Need to update hardware after Win7 install

[exemplaron]

I just installed Win7 on a PC I built a few years back but because of its age the graphics card can't handle even the screen savers that come with Win7. Also I've got no sound and no amount of driver updating etc. has made any difference.

Here's the hardward I have:

Mother board
DFI 865PE Infinity
800Mhz Front side bus - 800/533/400MHz FSB
Dual DDR400 - 4 DIMM sockets up to 4GB system memory
AGP 8X - 1.5V AGP 8X (2.12GB/s)/AGP 4X for 3D graphics
S-ATA / RAID - 4 ports 150MB/s integrates RAID 0 and RAID 1
BIOS live update - Automatic online updates
6 channel audio & S/PDIF
USB 2.0 - 4 ports with 4 ports optional
GbE lAN - 10/100/1000 Ethernet
IEEE 1394 - 3 ports
Hyper-Threading processor

CPU
Intel P4
3.0GHz
512k Cache
800FSB
Socket 478
Hyper-Threading

CPU Fan
Thermaltake
Spark 7+ Xaser Edition
Full speed, Manual or Temp controlled

Power Supply
Ultra
400 Watt for ATX

Graphics Card
Jaton
3DForce4 Ti4200 Diamond Edition
AGP 8X (8X and 4X compatible)
Dual integrated 350 MHz DACs
VIVO Video Capturing and Editing
128MB DDR
nVIDIA nfinite FX II Engine
nVIDIA Lightspeed Memory Architecture (LMA) II
nVIDIA Accuview Antialiasing Engine
nView Multi-display Technology
Supports VGA, TV and DVI outputs
Microsoft DirectX 8.X and OpenGL 1.3 Optimizations / support

Memory
Ultra
Two 512MB DDR PC3200 (400MHz) for total of 1024MB

The GbE lAN on the motherboard died this last summer and was replaced with a plug in. I have two ATA hard drives and two SATA hard drives.


I am not a gamer but I do a little photo and video editing but not a lot. I do watch movies and videos quite a bit. The hardware that I have was working fine with WinXP so I would like to keep as much as practical/possible.

I've been given two different directions to take for updating. One faction says I should just get new sound and graphics cards. The other says I should get a new motherboard with an i5 or i7 cpu and the sound and graphics would be handled by these since my demand is low.

My question is which update is better for the money and what specific hardware would you recommend?

Thanks in advance for your responses!

 

[CKTurbo128]

To utilize Windows 7 Aero (which Windows 7 3D-based screensavers require), the minimum requirements is a DirectX 9 (and higher) supported graphics card; your GeForce 4 Ti4200 is DirectX 8.1. Your system supports AGP and PCI (not PCI Express / PCI-E) video cards, so you would need to get an AGP or PCI video card that is either DX9, DX10, or DX11 compliant to get Windows 7 Aero effects.

However, as your computer is a bit antiquated at this point, you might want to consider a total system upgrade, as there are some excellent deals on computer components these days (assuming that you are living in the U.S.) and the total upgrade costs for a system that would meet your light computing needs would not be significant.

 

[VirtualLarry]

I would go for a Llano/FM1 build myself. Even a dual-core A4 APU would be a significant step up from what you have. You can get FM1 motherboards with modern features from $60-80, and then just add some DDR3-1333/1600 RAM ($25-30 for 2x4GB on sale every few weeks at Newegg.)

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16819103955
AMD A4-3400 Llano 2.7GHz Socket FM1 65W Dual-Core Desktop APU with DirectX 11 Graphic AMD Radeon HD 6410D AD3400OJGXBOX
$70, plus $10 promo gift card back

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16813157277
ASRock A55M-HVS FM1 AMD A55 (Hudson D2) HDMI Micro ATX AMD Motherboard
$59 + $7 shipping

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16820231422

G.SKILL Value Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333 (PC3 10600) Desktop Memory Model F3-10600CL9D-8GBNT
$35 FS

That would give you quite an upgrade, at a decent price.

However, if you are on a 865PE/G mobo currently, that probably means that you have IDE HD and DVD drive. You will have to either replace those with SATA drives, to match with a modern motherboard, or you will have to purchase a bootable PCI IDE card to plug in.

Edit: You won't need to purchase a graphics card if you go this route. AMD
APU chips include the best integrated graphics on the market. They can even play 3D games at low resolutions. Either way, they are more than adequate to handle the "Aero" UI of Windows 7.

 

[mnewsham]

I would suggest close to what VirtualLarry has suggested. (basically a slower CPU)

Motherboard
CPU
RAM

Total: $158.97

However if you need a new DVD drive then you will need to add about $15-20 for that, I would recommend switching over to a better hard drive when prices come down, in the mean time just use your SATA drives as you will be hard pressed to find a motherboard that has ATA support.

