Upgrading computer wat u think

[ragolis]

I got 400 quid to spend wat u think

These are the parts I have right now i want to upgrade:

mobo: am39l VIA
Chipset: Via km400
Processor: amd athlon xp 1.92
Physical memory: 256mb ddr-sdram (adding a 1gb stick)
Videocard: KM400 Integrated( upgrading)
hard disk: 78gb (not upgrading)
DVD rom drive: combo
Monitor: samtron (upgrading to flat screen)
Windows xp
250 watt power supple (dnt know wat brand written in chinese )

When I upgrade
same mobo
same chipset
same processor
1gb plus 256mb
Saphirre 512mb x1600 90 quid
same hard disk
same dvd
Samsung SM920N 19in TFT Monitor 200 quid
420W Tagan Whisper aPFC UltraQuiet 21db 12v EPS/SATA/XEON 3 Years Warranty ATX/BTX 55 quid

What u think all together to upgrade it cost me around 370 quid, any other options

[Jay]

CPU is really poor

the x1600 is not a very strong card, i doubt it would require the 512mb, 256mb would be enough.

Don't foeget that TFT screens really need to be run in their native resolution. I think your screen will be 1280 x 1024. Although not a very high resolution it will be too high to play games on at a decent level of performace due to the weak CPU.

[Steve B]

here you go matey,

That gives you a new motherboard and processor too
It'll still play most games at reasonable frame rates (without the high quality settings turned on obviously)

[ragolis]

thanks very much but 2ghz that far away from 1.9 ghz, not being unappreciative.

[ragolis]

Does anyone know where I can buy a new processor for a socket a type mobo

[Steve B]

that processor performs more calculations "per hertz" than yours (9 instead of 6 if im right) therefore, hertz for hertz, the chip actually comes in at about 3.2 gigahertz

it also operates on a faster memory bus, meaning that the processor can communicate with the memory quicker, and increasing performance

[kidzer]

thanks very much but 2ghz that far away from 1.9 ghz, not being unappreciative.

True, but is your CPU a 1.9Ghz Athlon XP, or an XP1900 - which run at around 1.5Ghz?



Edit: and what Steve B said - i tried to say that, but I couldn't word it well!

[chrisg22]

Sorry to tell you mate but Socket A is dead. Has been for abit now. The machine Steve B specced up would probably a hell of a lot better than the thing you have at the moment.

[Steve B]

that specification also gives you a PCI-E graphics card, making it much more upgradeable in the future. instead of spending your 400 to get better performance from your current system, you should spend 400 on upgrading to the next "performance tier" to allow you with a) greater performance (perhaps more so than before) and b) a wider upgrade path, when the time comes to upgrade again.

[directhex]

Does anyone know where I can buy a new processor for a socket a type mobo

they don't exist, and the old stock you can buy is essentially overpriced & underperforming

thanks very much but 2ghz that far away from 1.9 ghz, not being unappreciative.

clock speed is irrelevant. the fastest x86 on the market today are less than 3GHz, and eclipse a 3.6GHz chip from only a short while back. a 3200+ Athlon64 is considerably faster than a 2400+ AthlonXP

[ragolis]

Oh should I just buy a new computer since I can't even upgrade the processor.

[chrisg22]

here you go matey,

That gives you a new motherboard and processor too
It'll still play most games at reasonable frame rates (without the high quality settings turned on obviously)

All you need... or maybe someone would be nice enough to spec up a cheap AM2 system?

[directhex]

Oh should I just buy a new computer since I can't even upgrade the processor.

that's sorta what Steve B did for you.

to get a new CPU, you're gonna need a new motherboard.

if you get a new motherboard, you can either buy totally obsolete (AGP and DDR1), obsolete (PCIe and DDR1) or completely up to date (PCIe and DDR2).

those three options require you to also buy nothing, a new graphics card, or a new graphics card & RAM respectively. Steve B has suggested the middle road.

he's also suggested a smaller monitor, which I think is smart - 17" and 19" monitors have the same resolution, so the 19"'s image is bigger, but more stretched out. you need to go to 20" (starting at about £400) for a higher resolution. resolution is more important than physical size, so opting for 17" over 19" makes sense if it saves a few quid. additionally, your samsung suggestion uses an analog connection, whereas Steve B's Neovo is digital. on a flat screen, you REALLY want a digital connection

[Steve B]

slightly cheaper, and yet more upgrade options in the future...


i took a look at your current motherboard, and its of the uATX form factor (or micro-ATX as other people call it)
with the revised specification, as suggested by directhex and chrisg22, it not only saves you a couple of pounds, but also keeps the uTX form factor, so it will still fit in your case

[ragolis]

So if i buy that will i still be able to use the cooling fans I have right now or should I just do a complete overhaul and spend a little bit more

[Steve B]

the processor used in that last specification is a "retail" version. As opposed to an "OEM" version, which doesn't come with a heatsink fan, the retail versions do (as well as 2 more years on warranty just in case) so you wont need to purchase a heatsink or fan, as the one you get with it is quite good

the graphics card already has a fan fitted, therefore one will not need to be installed. Any case fans that you have will plug in as normal, standard motherboards come with the connections on them, so if you are connecting them to the motherboard for power, instead of the powersupply directly, this option is available.

in terms of a complete overhaul, your skipping out 2 complete generations of pc technology and skipping to the latest generation, so i think thats overhaul enough
any components not strictly necessary for the build, e.g. hard drives, dvd-burners, case, keyboard, mouse etc. can be upgraded at a later date, as these all use standard interfaces, unlikely to change within the next couple of years.

A point to note, the current generation of hard drives, and the emerging generation of disc drives (DVD-RW is now the standard) are using the SATAII specification. Instead of using a flat, grey "ribbon" cable, they use a small usually red (although exotic colours like yellow and green are now being used)

Your hard drive and CD-Rom drive will still be completely compatible with your system, you'll just need to connect them all on the one ribbon cable.
Any other problems, just gie'us a shout