upgrade help needed cos I'm out of touch

[dbarton]

FIVE years ago I built system based on suggestions from all of you here!
Now I'd like to to upgrade. $$ are a big concern. Upgrade help needed cos I'm out of touch with whats the latest, and so I don't really know the cost of decent items these days.

I use it for general use, but also convert some video and run some music applications that require as much CPU as I have, so raw power is important.

Video: No gaming ever. I watch some video but my very basic old AGP video card has been good enough for my simple video needs.

My system now is a Asus p4t533c. p4 2.2 XP Pro 512m

I'm hoping to get the CPU that's the fastest without the large leap in price to better one.
I hate to upgrade often as you can see, but I'm also not working so need to keep it cheap enough to do. Fast CPU seems essential.

It's vital that I can use one current IDE sound card I have. Are they still the same slot types?

I will not be overclocking.
Will buy from USA, ASAP.

I guess I need:

1. motherboard (needs to have a few IDE slots for current cards)
1b. (if no video built in, a basic video card)
2. cpu (fast *intel*)
3. memory - 1g is ok
4. case that can hold all my drives. Case can be as basic looking as possible, because I don't care. Quieter would be a nice option. I have 3 IDE drives and a SATA drive so need to be able to use them all. Two IDES and the SATA are internal. ONE IDE and an IDE CDR are front panel access.
5. do I need a cooler or fan that needs to be bought separately??
6. do I need a new power supply? I have a few p4s here - can I steal one from them?


Am I forgetting anything?
Looking for ideas for all of this!!
would hope to keep it under/around $300, but just reading around seems impossible If I want quality.
Yes I am reading other threads

 

[boomhower]

You need to let IDE go. Pretty much every modern motherboard is down to one IDE slot.

For the price range you are looking at you would be better off with AMD, their integrated video is much better than Intel's.

Gigabyte motherboard, 2x1GB G.Skill PC6400, AMD 6000+, OCZ 500W.

Comes to $244 or $209AR.

For Intel:
P5QL-EM, E7200, same memory and PSU.

Comes to $311 or $286 shipped

The biggest advantage to an Intel set-up is its OCability. Since your not doing that and would benefit more from the better integrated graphics AMD just makes more since. The AMD chip is 500Mhz faster which will make up for the relatively small clock for clock advantage of the Intel chip. And its cheaper to boot. You can take the savings and add a new SATA hard drive to your new system.

 

[theAnimal]

Antec NSK4480B (comes with good PSU) $70
MSI P45 Neo-F $75 AR
Intel E5200 $83
Corsair XMS2 2x1GB DDR2 800 $10 AR
HD3450 $20 AR

Total: $258

You can use the stock cooler unless you want to overclock more than just a little, then add an Arctic Cooling Freezer 7 Pro for $19.

 

[boomerang]

Originally posted by: boomhower
You need to let IDE go. Pretty much every modern motherboard is down to one IDE slot.

For the price range you are looking at you would be better off with AMD, their integrated video is much better than Intel's.

Gigabyte motherboard, 2x1GB G.Skill PC6400, AMD 6000+, OCZ 500W.

Comes to $244 or $209AR.

For Intel:
P5QL-EM, E7200, same memory and PSU.

Comes to $311 or $286 shipped

The biggest advantage to an Intel set-up is its OCability. Since your not doing that and would benefit more from the better integrated graphics AMD just makes more since. The AMD chip is 500Mhz faster which will make up for the relatively small clock for clock advantage of the Intel chip. And its cheaper to boot. You can take the savings and add a new SATA hard drive to your new system.

He's saying IDE, he means PCI.

 

[theAnimal]

Originally posted by: boomerang

Originally posted by: boomhower
You need to let IDE go. Pretty much every modern motherboard is down to one IDE slot.

He's saying IDE, he means PCI.

4. case that can hold all my drives. Case can be as basic looking as possible, because I don't care. Quieter would be a nice option. I have 3 IDE drives and a SATA drive so need to be able to use them all. Two IDES and the SATA are internal. ONE IDE and an IDE CDR are front panel access.

 

[dbarton]

Hard to let go of Intel, but I guess i'm open to looking.

Yes, I guess I meant *PCI* slots. I have a high end audio card that needs to run on the new machine. Do all mobo suggestions only have PCIE now and I assume will all still run older PCI cards, yes?

