500 dollars to spend...looking to upgrade

[ohgod123]

To make a long story short, I've had blue screen and fatal error problems return to my computer 4 weeks after changing my RAM and formatting to add Windows Vista. Everything was fine but I now really think it is a hardware problem, so I'm looking to replace these components. With 500 max to spend, what do you guys recommend for mobo + cpu + hd replacement?

 

[GlobalHPSJoe]

Well, you're pretty much looking to change the ram as well unless you stick with socket 939. (DDR versus DDR2) Also, do you have AGP or PCI-e for video?

If you stick 939, you're going to need a 4000+ to equal your performance (2.4ghz, 1 meg cache) as far as a single core chip. Obviously, you want dual core.

939, you're looking 4600+ or FX-60.

If you go AM2 or 775, you need to get new ram in addition to your other parts.

AM2 sweet spot will be 4600+ or 4800+. That same money gets you into an E6400 which gives you much more overclocking headroom, and also great standard clocked performance.

Ram, go with PC6400 DDR2. Don't worry too much on latencies.

Board, go Asus or Abit. Match it up to your video card, or what you want to run video card-wise. (SLI, Crossfire, Single Card... )

Hard drive, 250 or 320 gig, WD, 16 meg cache.

Originally posted by: ohgod123
To make a long story short, I've had blue screen and fatal error problems return to my computer 4 weeks after changing my RAM and formatting to add Windows Vista. Everything was fine but I now really think it is a hardware problem, so I'm looking to replace these components. With 500 max to spend, what do you guys recommend for mobo + cpu + hd replacement?

 

[Bill Brasky]

Are you planning to overclock?

 

[pkrush]

I think what you should actually be replacing are the RAM (Run Memtest86+ on it for a few hours first, to see if it finds any errors) and Windows Vista (since the drivers are still horribly unstable, especially nVidia's and Creative's, so it tends to crash more than XP for now).

 

[Philippine Mango]

Originally posted by: ohgod123
To make a long story short, I've had blue screen and fatal error problems return to my computer 4 weeks after changing my RAM and formatting to add Windows Vista. Everything was fine but I now really think it is a hardware problem, so I'm looking to replace these components. With 500 max to spend, what do you guys recommend for mobo + cpu + hd replacement?

Funny you're blaming everything but the powersupply and motherboard. What brand powersupply do you have anyways? What motherboard?


Order of things most important in a computer that are overlooked.

1. Power Supply
2. Motherboard
3. Ram
4. For data failure wise, the HDD (but for everything else this doesn't really count)

If you can find your original modules, put them in, if the system works with out a hitch, then there is a system incompatibility with the modules, I had this with the modules I purchased recently.

 

[GlobalHPSJoe]

Yes, the Powersupply is the least glamourus item to look at, however almost any random problem can stem from it. I had a personal machine that would come up with errors such as:

Memtest Errors
CPU Overclock Error on POST
Windows BSOD

Swapped out the PSU to an Enermax Noisetaker, system has ran flawlessly for the past 2 years.

Originally posted by: Philippine Mango

Originally posted by: ohgod123
To make a long story short, I've had blue screen and fatal error problems return to my computer 4 weeks after changing my RAM and formatting to add Windows Vista. Everything was fine but I now really think it is a hardware problem, so I'm looking to replace these components. With 500 max to spend, what do you guys recommend for mobo + cpu + hd replacement?

Funny you're blaming everything but the powersupply and motherboard. What brand powersupply do you have anyways? What motherboard?


Order of things most important in a computer that are overlooked.

1. Power Supply
2. Motherboard
3. Ram
4. For data failure wise, the HDD (but for everything else this doesn't really count)

If you can find your original modules, put them in, if the system works with out a hitch, then there is a system incompatibility with the modules, I had this with the modules I purchased recently.

 

[ohgod123]

well i actually did buy new ram...but i have a thermaltake 350 W power supply. I just don't understand how all my problems can go away for a month and then return in a very similar form.

 

[ohgod123]

okay i have tried reseating everything and i have moved the ram to different slots and then back. when i tried moving the ram to the two other modules, the comp would say the file is corrupted, so i had to move them back. i changed the timing on the ram and it was all to no avail - i now freeze constantly. i'm not sure where to go from here, but could anyone recommend a comp repair shop in the pasadena area?

 

[jkresh]

first thing to do would be download a copy of memtest and try running that (it can boot off of a flopy or cd), if that fails then its either your ram or your powersupply (possibly the cpu since the memory controller is onboard but unlikely). You said you were getting bluescreens in vista, were you able to write teh code down (or take a picture) as it might help with diagnosing the problem. I dont know any repair shops in pasadena but if you have no other options then bestbuy/circuitcity/compusa are passable, they will overcharge and generaly they dont have the best people working there but if its a hardware issue they should be able to figure it out (hardware is easy to test if you have spare parts, not so easy if you dont).