Confused on my upgrades

[rej156]

Well being my first post and all, I'm happy to join the Hexus community
Haha well, I've saved up a budget of at least £250 quid and I'm planning to
upgrade my computer.
At the moment, it's totally crap seriously.
Pentium D 925
1 GB PC2-4200 ram =_=
250GB HDD.
300W PSU. Totally crap. +12V rail @ 15Amps max.
Integrated Intel GMA 950 Graphics card.
Foxconn 45GM Motherboard.

Well my whole point is that I'd like to max whatever I can out of my motherboard,
although I don't want the hassle to replace the case or the motherboard.

My initial plan is to get a new graphics card (Not sure if it'll switch from integrated to PCI 16x Slot,
but Intel says it could on its site)
Some new ram 2GB.
Powersupply
Mouse ( Sticking for sure with Saitek Cyborg mouse, 3200dpi at a bargain )
My mouse however is not required, i can cut costs.
If you guys could manage my budget, I wouldn't mind replacing the processor.

Motherboard Specs here:

Processor: Intel®Core™2 Extreme, Core™2 Duo, Pentium® Dual-Core, Pentium® D, Pentium® 4, Celeron® D, Celeron® processors, Socket T (LGA775)
Chipset: Intel® 945G + ICH7
Front Side Bus: 1066 / 800 / 533 MHz FSB
Memory: Dual channel DDR2 667 / 533 / 400 x 2 DIMMs, Max. 2GB
VGA on Die: Integrated
Expansion Slots: 1 x PCIe x16, 1 x PCIe x1, 2 x PCI

[Thorsson]

Have you flashed the mobo to the latest BIOS? What monitor do you use? What case?

[rej156]

Have you flashed the mobo to the latest BIOS? What monitor do you use? What case?

Why would you want to know that, I only have a budget of 250.
Case is a normal E-System one, gonna let the card jut out the side
And how does flashing make any difference 0_o?
Monitor's 17", gonna upgrade to a large LCD, prolly 40" next year.

[Thorsson]

Latest BIOS probably allows access to more recent CPUs. Official site doesn't say which ones but last BIOS update appears to address just that.

Case because you have a µATX motherboard, which means a lot of GFX cards aren't going to fit if the case if it is the same size.

Monitor because there's no point in getting a video card that's designed for higher resolutions than you will use.

RAM - probably just get another stick of what you have. Not worth buying 2 new sticks because they won't be what you want when you finally upgrade the mobo, and it won't make that much difference to speed to go to DDR667.

PSU - Corsair 450W.

GPU - I'd suggest ATI HD3850 or NVidia 9600GT. 9600 is a little better in games, 3850 for movies. Should be fine at your resolution.

CPU - Any 65nm C2D, maybe an E4600 or if the budget won't get there, an E2200.

[rej156]

Latest BIOS probably allows access to more recent CPUs. Official site doesn't say which ones but last BIOS update appears to address just that.

Case because you have a µATX motherboard, which means a lot of GFX cards aren't going to fit if the case if it is the same size.

Monitor because there's no point in getting a video card that's designed for higher resolutions than you will use.

RAM - probably just get another stick of what you have. Not worth buying 2 new sticks because they won't be what you want when you finally upgrade the mobo, and it won't make that much difference to speed to go to DDR667.

PSU - Corsair 450W.

GPU - I'd suggest ATI HD3850 or NVidia 9600GT. 9600 is a little better in games, 3850 for movies. Should be fine at your resolution.

CPU - Any 65nm C2D, maybe an E4600 or if the budget won't get there, an E2200.

Oh Okay I understand, sorry for my foolish behaviour =[
If I bought a 8800GT PNY off my friend for £80, you think that's okay?
About the case, I've decided how it's going to fit.
I'mma unscrew the metal part that is supposed to mount onto the case so it'll stick out the back of the case... I'll prolly screw it back on once it's outside the case so the VGA cable can actually screw onto the GFX card.

I just wanted 2 new sticks of ram so I could overclock them
If i can't get the 8800GT off my friend, you sure a 9600GT would be okay for 1368x768?

[Thorsson]

8800GT is a good card that would cost you £120ish normally, so if he's a real friend then sure. If you had more to spend I would have recommended it. It's certainly worth the extra if you can afford it. The 9600GT is fine up to 1284x1024, so it ought to be OK at 1368x768, but the 8800GT is around 20% faster.

Overclocking RAM does very little for C2Ds, in terms of overall speed, and µATX boards often don't OC very well. Anyway your board doesn't support RAM over 667.

[rej156]

8800GT is a good card that would cost you £120ish normally, so if he's a real friend then sure. If you had more to spend I would have recommended it. It's certainly worth the extra if you can afford it. The 9600GT is fine up to 1284x1024, so it ought to be OK at 1368x768, but the 8800GT is around 20% faster.

Overclocking RAM does very little for C2Ds, in terms of overall speed, and µATX boards often don't OC very well. Anyway your board doesn't support RAM over 667.

Damn I wish I didn't get this pc to upgrade in the first place.
I'm still confused about the overclocking thing though.
So basically even if you get a PC2-5300 ram which is supported max by your computer...
You can't overclock it further?
Sucks for value for money though.

