Need some input regarding upgrading my computer

[IBJanky]

This is my main desktop at home which I've had about 2 years now:

Intel Core 2 Duo E6300 (stock fan/heatsink, running at a stock speed of 1.86GHz)
Gigabyte GA-965P-DS3 motherboard
2GB DDR2 memory
150GB WD Velociraptor hard drive
Windows Vista Ultimate 32-bit

I use it mostly for internet, email, MS Office, music, and decoding movies. I don't play games on the computer usually. I'm not a hard core overclocker, but I am open to the idea of some light overclocking.

I want to do is get a new hard drive, with more storage. While I'm at it, I also want to do a clean install of Windows 7 64-bit. I also am thinking of more memory. I'll keep the cpu/mobo, it does its job fine with the stuff I do now.

So this is the stuff I want to purchase soon, and want some input:

Windows 7 64-bit - should I get Home Premium, Professional, or Ultimate?

4GB memory - should I get DDR2 or DD3? Will DDR3 even work with what I have now? I'm assuming it's backwards compatible with DDR2 systems? I'm just thinking ahead of time so just in case I do upgrade to a newer processor in the future, then I can still at least use this memory.

Bigger hard drive - they have a good sale at Fry's. Either a 500GB Seagate for $50, or a 1TB Hitachi for $70. Both are SATA interface and 7200rpm drives.

Any input/suggestions are appreciated.

Thanks in advance.

 

[CTA4LC4PON3]

your board supports

Memory
Number of Memory Slots 4×240pin
Memory Standard DDR2 800
Maximum Memory Supported 8GB
Channel Supported Dual Channel

and you will need to upgrade to 4gb of memory for 64bit windows

 

[ChaiBabbaChai]

stay away from Seagate. There are too many other better options. I prefer WD or Hitachi. Samsung's newest drive might be good, but the jury is still out on that one. All anyone ever talks about is sequential reads which is an unrealistic gauge.

DDR3 isn't backward compatible.

If you connect to your work network then you should get Professional, otherwise you only need Home Premium.

 

[IBJanky]

So I need to get 2GB more, but it can only be DDR2?

I might just get the 1TB Hitachi, since it's only $20 more, compared to the 500GB Seagate.

And, I don't connect to a work network. I do have a wireless network/router set up at home, but Win7 Home should still allow me to share/transfer files wirelessly between computers, right?

 

[Ayah]

Yes. If you want to get 2GB more memory, it must be DDR2.

 

[ChaiBabbaChai]

Newegg has the 1TB Hitachi 7K1000.B RETAIL boxed for $70 FREE SHIP right now. Newegg normally is not good to buy HDDs from because of their terrible packaging, but these are retail so it's all good.

http://www.newegg.com/product/produ...hBargains-_-NA-_-NA-_-NA&Item=N82E16822145287

 

[IBJanky]

So I went to Fry’s last night and bought the 1TB Hitachi HDD.

Got some questions…

I want to use my 150GB HDD as my primary boot drive and do a clean install of Win7 64-bit

I want to keep it as one 150GB partition when I do my upgrade. I’ll use the new 1TB HDD as my main storage drive for photos, music, files, etc.

The 150GB is currently partitioned 50/100GB.

How can I partition the 150GB as one partition when I do a clean install. Do I have to partition it prior to installing Windows 7? Or can the Windows 7 bootloader be able to partition it to a single 150GB partition prior to the OS install?

I know that you can partition a drive to whatever size you want AFTER you install an OS, but the Windows bootloader will not allow you to partition larger than 120GB when doing a clean install (prior to having an OS installed).

 

[IBJanky]

Another Win 7 question... I'm debating whether to get the OEM or retail version of Win7 Pro 64-bit.

I heard that the OEM versions are tied to the mobo they are installed in, and you can't install it on a new PC if you decide to upgrade later on, or if your current PC dies.

I will upgrade to a newer mobo/CPU in the future and just want to make sure i can still use my Win7 disc when that time comes.

Anybody has any more info on this?

Also, anybody knows where to get a good deal on Win7 Pro 64-bit?

 

[fffblackmage]

How can I partition the 150GB as one partition when I do a clean install. Do I have to partition it prior to installing Windows 7? Or can the Windows 7 bootloader be able to partition it to a single 150GB partition prior to the OS install?

I know that you can partition a drive to whatever size you want AFTER you install an OS, but the Windows bootloader will not allow you to partition larger than 120GB when doing a clean install (prior to having an OS installed).

I dont think I've ever had any issues with Win7, or even XP, when partitioning or installing on my 500GB drives. I've been able to delete/create partitions in the bootloader without size limits on both XP and Win7.

 

[ChaiBabbaChai]

You can format the partition when installing Win7 (recommended) and you can also use Windows Disk Management to resize other non-boot partitions. Right click on "Computer" desktop icon and go to Manage --> Disk Management.

http://partedmagic.com/ - a great boot CD you should have in your toolbox