Can I get a controller card to run my extra IDE drives, or do some allow 4 IDE still?

I feel that I don't many of these motherboard brands, and maybe want to go with Asus just because I know them. Am I being silly?

ASUS P5Q LGA 775 Intel P45 ATX Intel Motherboard ok?
ASUS M2N-SLI ATX AMD Motherboard?

I feel overwhelmed..
Gonna go to Frys and look at a few in person.

 

[dbarton]

Originally posted by: boomhower
You need to let IDE go. Pretty much every modern motherboard is down to one IDE slot.

For the price range you are looking at you would be better off with AMD, their integrated video is much better than Intel's.

Gigabyte motherboard, 2x1GB G.Skill PC6400, AMD 6000+, OCZ 500W.

.

You didn't put a link for the motherboard, so not sure which one you mean.

 

[boomerang]

We're all getting hung up on semantics. I was referencing your sound card and you picked up on it by correcting that you meant PCI slot. theAnimal didn't realize what I was saying and corrected me, but you contradicted yourself in the same post referencing PCI as both a PCI slot and an IDE slot.

Yes, I guess I meant *PCI* slots. I have a high end audio card that needs to run on the new machine. Do these mobo suggestions still use the same type of IDE slots so I can use this card?

This is becoming more funny than anything. :laugh:


Modern motherboards still have PCI slots, so your soundcard will not be a problem. Yes, you will have to have a controller card to run that many IDE devices. You will have a tough time finding a board that will support more than two these days.

You'll never notice a difference between Intel and AMD, don't let that concern you in the slightest.

Myself, I wouldn't build a system with anything other than an Asus or Gigabyte board. Either would be a fine choice IMO.

Newegg appears to only have one IDE controller card they stock. However, I didn't do much searching.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16815158084

 

[dbarton]

Yes, I keep typing the wrong thing!

The cases/memory suggested look good, and that $20 video card too - thanks!

Sounds like I may need a PCI card for my IDE drives, which seems ok.

Can we narrow my choices to best ASUS or Gigabyte boards, and still suggest bang for the buck? If a little higher budget would help a lot, please let me know.
(CPU/mobo are such a drag to change, so really need to concentrate on them being solid for a few years.)

I guess since I'm on a budget AMD will be a better choice for speed.
GIGABYTE GA-MA790GP-DS4H ATX AMD Motherboard - overkill?
Better to put more $ into faster processor?

 

[boomerang]

Originally posted by: dbarton
Yes, I keep typing the wrong thing!

The cases/memory suggested look good, and that $20 video card too - thanks!

Sounds like I may need a PCI card for my IDE drives, which seems ok.

Can we narrow my choices to best ASUS or Gigabyte boards, and still suggest bang for the buck? If a little higher budget would help a lot, please let me know.
(CPU/mobo are such a drag to change, so really need to concentrate on them being solid for a few years.)

I guess since I'm on a budget AMD will be a better choice for speed.
GIGABYTE GA-MA790GP-DS4H ATX AMD Motherboard - overkill?
Better to put more $ into faster processor?

That board is overkill, but if your budget can swing it, go for it. Try the onboard video and drop the video card if need be. I think you'll find that onboard will suit your needs just fine.

That case and power supply combo are an excellant value.

To back way up, you'll not need extra cooling with that case (which will be nice and quiet) and the stock heatsink and fan on the processor will work just fine.

 

[dbarton]

So is the AMD 6000+ the one to get, or a tiny higher budget can make sense?
A quad will work with this board?

I hate to be penny wise and pound foolish.

 

[boomerang]

Originally posted by: dbarton

So is the AMD 6000+ the one to get, or a tiny higher budget can make sense?
A quad will work with this board?

I hate to be penny wise and pound foolish.

A dual core processor will more than adequately fill your needs. I see absolutely no need for a quad. I understand your desires, but I would not sweat it. That 6000+ will fill your needs just fine.

Post your final picks for review though. In case something has been overlooked.

You might want to consider this case; http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16811129018 with the PS that boomhower linked to. The case has free shipping at the moment. You would have some overhead with that power supply. It's quality stuff at a great price.

 

[dbarton]

Ok thanks.

Any comments about the different boards in that line?
I'm trying to see why the GIGABYTE GA-MA790GP-DS4H ATX AMD Motherboard costs more than the lower ones.

 

[boomerang]

On this page put a check in the box on the left of boards you're interested in and click the Compare button.