[Eddd]

If i were you, i'd start a fresh build: (all products from Computer hardware and software at amazing prices, available online from Scan Computers UK)
LN17776 - Asus TM-210 Black/Silver MicroATX Case w/o PSU £24.57
LN21476 - 512MB Palit/XVision 8600GT, PCI-E (x16), GDDR2, 2xDual Link DVI-I/HDTV £42.88
LN11596 - 2GB (2x1GB) Corsair TwinX XMS2, DDR2 PC2-6400 (800), 240 Pins, Non-ECC Unbuffered, CAS 5-5-5-12 £28.95
LN21757 - Gigabyte GA-P35-S3G, iP35 Express, S 775, PCI-E (x16), DDR2 1066/667/800 MHz, SATA II, ATX £51.69
LN19492 - 450W Corsair VX Series PSU, ATX, PS/2, UK Version, 80 PLUS® certified £44.05
LN19277 - Intel Core 2 Duo E4500, Allendale Core, S775, 2.2 GHz, 800MHz FSB, 2MB Cache, Retail

It comes to £280 including postage and I haven't included monitor, hdd, operating system, keyboard, mouse and optical drive.

you don't need an 8800GT for a 17" monitor, 8600 is fine. (i've got a 17" monitor that can run off a GS 5400 - or something like that )

i've included a good motherboard that you can have lots of fun overclocking with

[rej156]

If i were you, i'd start a fresh build: (all products from Computer hardware and software at amazing prices, available online from Scan Computers UK)
LN17776 - Asus TM-210 Black/Silver MicroATX Case w/o PSU £24.57
LN21476 - 512MB Palit/XVision 8600GT, PCI-E (x16), GDDR2, 2xDual Link DVI-I/HDTV £42.88
LN11596 - 2GB (2x1GB) Corsair TwinX XMS2, DDR2 PC2-6400 (800), 240 Pins, Non-ECC Unbuffered, CAS 5-5-5-12 £28.95
LN21757 - Gigabyte GA-P35-S3G, iP35 Express, S 775, PCI-E (x16), DDR2 1066/667/800 MHz, SATA II, ATX £51.69
LN19492 - 450W Corsair VX Series PSU, ATX, PS/2, UK Version, 80 PLUS® certified £44.05
LN19277 - Intel Core 2 Duo E4500, Allendale Core, S775, 2.2 GHz, 800MHz FSB, 2MB Cache, Retail

It comes to £280 including postage and I haven't included monitor, hdd, operating system, keyboard, mouse and optical drive.

you don't need an 8800GT for a 17" monitor, 8600 is fine. (i've got a 17" monitor that can run off a GS 5400 - or something like that )

i've included a good motherboard that you can have lots of fun overclocking with

Haha, sadly I don't think I'm allowed to completely build a new rig =[
Thanks for the sugguestion though.
Thats a bargain for a motherboard, I might use it next time

Now I'm thinking of going to get a
80-8800 GT PNY
50-Samsung F1 500GB HDD OR Saitek Cyborg Mouse + LED blue Mat.
20-1 GB Ram.
45-450W Corsair PSU
50-Case, gonna buy from a retailer as I'm kinda scared.

Adds up to 250 Exactly. Well about.


Edit-140.45 All the stuff you've said, Powersupply+Ram+Case+GPU.
OKAY COMPLETE MAKEOVER

[Eddd]

If i were you, i'd save the money and use your current HDD, unless you're really short for space on it.it'll also save time with the copying of files, etc.

[Thorsson]

you don't need an 8800GT for a 17" monitor, 8600 is fine. (i've got a 17" monitor that can run off a GS 5400 - or something like that )

But he's going to a 40". And 8600s are seriously bad. It's why they released the 9600 so early.

[rej156]

If i were you, i'd save the money and use your current HDD, unless you're really short for space on it.it'll also save time with the copying of files, etc.

I'd do that, for sure I'm not that silly
BUT...I've never done that before for a new build.
No idea if I gotta format the whole thing before I transfer incase drivers are wrong for the mobo etc...
How would I go around doing that?
Oh and Yeah, would my Vista Home Premium O/S still be on it if I formatted?
Sorry for the little pesky silly questions xD

[Thorsson]

If you format you lose the OS. Vista is supposed to be pretty good at handling upgrades, but I don't have any experience myself.

[rej156]

If you format you lose the OS. Vista is supposed to be pretty good at handling upgrades, but I don't have any experience myself.

Damn meh.
Oh Yeah, I know my motherboard is totally crap but I'll just max it out the best I can.
I'd rather not lose an O/S anyway for the hassle.
I'll just buy the 8800GT off my friend.
Budget wise anyway since the cheapest 9600 = 81 pounds.

Okay so far...

450W Corsair VX Series PSU, ATX, PS/2, UK Version, 80 PLUS® certified -£44.05
Asus TM-210 Black/Silver MicroATX Case w/o PSU PSU- £24.57
1GB Corsair XMS2, DDR2 PC2-5400 (667), 240 Pin, Non-ECC Unbuffered, CAS 4-4-4-12 -£15.79
PNY 8800 GT -£80

£164.41

Err I'm not sure about the case though, should I get a better one?

[Thorsson]

Most would say yes, but really it depends. Benefits of a good case are:

Easier to build - if you are like many of us and upgrade or tinker quite often then you appreciate things like room, lack of sharp edges and other nice touches. A one-off build, never to be touched again, and this becomes fairly unimportant.

Good cooling - always good, and a must if you want to OC. It's not a question of the number of fans, but what fans, where they are and how the layout works.

Quiet - Funnily enough the best cooling fans (larger the better) are also the quietest, but there are other ways to help keep noise down. More and more people are saying no to noisy PCs.

Looks are always subjective.

[rej156]

Okay I got a new list, what do you guys think?
Sadly my friend won't sell me an 8800GT for 80 quid...

Anyways I'mma get:
CoolerMaster CM690-51
PNY 8800GT-115<I'm getting this for the future =D
450W Corsair PSU-44
Corsair Twinx 1GB ram-15
Arctic Cooler 7 Pro-15
Headphone>RCA audio cable-2 < Can't wait to use my hi-fi speakers

I might plan for liquid cooling to hefty overclock my next processor upgrade to e7200 for80 ( Same friend)
Seem alright?