Hello, I'm currently planning on upgrading my current prebuilt Dell XPS 400. I'm planning to upgrade the processor. I'm currenly on a 3.2 GHz P4. Unfortunately, this would also require a new motherboard, case, and a power supply to go with it. I mostly use my computer for MMOs and plan on playing Warhammer Online. Budget is about ~$400-450. So here are my choices:
Processor
E8400 vs. Q6600
One of the toss ups. I can get either of these for the same price ($150 US). I mostly game on my PC and have heard the e8400 would do better in games. However, part of me just feels the more cores the better. I also imagine the quad would help general performance as well so I'm leaning towards the q6600 at the moment.
I will be using a Xigmatek HDT-1283 with this.
Motherboard
Gigabyte GA-EP35-DS3L
I like the price tag on this and don't really need all the bells and whistles of other motherboards. I do plan on overclocking a bit, nothing too special, maybe about 25-30% overclocks.
Case
Antec 300.
I've worked with the Antec Sonata III and it did not seem too small to handle so I don't mind the smaller dimensions. I've also heard pretty good things about the cooling in this case.
Power Supply
Corsair 550VX vs. Corsair 750TX
Another toss up. I originally planned on getting the 550VX but the 750TX caught my eye when comparing prices. For only $20 more on Newegg I could have an extra 200 watts and a beefier 12v rail. My system isn't exactly gonna be power hungry so the 550 would be adequate I think. However, I feel the $20 would be worth it for the "future proofing." I also eventually plan to upgrade my 8800 GS to somewhere in the 4870/GTX280 range.
Here are my current system specs for reference
Dell Dimension 9150/XPS 400
Intel P4 3.2 GHz HT
2 GB DDR2-800 Crucial Ballistix
eVGA Geforce 8800 GS 384 MB
Windows XP
Processor
E8400 vs. Q6600
One of the toss ups. I can get either of these for the same price ($150 US). I mostly game on my PC and have heard the e8400 would do better in games. However, part of me just feels the more cores the better. I also imagine the quad would help general performance as well so I'm leaning towards the q6600 at the moment.
I will be using a Xigmatek HDT-1283 with this.
Motherboard
Gigabyte GA-EP35-DS3L
I like the price tag on this and don't really need all the bells and whistles of other motherboards. I do plan on overclocking a bit, nothing too special, maybe about 25-30% overclocks.
Case
Antec 300.
I've worked with the Antec Sonata III and it did not seem too small to handle so I don't mind the smaller dimensions. I've also heard pretty good things about the cooling in this case.
Power Supply
Corsair 550VX vs. Corsair 750TX
Another toss up. I originally planned on getting the 550VX but the 750TX caught my eye when comparing prices. For only $20 more on Newegg I could have an extra 200 watts and a beefier 12v rail. My system isn't exactly gonna be power hungry so the 550 would be adequate I think. However, I feel the $20 would be worth it for the "future proofing." I also eventually plan to upgrade my 8800 GS to somewhere in the 4870/GTX280 range.
Here are my current system specs for reference
Dell Dimension 9150/XPS 400
Intel P4 3.2 GHz HT
2 GB DDR2-800 Crucial Ballistix
eVGA Geforce 8800 GS 384 MB
Windows XP
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