New Build for Dad..

[alkemyst]

I posted this in Prebuilt/Barebones PC...this forums seems more suited though...

My dad's video card died. He was already looking to update his HD because it's 5.5 years old now.

He has a P4 3.2 Prescott 540. His PSU is 430W (truly rated)

I was thinking of:
GIGABYTE GA-MA78LM-S2H $49.99 +2.99 shipping ($10 rebate)
Athlon x3 440 $74.99 both free shipping
Ram 4gb 1066 95.99 free ship
4850 109.99 1.99 shipping (or 5770 for $30 more)
1TB Caviar Blue $69.99 Free ship

Any other bang for buck ideas? His case is an Inwin X710 with the 430W PSU that was bundled. He plays some games (Far Cry and the like) at 1280x1024. He may go to 1680x1024 one day.

Just the HD and Video card is about half the upgrade.

Some upgraded parts from above I am questioning bang for buck...I can spend $40 more and pick up USB 3.0 / SATA 6. Not sure if going to a Phenom x3 or x4 would be worth it....

Not sure if another HD is a better choice for overall use. He only has 160GB now.

Power supply I may end up having to upgrade. I think his old one will be fine...he has two 4 pin molexes open...if not for $60ish I can get a decent 500-550W.

Any ideas of other ways to go?

Å

 

[RaistlinZ]

I'd opt for a Samsung Spinpoint F3 1GBf or $79.99. Better performance than a Caviar Blue. Since he obviously keeps PC's for upwards of 5 years I see little point in starting him anew with a system already outdated. Might as well go 5770 so he had DX11 capability for the next couple years. And surely he would probably prefer a faster CPU for his present and future gaming needs.

For the cost of an evening out you can go from the specs you posted to something he'll really have fun with. It's just money.

 

[mfenn]

I posted this in Prebuilt/Barebones PC...this forums seems more suited though...

My dad's video card died. He was already looking to update his HD because it's 5.5 years old now.

He has a P4 3.2 Prescott 540. His PSU is 430W (truly rated)

I was thinking of:
GIGABYTE GA-MA78LM-S2H $49.99 +2.99 shipping ($10 rebate)
Athlon x3 440 $74.99 both free shipping
Ram 4gb 1066 95.99 free ship
4850 109.99 1.99 shipping (or 5770 for $30 more)
1TB Caviar Blue $69.99 Free ship

Any other bang for buck ideas? His case is an Inwin X710 with the 430W PSU that was bundled. He plays some games (Far Cry and the like) at 1280x1024. He may go to 1680x1024 one day.

Just the HD and Video card is about half the upgrade.

Some upgraded parts from above I am questioning bang for buck...I can spend $40 more and pick up USB 3.0 / SATA 6. Not sure if going to a Phenom x3 or x4 would be worth it....

Not sure if another HD is a better choice for overall use. He only has 160GB now.

Power supply I may end up having to upgrade. I think his old one will be fine...he has two 4 pin molexes open...if not for $60ish I can get a decent 500-550W.

Any ideas of other ways to go?

Å

What you have seems fine although, I would probably shell out for a 500GB Samsung F3, as it is a single-platter 500GB drive. Your Dad might not need the capacity, so it would be good to get as fast of a drive as you can for the money.

I would probably also look into getting some DDR2 800 RAM if you can get some for cheaper. He's really not going to notice the difference between 800 and 1066.

 

[alkemyst]

Final build, ordered

CPU/Motherboard
MSI 870A-G54 + x4 955 $239.98 free
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboD...t=Combo.397502

Ram
4gb GeIL 4GB PC3 10660 109.99 $2.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16820144264

Video
Sapphire Radeon HD 5770 1GB $174.99 free ($10.00 MIR + 15 instant code EMCYTYZ39)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...ech-_-14102868

Harddrive
Spinpoint F3 1TB $69.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...-185-_-Product

PSU
CORSAIR CMPSU-650TX 650W $89.99 free ($20 + $10 instant code EMCYSNV26)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16817139005

 

[Reincus]

He should be set for the next 3-5 years. Maybe a vid card upgrade at some point depending on what he's doing. Good job.