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What to upgrade under a limited budget?

Shawn

Shawn

Lifer
Specs
  • Intel Core 2 Duo E6300 (1.86GHz)
  • Gigabyte 965P-DS3 Motherboard
  • 8GB DDR2 Ram
  • NVIDIA GeForce 9600 GSO 512MB Video Card
  • Hard Drives
    • 400GB WDC WD4000AAJS-00TKA0 (OS Drive)
    • 500GB SAMSUNG HD501LJ Drive
    • 1TB WDC WD10EACS-00ZJB0 ATA Device
    • 1.5TB WDC WD15EVDS-68V9B0 Drive
  • Optical Drives
    • ATAPI iHAS124 B ATA Device
    • Optiarc DVD RW AD-7240S ATA Device
  • Windows 7 Ultimate

I don't have much money so a CPU upgrade which would require me to replace both the motherboard and ram are out of the question.

I was considering getting an Intel Core 2 Quad Q9505 Yorkfield 2.83GHz but I didn't want to spend over $200 and I'm not sure how much it would benefit me.

I don't game at all (that's what my Xbox360s, PS3, and Wii are for), but I do use my computer as a DVR with Windows Media Center using my xboxes as extenders. I've got a dual cablecard tuner and a dual QAM turner.

I also occasionally use it for editing HD video and that can be quite slow so a new CPU would probably help with that. I also do a ton of multitasking and usually have 20-30 tabs open in Firefox while doing some photo editing in photoshop.

I was also considering getting an SSD instead for the OS drive and applications. Data storage and DVR content would obviously still be saved to the hard drives. I don't restart the computer that often but when I do it takes forever so an SSD would probably be great for that.

I used to have the CPU overclocked to 2.83GHz and it was stable but it gave off a lot of heat so I put it back to stock.

Need this rig to hold me till I get out of grad school 4-5 more years. 🙁
 
Have you considered overclocking your CPU, and upgrading your GPU?

I'm pretty certain that board supports overclocking. You should be able to get 3.0Ghz or higher, with adequate cooling.

GPU is getting pretty old. Could use an upgrade.

What do you use your rig for? What resolution is your screen?

Shawn said:
Need this rig to hold me till I get out of grad school 4-5 more years. 🙁
Click to expand...
🙁 That's a bit extreme, don't you think? I mean, your rig is already 4+ years old, is it not? (Judging by the age of the mobos.)

Do you have a Microcenter nearby? If you do, they have some really good deals.

Buy an AMD Phenom II X6 1045T 95W hex-core CPU for $130, get a free Gigabyte AM3+ mobo. Add 8GB DDR3-1333 1.5v (Kingston HyperX Blu) for $30. Even with tax, that would be under budget, and you would have a hex-core CPU, new mobo, and 8GB of RAM. You might even be able to fit 16GB of RAM into the budget.

OR

Buy an Intel Core i3-2100 3.1Ghz dual-core with HyperThreading for $100, and get $50 off of any compatible 1155 mobo. They have several that would be basically free with purchase. (Could go for the gusto, a Z68 mobo like the ASrock Z68 Pro3-M that would be $60 after the combo discount.) Then add that same 8GB RAM for $30.

Both options would be a big improvement over what you have now.

AND - you could sell off your existing rig, or just the DDR2. It's worth about $20 per 2GB stick these days.

Edit: Sorry, I see you mentioned that you did have it overclocked. When you said it gave off a lot of heat, were you concerned about the CPU core temps, or the room temp in the room that the computer is in?

Edit: I have a Q6600 for sale in my FS thread for $125. It's BNIB. I thought I would mention that as an option, if the Q9505 is too expensive. With a decent cooler, I would say you would have a good chance to get it to 3.0.
 
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I would definitely NOT go out and buy a new Core 2 Quad. If you can get a used one for < $100, that is worth considering.

Given that you have $200 to work with, I don't think that buying a new mobo and RAM are out of the question at all.

A6-3500 $90
GA-A75M-S2V $70 AR
DDR3 1600 8GB $38
Total: $198

This gets you onto a more power-efficient modern platform and you can even ditch your GPU, as the Llano IGP is on part with it. $30 more gets you an unlocked quad if you want to go that route.
 
I thought about suggesting a LLano rig, but I think that might be the wrong direction. His needs are more CPU-oriented than GPU, and he doesn't have to ditch his existing GPU for any reason. Paying extra for a LLano rig, just to get a GPU equal to what he already has and render his existing GPU redundant doesn't sound like the right idea to me.

