upgrading 3-4 things @ once

[faye]

Hi, see my specs...

and i think it is time to have a little upgrade.

i want to get a new CPU, motherboard, ram and videocard.

if changing to Pentium 4 series, i will need to change my motherboard and ram to go with that...

and these days i heard about so many pos about the new company "Albatron"... (is it Asus brother?)...

whatever whatever, what do u think i should be looking for?

a 2.8GB processor..?? i can't afford that... i am sure i want to get something that i can overclock later on...

ps. don't know y these days my harddrive will run when i browse. takes time to load a picture. opening Windows Explorer will take longer than before....

so please gimme some hints.!

thanks

 

[thecrews]

Albatron people used to work at Gigabyte. They even have dual bios, called BIOS Mirror

 

[Wolfsraider]

from www.googlegear.com

80646 Quantity Limit: 20
Intel(R) Pentium(R) 4 Processor (Northwood) 2.4GHz, 533MHz FSB, Socket 478 Retail
Remove $185.00 $185.00


246203
Albatron PX845E Pro II 845E P4 (533FSB) Skt478 DDR ATX Motherboard w/Audio, LAN, RAID Retail
Remove $118.99 $118.99



80097
Corsair CMX512-3200C2 512MB PC3200 400Mhz 64Mx64 184 DIMM Cas2 Memory w/Heat Spreader Retail
Remove $195.00 $195.00



320643
ATI Radeon 8500LE AGP 4X 128MB DDR Video Card w/TV-Out & DVI Retail by SapphireTech
Remove $105.99 $105.99



Subtotal: $604.98


this work?

mike

 

[Squibby]

Suggestions:
Abit IT7-MAX2: lots of people have had good luck o/c'ing with the IT7. This one also has serial ata.
2.4B P4: Current price/performance leader for Intel - should o/c well.
Ram: 512MB Corsair XMS PC3200: best there is
Video card: How much do you want to spend? ATI Radeon 9700 Pro if you can afford it. Ti4600s can be found around $230. Ti4200 if you just want to have a card that o/c's well.

Squibby

 

[jaybee]

Hint #1: You need more memory. I'd go for a single 512MB stick of XMS3200, but you can save a few bucks (maybe $30 or so) by going for PC2700. A good stick of PC2700 shouldn't limit your overclocking.

Hint #2: The 1.8a and 2.4b are the best overclocking deals in the PIV IMO. About $130 and 180, respectively. I'd pocket the $50 and go for the 1.8a -- from what I've seen, you'd probably only get another 200-300MHz by going for the 2.4b. Maybe someone with personal experience can clarify.

Hint #3: Seeing that you're using a GF256, I'm guessing you're not a big gamer. That's good for you, because the middle ground in graphics right now is sort of vacant. Why pay $200 for a GF4 4600 when another $100 will get you something far better (the R300)? For low-middle end, I think most people here would push the GF4 4200, but considering your current card, the Radeon 8500 might be a better bet. Half the price of a 128 MB 4200 and 2/3 that of a 64MB 4200. Tough call maybe, but it'll be a huge jump from a GF256. Depends on whether you want to spend the extra $40-70...

Hint #4: I'm not sure where the price points are, but I'd get one of the new i845 chipsets that supports hyperthreading (as well as the 3+GHz processors). I've heard people recommend the Albatron PX845PEV PRO. Good price too (< $100 on newegg).

Hint #5: All this new hardware might require a stronger power supply. What do you have now? I like Antec, although they're a little pricey. $75-80 for the True430 is a good bet.

Total: a little steep. I'd guess $160 for a good 512MB PC2700, $130 for the 1.8a, $75 for a 8500LE, $100 for a mobo, and probably $60-80 for a psu = ~$450. How does that sound?

jaybee

 

[faye]

omg, i need to upgrade my case too...

mine is a InWin 17" tower case.. it only has 230w, what happen if i don't have enough power? the system just won't start?

aiya, can i upgrade only the power supply??

jaybee, thanks for the very detail "hints"

 

[randomboy]

Yes, you can replace the power supply w/o replacing the entire case, its only held in with a few screws

Jeff

 

[jaybee]

I haven't heard of anyone running a PIV off a 230W psu. Not to say it can't be done, but I think a replacement will be necessary -- especially if you're going to overclock.

jaybee