Upgrading on a I can't afford to, but can't afford not to budget.

[cnjmorris]

My Current Specs are as such:

Operating System: Windows XP Professional (5.1, Build 2600) Service Pack 3 (2600.xpsp_sp3_gdr.080814-1236)
System Manufacturer: ASUSTek Computer Inc.
System Model: K8N-E-Deluxe
BIOS: BIOS Date: 05/18/05 18:16:55 Ver: 08.00.09
Processor: AMD Athlon(tm) 64 Processor 3400+, MMX, 3DNow, ~2.3GHz
Memory: 2048MB RAM
Page File: 1716MB used, 2223MB available
DirectX Version: DirectX 9.0c (4.09.0000.0904)
DX Setup Parameters: Not found
DxDiag Version: 5.03.2600.5512 32bit Unicode
Card name: NVIDIA GeForce 6600 GT

My friend is looking at this system:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16883229076

I have a monitor, and will put my two WD Raptor drives in whatever I buy most likely. I have an AGP chipset and graphics card so whatever I upgrade to will have to have new MB, Ram, Graphics, Chip.

So here is the main question... is the rig I posted above a nice upgrade that will last me a couple years or can I build my own that will do better than this for about the same price?

 

[Denithor]

Are you a gamer? The first thing that jumps at me is that 9500GT - which absolutely sucks for gaming.

Second, you could replace the cpu/mobo/ram/gpu/psu in your system for less than buying that system. This assumes your case is a standard size (ATX/mATX) and can use a standard ATX powersupply.

Third, what size/resolution is your monitor?

Give us these details and we'll suggest a better upgrade path for you.

 

[cnjmorris]

I appologize, ADHD mess up on my part. I intended to give info on useage, got distracted, thought I listed it, forgot to.

I play World of Warcraft, so I'm a gamer, but I'm not into first person shooters at max resolution or anything so I don't need the fastest on the market, my current card actually does pretty well for me. I DO multi task a lot. It isn't rare for me to have browser, word processor, dreamweaver, and WoW all running at the same time (which this system does not handle well).

Case is standard ATX.

My monitor is 22" widescreen and I run it in 1280 x 1024 almost exclusively (Warcraft in 1680 x 1024 wide).

 

[bamacre]

Yeah, if you shop around you should be able to pick up...

Intel Q6600 CPU
Gigabyte P45 Motherboard
4GB (2x2GB) DDR2-800
9800 GT Video
Seasonic S12 380W PSU

Should be a little less than $550.

 

[Denithor]

PhII 920 + 790GX combo $249 - $10MIR
G.Skill 2x2GB DDR2-1066 $45
Corsair 400CX $60 - $12IR (coupon on page) - $10MIR
Sapphire 4830 $95 - $10MIR

Total: $449 - $12IR = $437 - $30MIR = $407

All items have free shipping so what you see here is what you pay.

One note - I actually would recommend *not* sending the rebate on the Sapphire video card. Newegg covers this card under their RMA service for 1 year. Sapphire charges a fee for RMA even if the card is defective. So keep the box intact & for the first year you can RMA to Newegg if there's a problem (happened to me with an x1900gt - newegg didn't have one in stock so they refunded my original purchase price 11 months later ).

If you have the original XP disk just do a repair install & you're gtg. If that's not an option, follow this guide instead. I've had pretty good success with that method in the past.

 

[cnjmorris]

My computer is 4 years old this past December (other than the raptor drives). Am I looking at a large performance increase with those parts? Will it last me 2 years or so till I upgrade again? Sorry, I used to crunch the numbers and keep track of this stuff, but I don't know what these numbers are anymore. =)

 

[Denithor]

Yes and yes. Easily. The only thing you might want to consider is an aftermarket cooler like the Xigmatek S1283 for $37 from newegg.

 

[cnjmorris]

Thank you for your help, reviews on your suggestions looked solid. Would the extra power I could squeek out to go up to the price of the other system be worth the investment (if I went up to the $550 of the other system).