CPU died, and considering upgrading

[Cquest]

So my CPU died and I belive it is time to upgrade my GPU, CPU, and motherboard. I would appreciate it if you guys could help me out with some suggestions because i'm not to proficient with computer hardware.

These are what i'm looking at getting replaced.
AMD Athlon 2500+
Geforce4 FX 5700
An old Gigabyte motherboard with AGP 8x
I recently bought a nice power supply and a 300gig seagate hdd so there is no need to upgrade those.

Now I have a budget of $500 and would not want to go over that if at all possible.
I'm considering getting...
ASUS M2V Socket AM2 VIA K8T890 ATX AMD Motherboard
Geforce 7900GT 256MB 256-bit GDDR3 PCI Express x16 Video Card
AMD Athlon 64 3800+ Orleans 2000MHz HT 512KB L2 Cache Socket AM2 Processor

Any input would be appreciate.

 

[AssistantPimp]

PSU? Do you have an old one or...?!

 

[Tarrant64]

It's stated in his OP that he has a newer PSU.

Now, onto the upgrades. You must look out to make sure your current memory will be supported on that mother. Which I don't believe it is. This new ASUS AM2 motherboard only supports DDR2 memory, which means you will have to either increase your budget to allow for upgraded memory or make a step to adjust what you want to fit.

Are you an intensive gamer? The motherboard and processor are a good choice, but maybe the GPU is a little too much.

 

[Ika]

The GPU is a good choice if you have a nice system and are a pretty regular gamer, but! considering your budget and your memory problem, you should probably downgrade (7600GT is a great choice.) I guess it sort of depends on what kind of monitor you have, though.

 

[imported_Imp]

Like those above said, it depends on what you're using it for. If you've been running a 5700FX, I doubt you'll need a 7900gt although it has come down in price considerably. If you go for a budget-ish upgrade, the break down is about:

$175 or a bit less - 7600gt (maybe a 1800GTO for sale?)
$125 -ish for AMD 3500+ maybe
$100 for 1 Gb DDR2 Ram
$100 motherboard

Numbers are off the top of my head with some half-assed Canadian to American currency conversion, so you can probably them for less. The above should be a pretty good sketch of what you can get, but if it's good enough for you, go for it. ~I actually have roughly the above except a 3200+, but it can run most things at 1024x768 on high. Good enough for me after 3 years with an obsolete POS...

 

[araczynski]

if you're a gamer i would not skimp on the graphics card, leave it at a 7900gt and perhaps drop the cpu a very small notch (if it saves at least 50 bucks)

you'll notice a MUCH bigger difference in gaming if you drop the graphics card then if you drop the cpu (a little bit).

if you're not planning on overclocking, go for the cheapest mobo you can find that has the features you need.

otherwise i would wait a little longer and just save up more money.

there's nothing worse then upgrading all those components and realizing that gaming is still sluggish.

 

[Tarrant64]

Originally posted by: Imp
Like those above said, it depends on what you're using it for. If you've been running a 5700FX, I doubt you'll need a 7900gt although it has come down in price considerably. If you go for a budget-ish upgrade, the break down is about:

$175 or a bit less - 7600gt (maybe a 1800GTO for sale?)
$125 -ish for AMD 3500+ maybe
$100 for 1 Gb DDR2 Ram
$100 motherboard

Numbers are off the top of my head with some half-assed Canadian to American currency conversion, so you can probably them for less. The above should be a pretty good sketch of what you can get, but if it's good enough for you, go for it. ~I actually have roughly the above except a 3200+, but it can run most things at 1024x768 on high. Good enough for me after 3 years with an obsolete POS...

I like this setup. he could even take it down to the 3200+ and go up just a little on the GPU....

not bad.

 

[Cquest]

I am a gamer and would wish to be able to play on the highest settings if I could. It tore my heart out when I saw F.E.A.R being played on my friends computer on high and I had to drop the setting down to medium/low.

That being said I really would prefer to get the 7900gt. Would I notice a huge difference if I drop down to the 7600gt?

Now the mobo seems to be a problem now. I only have a gig of DDR ram and that is not supported by it. Is there a mobo out there that is socket 939, PCI-ex, and supports DDR ram? If so could you give me a name on it.

I guess it sort of depends on what kind of monitor you have, though.
I have a Realsync 17 inch. That's all I know about it.

 

[orangat]

How did you cpu die? Did you overvolt and overclock it?

 

[imported_Imp]

Originally posted by: Cquest
I am a gamer and would wish to be able to play on the highest settings if I could. It tore my heart out when I saw F.E.A.R being played on my friends computer on high and I had to drop the setting down to medium/low.

That being said I really would prefer to get the 7900gt. Would I notice a huge difference if I drop down to the 7600gt?

Now the mobo seems to be a problem now. I only have a gig of DDR ram and that is not supported by it. Is there a mobo out there that is socket 939, PCI-ex, and supports DDR ram? If so could you give me a name on it.

I guess it sort of depends on what kind of monitor you have, though.
I have a Realsync 17 inch. That's all I know about it.

Not a bad idea since the 7900gt isn't THAT much more than a 7600gt, and the difference is pretty big. I guess if you stick with socket 939, you can save $100-ish, but you "won't" really be able to upgrade since nothing new will be coming out for it. Then again, maybe you can score an FX-60 in a year or two for nothing😛. Truth is, you CAN go AM2, but when you really do upgrade, you'll likely get a new mobo anyways. Also, pretty much most S939 boards support PCI-E and DDR. A lot to choose from, just check out newegg.