If the OP does want to ditch the GPU purely for power/heat reasons, then that first AM3+/X6 MC combo I listed, has onboard 760G video, which would likely be enough for his purposes. That mobo has a VGA and a DVI connector onboard.

If you wanted a GPU upgrade, check this out:
http://forums.anandtech.com/showthread.php?t=2210134
HD4870 for $55 or so.
 
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I replaced my laptop 1.73GHz single-core Pentium M with a 2.13GHz and replaced the RAM (DDR2 from 512MB to 2GB) and it made a huge difference. Likewise, I replaced my daughter's laptop AMD x2 1.60GHz with 2.20GHz processor and RAM and it make just as big of difference. I think I spent $55 for my parts, and $20 for my daughter's.

Although I would probably go mfenn's route of a new CPU/mobo if you could swing it, if not, you've got some good parts to work with already... it wouldn't take much.
 
Not looking to get a new GPU. I don't really utilize it as it is. The last PC game I played was the new Monkey Island series and before that C&C 3.

As far as the overclocking goes, it would heat up the room quite a bit. I have a huge cooler on the CPU already and so CPU temps never got high. I tried overclocking it again with the same settings but it refuses to boot windows. Not sure what's different.

At 2.8GHz, the CPU temps stayed under 45C so I'm not sure why it wouldn't boot. I used to have to bump up the chipset voltage to get it to pass prime95 (but it would still boot into windows regardless). That's actually why I ended up putting it back at stock now that i think about it... the chipset would get extremely hot.

I may consider getting a new cpu/mobo/ram combo if I can get a decent price for my old setup. I haven't looked into it yet.
 
I would say Llano is the wrong direction, all right. For your situation, I'd get:

- Biostar h61 mobo, $55 with shipping
- Pentium G620 with 8GB RAM combo, $98
- A very small SSD, like this or this, for $45-$50 or so (possibly AR). Neither is big enough to install your OS on, but you could install your web browser there, put its cache on that drive, and maybe put one or two other frequently used programs there.
 
For integrated graphics, Llano is the best thing on the market right now. For better cpu power, intel is the best thing on the market right now. It is a matter where you want to invest your limited budget at for now.
You could go one of the following Llano routes to get the best bang for your buck:


Athlon II X4 631 2.6 GHz (no integrated graphics) Llano $84.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103945
(this is the lowest priced quad core on the market right now)

or

AMD A6-3670K Unlocked Llano 2.7GHz $119.99 ( IG Quad core)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819106002

With true quad cores your video encoding will go much faster then what you have.

You can either go A75 or A55, the main difference is with the A75 motherboard you get more bells and whistles.


ASRock A75 PRO4 FM1 AMD A75 $89.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157258

ASRock A55 PRO3 FM1 AMD A55 $79.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157278

With both set ups, you would need some new ram whereas with the 631 you could use your video card until your budget it allows you to uprade to an AMD 5670/6670 which would handle all your needs and still allow some basic gaming.

G.SKILL Ripjaws Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) $46.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231314

You could drop down to 4 gigs for about half the price or you can drop the speed for less money or use a different brand for less too. But Llanos seem to do better with faster memory.
Also check with Newegg, there are some MB/APU combos that hover around 150-225 dollars using either the tri-core or the unlocked Llano quads. You may need to up your budget to about $250.

This set up is not as fast as intel but the IG is the best at this time and you can get a top of the line motherboard for a lot less then a comparable intel board. And with the k series Llano, the multiplier on both the CPU and GPU are unlocked so you could conceivably overclock moderately. Whereas with Intel with the lower priced CPUs there is no overclocking.
For your needs this set up would last you through college and handle pretty much anything you throw at it unless you are a high end gamer.

With video encoding, you really want to get at the very least a quad core.
With the motherboards do your research and make sure that it has all the bells and whistles you will need for your set up.

A SSD drive would be nice to have but you may want to wait till the prices go down some more. What could be holding up your boot time could be a number of things--to much bloatware, settings in the bios need to be tightened up, speed of the cpu, etc. A hard drive will never boot as fast as a SSD but your priority should be to get the best cpu/mb/graphic/ram combo your budget allows.


