Time to upgrade my failing 2yr old system

pkrush

Senior member
Dec 5, 2005
468
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0
My old gaming machine recently started crashing in Source games, so I decided to crack it open and dust it out to see if that would help any.
When I removed the heatsink, I was greeted with 5 or 6 leaking capacitors in the CPU socket area.
Since I've dealt with leaky caps before and I'm pretty sure it's only a matter of time before this system becomes unbootable, I figure this is as good a time as any to upgrade. So, does anyone have any decent suggestions for a new CPU/Motherboard/Memory on a budget of around $300 (us) ? I'll be keeping all the other parts from the computer in my sig.
 

bamacre

Lifer
Jul 1, 2004
21,029
2
81
Using DDR-400 memory (I assume that's what he has) would limit the Q6600's stock speeds.

Here is what I would do with that budget...

E6550 Processor ($169)
http://www.zipzoomfly.com/jsp/...p?ProductCode=10005520

Gigabyte P35 board ($99)
http://www.ewiz.com/detail.php...c1b2ad66e955dfb4f8c229

2GB Kit DDR2 667 (if no OC)
http://www.zipzoomfly.com/jsp/...p?ProductCode=85016-47
or
Mild OC...
http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16820161172
or
Heavier OC
http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16820231087
 

MarcVenice

Moderator Emeritus <br>
Apr 2, 2007
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Rav3n

Senior member
Sep 7, 2002
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Since you aren't looking for anything spectacular and you just need a platform faster than your current, I would actually say stick AMD. The current AM2 socket will accept another generation or two (or three?) of processors, and the advantage of AM2+ will only have tangible results in the server market.

This ECS mobo is a whopping 56 bucks. Sure, its MicroATX, but it has integrated graphics if you get stuck in a pinch, and its made by a reputable company. It supports SATA raid, but it only has 2 memory slots. http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16813135011

Two sticks of G.Skill 1 GB, DDR800 ram will run you 70 bucks. http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16820231088 If you ever want to upgrade? The cost of 2 GB sticks is only going down, and down the road, you might not even need the extra headspace.

That leaves you with more than half your budget to spend on a proc. Treat yourself to an Athlon 5600 for 140. http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16819103771

With the extra 30 you have leftover, you could either pay for shipping, or opt for a third party HSF.


 

pkrush

Senior member
Dec 5, 2005
468
0
0
Thanks for the suggestions, everyone. Raven's right, though, I'm not looking for a spectacular upgrade. My current system's pretty adequate for now and I wouldn't be upgrading right now if not for the instability problem. I'm considering going with an Intel setup this time, but I do have a few questions, though:

-How much of a performance increase can I realistically expect to see in games over my 3200+, since I'm not going to be upgrading the video card?

-How does AMD's power consumption compare to Intel's for the same level of performance? I'm a huge fan of quiet systems.

Thanks everyone in advance, I've been out of touch with this kind of thing for a while.