Help Me Fill in the blanks for my Upgrade

[exorr]

OK, I've edited this thread to be a little more specific since I've decided on a few pieces of the puzzle. Below is what my current upgrade looks like:

Case
Cooler Master Stacker (Black) - $159
Cooler Master Cross Flow Fan - $28

Hard Drives
Western Digital 72GB Raptor 10,000 RPM - $153 (with $25 MIR from Newegg)
Western Digital Caviar 80.0 GB 7200 RPM - No Cost, Keeping from current PC

DVD-ROM
Lite-On 8x DVDRW - No Cost, Keeping from current PC
Toshiba 16x/48x DVD - No Cost, Keeping from current PC

Graphics Card
Gainward Ti4200 128MB DDR Geforce 4 ? No Cost, Keeping from current PC

Sound Card
Turtle Beach Santa Cruz - No Cost, Keeping from current PC

Speakers
Cambridge Soundworks DTT2500 Digital ? No Cost, Keeping from current PC

Random Components (Rounded Cables, Lights, Extra Fans) ? Approximately $50

Total Upgrade Cost: $390 (so far, budjet is approximately $750-800)

So yes, I upgraded my total cost of the upgrade to include a new case (because I fell in love with the Cooler Master Stacker and need a better PS for this upgrade).

I need help picking out a Mobo/Processor/RAM Combo and a new PS to support all this. I'm hoping for something around $400 for these 4 components. I don't need the latest and greatest just something that will be high quality and last me another year or 2.

Thanks!
Ethan

 

[imported_Phil]

If you go PCI-Express, then you'll have to change your graphics card anyway.
Just a thought

 

[coejus]

If you don't mind spending the money, I'd definitely go with a Raptor. No matter what your system is used for, the hard drive is almost certainly going to be the biggest bottleneck. Having a fast one is going to increase your system's responsiveness all around. Personally, if I chose to go with a Raptor, I'd get the 36 GB model for my OS and programs and use my current 120 GB hard disk for storage.

Other than that, what are you going to be doing with this system and how often do you upgrade? If you don't upgrade all that often (which appears to be true judging by the system you're replacing), you may not want to bother with the extra cost of PCIe. Right now, there's a fair premium on PCIe boards as compared to a good AGP-based board. If you're not going to upgrade your GPU anytime soon, it might just be a good idea to wait until you replace the system you have to go PCIe- there are quite a few outstanding AGP cards as it is, and it's not disappearing overnight. However, if you don't think your card is going to last you and you'll want to replace it regularly, PCIe is definitely going to be worth looking at.

The only definite recommendation I can make without knowing a little more is to go with a full 1024 MB of RAM, preferably running in dual channel. It's the sweet spot right now for a new system, and probably the minimum you'll want to consider for an upgrade (although the benefits of more than a gig of memory, unless you're doing something specialized, aren't really worth the cost).

 

[Porter21]

Yes, raptors are pretty amazing. Yet, I have never used one, I am going to purchase one in the near future hopefully. One shortcoming of the pci-express right now is the lack of other hardware for it. But pci-express should be the wave of the future.

 

[rickyman]

i have amd 2400+, a7n8x deluxe motherboard v1.4 and a 1 gig ram.

what do i need to make this pc faster?

 

[SaberDicer]

Id recomend getting a 3200+ and a reasonably priced 939 motherboard, you could probably do this for around 300, your ram is fine, then a hard drive if you need extra space ( A raptor since you have the cash, they increase load times fairly substantially. ) or anything else you'd want since your happy with your graphics card.

 

[coejus]

I think it'd be better to move up to PC3200 memory in dual channel if he's going to go with a socket 939 system. If he's gaming, that extra room is going to make things much easier.

 

[KoolDrew]

I woudln't really waste money on a Raptor. Get a 3200+ and MSI K8n neo2 platinum though. Also get some new PC3200 RAM. Probally Corsair Value Select. You can get 1Gb if you need it.

 

[rickyman]

i think i will get a 3200+ cpu and pc3200+ ram for 1 gig

i have 2400+ and 1 gig ram that is about 2400

if i am buying motherboard, cpu and 1 gig of 3200 i think it costs about 500 .

 

[exorr]

Thanks for the help guys. Coejus, I like your idea on just getting a 36GB Raptor and keeping my others for storage, but with the cost difference at NewEgg of only $45 between the 36 and 72 I think cost wise it's a good bet to go with the 72. Currently there's a $25 mail-in rebate on the 72GB raptor drive from Newegg.

I don't upgrade all that often (once every couple years) and I'm an addict on World of Warcraft now and am happy with my graphic card performance in the game. The only issue is loading when entering new areas and from what I've read a raptor will help with that problem better than a graphics card upgrade.

Also, I planned on buying a new HD anyway because my secondary storage drive is dying so I may as well spend an extra $50-$100 on the nice one.

What do you all think of Kooldrew's suggestiong for a processor and mobo combo of "3200+ and MSI K8n neo2 platinum"?

I've used ePox boards in each of my last 2 builds and have loves them, I'll be honest, I'm a little pulled to buy another because of my good experience

 

[exorr]

Bumping.

One other question while I'm at it. If I purchase a Raptor drive do I need any sort of special Mobo or IDE cables to support it and get the best speed possible from it?

 

[exorr]

Bump for help.

Thanks

 

[exorr]

Updated topic with more details.

 

[Gothgar]

28 dollars for a fan?

get a panaflo for 8 bucks, kthxbye

in fact, do you have something for that case? or just looking for a big case, casue you can find others for much cheaper, and spend your budget on a new video card, because it is what is on the inside taht counts

 

[exorr]

It's a special cross-flow fan that goes right next to the Mobo specifically built for the Cooler Master cases. Here's a link to what it looks like:

Link

Here's a link to where it mounts next to the mobo:

Link

 

[exorr]

To answer your other question. I'm not necissarily looking for a big case, but I love the upgradeability to it (the Mobo tray converts to BTX so when I upgrade to that 1 or 2 years from now I won't have to purchase a new case). The cooling on it is very good. Do you have any suggesstions for a less expensive case that is aluminum and has good cooling? I'm open to changing that...

 

[imported_Phil]

I haven't had good experiences with MSI myself. I know others will say otherwise, but I just don't trust them after I had a lot of problems with a lot of different MSI boards at my last job.

 

[exorr]

I've never used MSI. I like ePox personally. Got any recommendations on a non MSI board?

 

[exorr]

Anyone? I'll start reading other threads to put something together...

 

[w00t]

get better video card