Edit: Here is a chart that compares the top 50 CPUs price vs. performance
http://www.cpubenchmark.net/cpu_value_available.html#

( They have the 631 listed at $104.99)
 
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pcsavvy said:
Athlon II X4 631 2.6 GHz (no integrated graphics) Llano $84.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103945
(this is the lowest priced quad core on the market right now)
Click to expand...
This plus Mfenn's mobo/RAM looks interesting, mainly for video encoding:
mfenn said:
GA-A75M-S2V $70 AR
DDR3 1600 8GB $38
Click to expand...
Total: $193

But it'll be hot, you'll be dependent on your 9600 continuing to work, and there's no budget for an SSD. I still recommend the above Intel system overall.
 
Ken g6 said:
I would say Llano is the wrong direction, all right. For your situation, I'd get:

- Biostar h61 mobo, $55 with shipping
- Pentium G620 with 8GB RAM combo, $98
- A very small SSD, like this or this, for $45-$50 or so (possibly AR). Neither is big enough to install your OS on, but you could install your web browser there, put its cache on that drive, and maybe put one or two other frequently used programs there.
Click to expand...

I like the Mobo and CPU+RAM combo, but I don't think that I can get behind an SSD that you don't even install the OS on. I think that the $50 would be better spent on the CPU.

Unfortunately, Intel has a big fat hole in their lineup between the $80 G630 and the $125 i3 2100. So yeah, the X4 631 looks very interesting indeed.
 
Yes, I agree. An SSD for just a browser cache would be a wasted purchase. OP would be better off saving up for a decent OS SSD, but only after covering the CPU/mobo/RAM bases first.

An H61 rig isn't a bad idea, with a G530 or something.

Has the OP said whether or not a Microcenter is nearby? I still think, if one is, he would be better off going there and getting a killer AM3 combo.
 
The OP is in Tallahassee, Florida. The nearest Micro Centers are in Atlanta, almost 300 miles away. I wouldn't call that "nearby".

I just searched Newegg for a 64GB SSD, and stumbled upon a Patriot Torqx for $55AR! I don't know their record of reliability, but that might be worth dropping to a G530 for. It's only SATA2, but you're not going to get a SATA3 drive or mobo for these prices.

Edit: New build plan:

- Biostar h61 mobo, $55 with shipping
- Celeron G530, $52
- 8GB G-Skill DDR3-1333, $37
- Patriot Torqx 64GB, $55AR

Total: $199 AR!
 
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Shawn, you didn't mention what software you need for grad school but if you will be using any Adobe products like Illustrator or Photoshop, a quad core would give you the best bang for your buck.
A quad core could handle the workload that multi-threaded software throws at it more efficiently and faster than a dual core whether it is an AMD or Intel. Also a quad core I think would offer longer life for your system than a dual core.
Remember the AMD 7XXX series graphic cards are coming out soon at various pricing levels, this will cause the AMD 5XXX and 6XXX to drop in price.
Also, check with not only Newegg but Amazon too for deals on computer parts.
 
Not to toot my own horn, but I could make you a deal on a P35 mobo and a 3.0Ghz Q9300 CPU combo. PM me if interested, and check out my FS thread in sig. You could re-use your existing GPU and 8GB DDR2.
 
Hmm... I dunno about a biostar mobo or a celeron. I don't want to upgrade to something I'll need to replace in a year or two. I may just wait until I can afford something better.

Plus I need a mobo that can accommodate my 6 SATA drives and has a firewire port for a DV camcorder or at least has 1-2 regular old PCI slots so that I can use existing firewire and SATA cards I already have. Otherwise I will have to buy new PCIe cards. I will already have to get a parallel port card so that I can keep using my Laserjet printer which I need for school.

I don't mind going with onboard video as long as the GPU is comparable to what I've got now. I would prefer something with HDMI out though so I can have one cable going to my TV. I currently have to use a registry hack in order to get my DVI to HDMI cable to work while allowing my TV to use a separate hookup for the audio.

This AMD board has everything I'm looking for: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128440 but I don't know anything about AMD's line of processors.
 
the only really intensive thing you do is edit video. for that a processor is your best bet. and really, more cores the better.

for that board you linked an AMD Phenom 1055T is going to get you good video encoding performance (approx 4x the fps you're getting now) but it may be out of your price range. but a cheap sandybridge liek the G620 isn't going to get you anywhere near the encoding performance (particularly on the second pass of x264). the sandy is a great processor for general usage but it's just lacking cores for stuff like video encoding.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103851


a 30GB SSD will hold windows 7, but not much else.
 
