Need an Upgrade

[Stg-Flame]

First off, since I am new to these Forums, I was wondering if this is the right place to post this.

Secondly, my specs are posted below and am planning on building my next DX10 rig in four months. Even though it will be a while before I fully upgrade, I like to get an idea of what I will be buying or what will be available to me.

I would much rather post for an entire build, but for now, I wouldn't be able to give an accurate budget.

Any help is appreciated.

 

[myocardia]

It's hard to give recommendations for a build with not much of a budget, and not knowing what you'll be doing with the system, along with which pieces of your old system you plan on using with the new system, if any.

 

[Cheex]

Core 2 Duo is a must have.
Budget wise...get a Gigabyte GA-965P-DS3.
Get some decent DDR2-800 memory (at least 1GB).
In four months time, we can help you choose the RIGHT video card for you.

 

[Stg-Flame]

Well, I plan on building an entire new gaming rig and leaving this one for family who will be unable to play games like Oblivion and Titan Quest on our old POS Stock HP. The case is too small for water cooling and pretty much everything inside needs to be upgraded. If I was going to upgrade this rig, I would be building an entire new computer anyways. As for the budget, I am willing to spend up to $500 for my processors and maybe just a little over if required. (I remember seeing a $535 Dual Core at Newegg)

Now, when it comes to building it, I can build it fine on my own. Picking out the parts... that is another story. My friend that helped pick out the parts for this computer is now at college and unable to help me. Processors, Mobos, RAM, and PSUs I will need help with. Cases, water cooling, GPUs, and misc items I can deal with on my own.

I have been searching some tech websites trying to get a better understanding of what everything means on computer hardware. If you go to Newegg and look at the processors, every spec that is listed is what I am talking about. I don't exactly know what makes one 2.6 GHz processor twice as expensive as a 3.4 GHz, but I would really like to know.

So, if anyone can supply me with a link, or just give a brief description of the main things to look for when buying a processor, mobo, RAM, and a PSU, it would help immensly.

 

[PCTC2]

well, the 2.6GHz processor is probably the E6700, a dual-core C2D. The 3.4GHz is an older Pentium 4(EE i think). The C2Ds are a lot better and are a must. They are a lot newer and thus more expensive than the older P4s. But you might as well wait until April 22nd for the Intel price drops, so you can get the E6600 for $225. I would recommend the E6600 over the E6700 for reasons that with OCing, the E6600 is just as good, with just a lower multiplier (9x vs 10x) but that doesn't really matter.
I would recommend a 965G Intel Chipset Motherboard with the E6600 after April 22 (just wait a month).

 

[betasub]

Anandtech Buyer's Guides

 

[Stg-Flame]

Much thanks. If I can upgrade in April, even better. I can make it a birthday present for myself.

Since I have yet to pick out my own parts and do not know if they will be compatable, I shall need some help with that. I have been comprising general list of computer parts which I will be narrowing down as I get the information. So far, this is what I have.

Also, before I post what I have, could someone tell me if I should post a build topic in the General Hardware or the Technical Support Topic.

Case - Decided upon later

CPU - E6600 C2D / look into others as well

GPU - SLi eVGA GeForce 8800 GT(X/S) Depending on price

PSU - Need more Information on

RAM - Need more Information on

Mobo - 965G Intel Chipset / look into others as well

HDD - 200GB for Storage + 10,000 RPM Seagate | Have yet to look into these

If there is anything I am missing or if anyone wants to add their input on it, please feel free. I plan on spending at least $1,000 - $1,500 excluding Monitor, Keyboard, Mouse, and Speakers.