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FX-51 Upgrade

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DemiAjax

Member
Howdy all,
I'm currently using an Alienware (yes, yes, flame away) rig that's a few years old. FX-51, 420 PS, ASUS SK8N NFORCE3 PRO 940, 120 gig SCSI HD, 1 gig ram, Nvidia 5950, Audigy 2 zs, Logitch z-5500, 19 inch viewsonic CRT.

Since I bought the last CPU that's compatible with 940 instead of 939, I'm still limited to AGP GPUs and I can't really upgrade my CPU.

I've got around 2500 dollars worth of American Express points that I can use at Tiger Direct (yeah.. i'd rather use them at newegg as well..). I'm also planning on trying my hand at building my next computer. I don't see any reason to really upgrade the sound card, so i'll keep that, probably try to sell the CRT for 150-200 bucks.

Right now i'm waiting until AM2 (so i'm not stuck in this un-upgradable situation again) and possibly Conroe come out until I start going for the full upgrade.

In the mean time, is it worth upgrading my GFX card and getting another gig of ram?

Any suggestions on what I should do with the parts I have now when I start building my new computer?
Alienware case, keep it or buy a new one?
Is my ram still good/usable?

Specs for current power supply, i'm assuming it'd be good to get at least 500 W for the next comp.
Alienware 420-Watt power supply

Input:
? 115 V at 10 Amps
? 230 V at 5 Amps

Outputs:
? +5 V at 40 Amps
? +3.3 at 30 Amps (+5 V and +3.3 V combined should not exceed 220 W)
? +12V at 18 Amps (should not exceed 216 W)
? -5 V at 0.3 Amps (15 watts)
? -12 V at 0.8 Amps (6.9 watts)
? +5 VSB at 2.0 Amps (10 watts)

Thanks so much.

 
Just upgrade the GPU to something like a 7800GS (they come in AGP) and the ram to 2GB. There's no reason to get a whole new system. I would use that money for a new display.
 
fx51 is still a great cpu in todays standards and by no means even close to being slow. The gpu on the other hand 😛.... just get a 7800gs and ur comp will last a year more at least. I would not jump on conroe or am2 straight away, as the first platforms will prolly be buggy. Another gig of ram would prolly help also, as games like Call of duty 2 use up a gig by them selves.
 
The only single CPU 940 Mobo with PCI-Express is the Foxconn NFPIK8AA , and I can't find any place to buy it.

So as it stands, i'm definitely going to get another gig of PC3200 ECC ram.
Are there any benchmarks comparing the various high end AGP cards?

The first reply mentioned a display upgrade, any recommendations specifically?
 
this 2nd one is iwill but it has 2 16x PCI e slots, and it's just open box
hell there's your answer 🙂
 
Gagan, thanks for the help but those last two Mobos only socket dual opterons. I'd like to stick with my fx-51, so i can't really use those boards. Basically the Foxconn is the only 940 that accepts one processor.
 
Why would he bother to upgrade the display? 1600x1200 or 1280x1024 are fine for that computer. Since he didn't state he need more space or a bigger screen upgrading doesn't make much sense to me...
 
Originally posted by: bum
Why would he bother to upgrade the display? 1600x1200 or 1280x1024 are fine for that computer. Since he didn't state he need more space or a bigger screen upgrading doesn't make much sense to me...
Click to expand...

yeah and you're only going to get like $100 off of it at the most.
 
Originally posted by: bum
Why would he bother to upgrade the display? 1600x1200 or 1280x1024 are fine for that computer. Since he didn't state he need more space or a bigger screen upgrading doesn't make much sense to me...
Click to expand...

Because a 19" CRT is like gaming at 17". Well, maybe i'm spoiled, but the bigger the screen the better imo. And he's obviously got the cash. You spend thousands and thousands on a computer system, all to make the visuals as best as you can get, but you skimp on the monitor? I never understood that. And the monitor will easily outlive any other purchase.
 
Gagan, you're really awesome for looking, but it says on that page " PLEASE NOTE: We Currently Only Ship To Canadian Addresses."
So yeah.. no good. I think i'm just going to get the 7800 GS + 1 gig of PC3200 Ram and then wait around until Christmas to see how conroe and AM2 are doing. I'll also consider getting a 19-21 inch flat screen. Anyone have any monitor recommendations?
 
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