4GK - Retail

 

AMD Phenom II X2 550 Black Edition Callisto 3.1GHz Socket AM3 80W Dual-Core Processor Model HDZ550WFGIBOX - Retail

 

Your basically building a gamming machine here.. Your on a budget and just want a PC that can probably play civ 4 or something? Go cheap man unless you want some FPS.

 

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx...N82E16814102820 - $64

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx...N82E16819103244 - $89

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx...N82E16820159021 - $40

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx...N82E16822145233 - $75

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx...N82E16813135234 - $59

 

HITACHI 0A38016 1TB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive - OEM

ECS GF8100VM-M3 AM2+ NVIDIA GeForce 8100 Micro ATX AMD Motherboard - Retail

SAPPHIRE 100255HDMI Radeon HD 4670 512MB 128-bit GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready Video Card - Retail

All Components 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model AC2/800X64/4096-KIT - Retail

AMD Phenom 9600 Agena 2.3GHz Socket AM2+ 95W Quad-Core Processor Model HD960ZWCGDBOX - Retail

Item #: N82E16819103244

 

Total - $330 bucks. also I think there is about $25 in mail in rebates. Take away the video card from the equation and use the onboard 8100(which has HDMI out) and save yourself another 65-70 bucks. You could probably get a a slightly slower processor and save $10-15 more dollars. Only pick up 2 gigs of RAM and save another $20. Hell, even pick up a 500 gig hard drive and save about $30 more. You could easily make this thing closer to $250 an pick up another 2 gig stick and video card later (if you decide you want it).

Edited by .fx
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I think what he has listed with the 4850 instead of the 4870 would be a nice FPS machine. I'm thinking he doesnt even have a 24" monitor so he can always bump the rez down a bit for higher frames. It's a better system then my son's rig (Celeron DC@2.8 w/8800GT) and his plays all the Valve games very well on high at 1680x1050.

Edited by bushwack
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

Loading...
×
×
  • Create New...