My system is a mess. What do I need to upgrade?

[PoPPeR]

I just bought a 9800pro (got it for really cheap from BB, otherwise I would've used an online vendor of course. It replaced my 9100 64mb), and I'm aware that numerous parts of my current system probably need to be upgraded. I'm currently running a locked 2000XP+ at 1.81ghz (12.5x144fsb), which is as far as I can get it right now... pitiful huh. I asked a friend and he said it was probably the generic ram that I bought from Fry's... it's 512mb PC2100 Cas2.5 generic ram. My mobo is a Epox 8RDA+.

Current temp's are 29case, 41cpu. What CPU/Ram would you recommend I buy? If I upgrade those, will my 400w CompUSA (i was desperate) power supply hold up? I'm using an SK-6/80mm fan on my CPU right now, would I need to upgrade that as well? I have a very old case, and I've read that 9800pro's generate a lot of heat. Should I buy some extra case fans to help things?

My computer's an absolute mess right now, a combination of 3 year old parts mixed with some 1.5 year old parts and 2 month old parts. I probably left out some information, but I'm in such a mess I don't really know what I need to do. I have a lot of gift cards to BestBuy, so I'd prefer if some parts (like ram or simple cooling) could be bought from there.

 

[DAPUNISHER]

Sell your current CPU&ram, buy a 2500+ and high quality 3200DDR like Corsair XMS, HyperX, or OCZ, and an AeroFlow*good price/performance/noise ratio, and less than $26 shipped fedex saver from computergate.com which isn't much to spen outside of BB * to cool it. If the Epox isn't a later revision that'll do 400DDR FSB reliably without the SMD grabbers then sell it too, and get a NF7-S, then shoot for 400DDR synch mode and you'll have a full featured board running Barton 3200+ speeds with substantially more bandwidth then what you have now. If the case supports more fans and the temp is a little toasty in there, by all means add a fan or 2 more, but get some advice in the cooling forum on the best layout for your particular case design. I don't know anything about that PSU but try keeping it, and if it won't handle the load you can sell it and upgrade at that point.

 

[badaphooko]

ya dude i agree with DAPUNISHER for the money go with a xp2500 its a good overclocker and as far as your ram, i have a 512 corsiar xms 3200 series and its been a good combination with my mb and cpu .i run this 2500 at 3200 speeds on stock voltage and you could probbly even use the stock heatsink it comes with. if you want a new motherboard as well. i have Biostar M7NCD pro. it also is a great overclocker. nobody ever talks about biostar in these forums they usally talk about asus. epox, msi.abit .. and they usually have problems with them .. my rig has been runnig stable for 2 months now wit no problems. for those three items your looking at around $266 wit free second day shipping from zipzoomfly.com..


PS where did you get your 9800pro from and how much was it?

 

[PoPPeR]

I got my 9800pro from BestBuy. I got them to match CompUSA's 10% off coupon, which brought the price down to 266 + tax, because the guy couldn't do 299 - 10% in his head. I bought around $600 in gift cards from various people for a good % off, so in my eyes I paid a lot less then $266 for the 9800pro.

I can probably sell my processor and ram to a friend for a decent amount. Is there a huge difference between the HyperX 3000 and 3200? I can get 2 256sticks of the HyperX 3000 and run them in dual channel from BB, but they don't sell the 3200's. My Epox is a rev 1.1 which is the earlier version, but I don't have enough money to buy another board right now, so I guess I'll have to sacrifice some speed there. Anything even remotely close to what some people have been able to do with 1.1 revisions is fine with me.

Would the stock HS/Fan on a retail 2500 barton be better then the SK-6 and Palamo fan that I have right now? I could probably manage buying 3200 ram, the 2500+ and the aeroflow, but I'm afraid my power supply wouldn't be able to handle it, and then I'd have to spend another 40-50 to get one of those.

 

[PoPPeR]

Is there a better, even if it's louder, heatsink/fan for around $20-30 then the aeroflow? Noise doesn't bother me at all, I can deal with louder noise for better cooling.

 

[dnuggett]

Originally posted by: PoPPeR
Is there a better, even if it's louder, heatsink/fan for around $20-30 then the aeroflow? Noise doesn't bother me at all, I can deal with louder noise for better cooling.

If you can handle the noise (and I mean it is loud) the Volcano 11 or 12 is a good choice, although the 11 I am using on an oc'd 2500 was a tough one to install due to the shorter pass through arm. I'm not sure if mine had a defect or if that's normal.

 

[PoPPeR]

What's the difference between this Corsair XMS, this corsair XMS, and this Kingston HyperX?

 

[badaphooko]

the diffrence is the ultra low latency .. which if u had the money would be the best choice .. bu you wouldnt really see the diffrence... they say buffalo ram is just as good as these corsiars and kingstons .. so if u wanna save a buck go with that.

 

[badaphooko]

why dont you buy you ram and chip at bestbuy.com it looks like you cant get a 2500 but you can get a 2400 or a 2600 and they have kingston hyperx 3200 ram and save up for a new mother board .. your set dude !!!

 

[PoPPeR]

I went ahead and ordered a retail 2500+ barton and 2x256 kingston HyperX 3200 ram. Total came out to $230. Hopefully my BB gift cards sell so I can pay back my sister for using her credit card Hopefully my power supply is sufficient to power all this along with my new 9800pro. Hopefully my cooling is decent enough as well =/