 

[mfenn]

Given the age of your parts, the most that you'll be able to salvage is the case and maybe PSU. Everything else isn't really compatible with modern components. Luckily, you can get a complete modern system like the Inspiron 570 for $260 from the Dell Outlet.

 

[exemplaron]

To utilize Windows 7 Aero (which Windows 7 3D-based screensavers require), the minimum requirements is a DirectX 9 (and higher) supported graphics card; your GeForce 4 Ti4200 is DirectX 8.1. Your system supports AGP and PCI (not PCI Express / PCI-E) video cards, so you would need to get an AGP or PCI video card that is either DX9, DX10, or DX11 compliant to get Windows 7 Aero effects.

However, as your computer is a bit antiquated at this point, you might want to consider a total system upgrade, as there are some excellent deals on computer components these days (assuming that you are living in the U.S.) and the total upgrade costs for a system that would meet your light computing needs would not be significant.

Thanks for the information. Do you have any suggestions for around $300-$400?

 

[exemplaron]

Thanks for the feedback!

What would you guys do with a budget of $300-$400?

VirtualLarry and mnewsham, I noticed that you guys show 8Gb of RAM, doesn't that require the 64 bit version of windows? I have the 32bit version. Could I just buy the same hardware but with just 4Gb of RAM?

 

[corkyg]

"VirtualLarry and mnewsham, I noticed that you guys show 8Gb of RAM, doesn't that require the 64 bit version of windows? I have the 32bit version. Could I just buy the same hardware but with just 4Gb of RAM?"

A very important point. 64 bit requires better hardware than Win 7 X86. I would stick with 4GB RAM 9it would use about 3.5) with that hardware.

 

[mnewsham]

Thanks for the feedback!

What would you guys do with a budget of $300-$400?

VirtualLarry and mnewsham, I noticed that you guys show 8Gb of RAM, doesn't that require the 64 bit version of windows? I have the 32bit version. Could I just buy the same hardware but with just 4Gb of RAM?

With 300-400 dollars here is what I would suggest

HDD
RAM
CPU
Motherboard

Promo code: EMCKJKG27

price: $358.96

If you dont need the SATA hard drive then I would take that off and add on windows 7 64 bit and an extra 4GB of RAM. Or upgrade the GPU/CPU.

 

[exemplaron]

With 300-400 dollars here is what I would suggest

HDD
RAM
CPU
Motherboard

Promo code: EMCKJKG27

price: $358.96

If you dont need the SATA hard drive then I would take that off and add on windows 7 64 bit and an extra 4GB of RAM. Or upgrade the GPU/CPU.

I think I can use the SATA drives that I added just a year ago. They're probably the 3Gb not the 6Gb, I'll have to open up the case and check when I get home in a couple of days. Anyway what would you upgrade the GPU/CPU to? I think I'll stay with the 32 bit Win7 also, so only the 4G of memory.

Also as a separate line of thought what would I need to have two monitors?

 

[sm625]

1. Put windows XP back on it.
2. Sell it to someone who needs that level of computer.
3. Buy something better.

 

[mnewsham]

I think I can use the SATA drives that I added just a year ago. They're probably the 3Gb not the 6Gb, I'll have to open up the case and check when I get home in a couple of days. Anyway what would you upgrade the GPU/CPU to? I think I'll stay with the 32 bit Win7 also, so only the 4G of memory.

I would go with a dedicated low end graphics card. Like this one.
Then a CPU upgrade to the i5-2400

 

[VirtualLarry]

Thanks for the feedback!

What would you guys do with a budget of $300-$400?

VirtualLarry and mnewsham, I noticed that you guys show 8Gb of RAM, doesn't that require the 64 bit version of windows? I have the 32bit version. Could I just buy the same hardware but with just 4Gb of RAM?

Or you could download an ISO of Win7 64-bit (google for DigitalRiver download links), and install that with your key. The key is interchangeable between 32-bit and 64-bit install media.

Then you would have 64-bit Windows 7, at no additional cost.

 

[T_Yamamoto]

Or you could download an ISO of Win7 64-bit (google for DigitalRiver download links), and install that with your key. The key is interchangeable between 32-bit and 64-bit install media.

Then you would have 64-bit Windows 7, at no additional cost.

:thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup:

 

[mfenn]

1. Put windows XP back on it.
2. Sell it to someone who needs that level of computer.
3. Buy something better.

This. $430 gets you an complete i5 quad with 6GB of RAM from the Dell Outlet. If you check it for deals every so often you can do even better than that.