 

[dbarton]

Based on your suggestion, I just purchased the Antec Solo at Frys, so I'm ready to fill in the blanks: I i will get that OCZ StealthXStream OCZ500SXS 500W ATX12V / EPS12V Active PFC Power Supply as well.

I just compared these motherboards, for no reason other than they were three most expensive, so I'm guessing the best, but not really sure what some of this means:

GIGABYTE GA-MA790X-DS4 AM2+/AM2 AMD 790X ATX Ultra Durable II AMD Motherboard -
GIGABYTE GA-MA790GP-DS4H AM2+/AM2 AMD 790GX HDMI ATX AMD Motherboard - Retail
GIGABYTE GA-M750SLI-DS4 AM2+/AM2 NVIDIA nForce 750a SLI ATX AMD Motherboard -

Some have Southbridge, some have faster FSB, some used AMD 790x, others Nvidia 750.

There's lots of small differences, but I guess I'm hoping someone can lean me towards or away from one or another.

(I prefer minimal fuss If that helps.)

 

[dbarton]

ALSO, since rebate ends tomorrow, and I need to jump on this tonight,
any reason not to get :

CORSAIR XMS2 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory - $10AR
instead of
G.SKILL 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory l which is $33??

 

[boomerang]

Motherboard - the last one is SLI which is for running two graphics cards. It's nothing you need. The DS4H has onboard graphics the other doesn't. I would base my decision with that in mind. I'm assuming you know the model with onboard graphics also has a slot for a graphics card so you could add one later if you ever wished to do so.

There's too many variations of the G.SKILL (you should really link to it) for me to tell, but I think I found the Corsair and it's 2.1V. Get something rated at 1.8V.

Or get this;

http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16820134488 Kingston always works for me.

SEE MY POST BELOW!!

 

[boomerang]

This is moving too fast for me to make recommendations. I'm finding out more now that I'm researching. The DS4H will accept dual graphic cards too. This may be a more complicated board for you to set up than you want to deal with.

Can you hold off?

 

[dbarton]

Yes, I can hold off on the board, but I wonder if I shouldn't jump on the PS and memory while rebates apply. Safe to assuem these will work no matter what board I end up with?

this is the corsair suggested above I think:
corsair
2.1 volts indeed, so not what I need

The 2x1GB G.Skill PC6400 was also suggested and linked above but cost $12 more:
gskill

I like Kingston anyway..

Newegg is out of the AMD 6000, so for $83 more I'm thinking the AMD Phenom 9950 2.6GHz Socket AM2+ 125W Quad-Core Black Edition Processor Model HD995ZXAGHBOX - Retail
would be nice.
cpu

Board so far seems to be the GIGABYTE GA-MA790GP-DS4H AM2+/AM2 AMD 790GX HDMI ATX AMD Motherboard - Retail
mobo

nice reviews and combo deal at $283

Remember I don't upgrade often, so isn't it smart to spend that bit more on the CPU?

 

[dbarton]

++
To simplify and summarize for anyone that wants to jump in and help, this is what I'm looking at so far:


AMD Phenom 9950 2.6GHz Socket AM2+ 125W Quad-Core Black Edition Processor Model HD995ZXAGHBOX - Retail
cpu

GIGABYTE GA-MA790GP-DS4H AM2+/AM2 AMD 790GX HDMI ATX AMD Motherboard
mobo

*OR*
Intel Q6600 $189
ASUS P5Q Pro LGA 775 Intel P45 ATX Intel Motherboard $114

I can't decide.

Also need:

Kingston 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory - Retail
memory
open to suggestions for 2x2g

Antec Solo Black/Silver Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case
case

OCZ StealthXStream OCZ500SXS 500W ATX12V / EPS12V Active PFC Power Supply - Retail
PSU

Koutech PIR133 PCI IDE Controller Card RAID 0/1/0+1 - Retail (because I have IDE drives)
IDE card


Does every app really use all 4 cores, so that a quad 2.5 machine is faster than a dual core 3.0?
Comments very welcome.

 

[boomerang]

If you're convinced you want the quad, go with the Intel setup. You will need a video card with that board.

That Koutech card is for RAID. That's not what you want.

You've spent so much so far, that if it was me, I'd just bite the bullet and go with SATA drives to replace the IDE drives.

2GB of memory is fine with XP. I would have 4GB with Vista.