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With AMD, there are two routes you can take, either Llano with integrated graphics with a FM1 motherboard or Phenom II 960T with an AMD3+ motherboard with integrated graphics.

Phenom II 960T is a 6 core cpu with 2 cores disabled so it is officially a quad core, it runs about $130. With the right motherboard you might be able to unlock the other 2 cores but it is somewhat like a lottery.

As indicated earlier the Athlon II 631 is the cheapest quad core but it needs a FM1 motherboard not a AMD3+ motherboard.
There is more selection with the AMD3+ motherboards than with FM1 motherboards.
By the way, a cooler that fits an AMD2, AMD3 and AMD3+ cpu will fit a Llano cpu.

Edit: With the FM1 A75 boards, you have hdmi, d-sub + dvi, and some have display port for video out. I believe those boards that have display ports can have up to 3 monitors attached. I know with AMD graphic cards that have hdmi, dvi, and display port are able to have up to 3 monitors. Some AMD3+ motherboards with integrated graphics have hdmi too.
 
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pcsavvy said:
Edit: With the FM1 A75 boards, you have hdmi, d-sub + dvi, and some have display port for video out. I believe those boards that have display ports can have up to 3 monitors attached. I know with AMD graphic cards that have hdmi, dvi, and display port are able to have up to 3 monitors. Some AMD3+ motherboards with integrated graphics have hdmi too.
Click to expand...

You can't use the display outputs on an FM1 board with a 631 though because it doesn't have it's GPU enabled.
 
Shawn said:
Hmm... I dunno about a biostar mobo or a celeron. I don't want to upgrade to something I'll need to replace in a year or two. I may just wait until I can afford something better.

Plus I need a mobo that can accommodate my 6 SATA drives and has a firewire port for a DV camcorder or at least has 1-2 regular old PCI slots so that I can use existing firewire and SATA cards I already have. Otherwise I will have to buy new PCIe cards. I will already have to get a parallel port card so that I can keep using my Laserjet printer which I need for school.

I don't mind going with onboard video as long as the GPU is comparable to what I've got now. I would prefer something with HDMI out though so I can have one cable going to my TV. I currently have to use a registry hack in order to get my DVI to HDMI cable to work while allowing my TV to use a separate hookup for the audio.

This AMD board has everything I'm looking for: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128440 but I don't know anything about AMD's line of processors.
Click to expand...

Athlon II X4 631 $85
GA-A75M-S2V $65 AR
DDR3 1600 8GB $39
Total: $189

I believe that this fits your requirements pretty nicely except for the parallel port (which is pretty much dead everywhere), just use your existing Firewire PCI card. There are also USB parallel port adapters out there, they are basically a parallel port controller chip connected via USB.
 
Llano is interesting. I haven't had an AMD processor since my old Athlon 600 riser CPU. If I got a FM1 board would that be more future proof than a AMD3+ board? OR will FM1 be primary used for CPU+GPU?

I wouldn't mind integrated graphics if it's comparible mainly because the GPU I have now is huge and puts out a lot of heat.
 
May end up just getting a Core 2 Quad E8200 to hold me over for a while. Found one for $55 shipped. Seller thinks it's defective (doesn't report processor fsb correctly or run at correct speed for that matter) but I discovered he put it into a motherboard that only supports a 1066FSB max.

He said it boots into windows. It's a gamble but I think it's fine.
 
With Llano that has IG, you can crossfire with a certian AMD 6XXX series cards to improve graphic power but for what you are using your set up for. The IG of Llano is sufficient to handle video encoding. With the link in my previous reply of the 3670K the graphic engine is a 6550D. As long as you are not a high end gamer, you can still do some gaming on lower settings.
I am not sure but from what I hear Trinity the next gen of APU will use a FM2 motherboard.
AMD IG is tons better than Intel IG at this time. This may change over time but for now, AMD IG is a better buy than Intel.
With an AMD3+ motherboard you can pop in a FX cpu at a future date, when AMD improves it. However, with AMD3+ IG you can not crossfire with a graphics card like you can with a FM1 motherboard.

Unfortunately, there is not a lot of reputable reviews of the various Llano incarnations. The focus for now is on Intel, not AMD.
Here is a midrange guide by Anandtech that is about the A8-3850 to give you an idea what it is capable of:
http://www.anandtech.com/show/5184/holiday-midrange-system-buyers-guide/2
 
Shawn said:
May end up just getting a Core 2 Quad E8200 to hold me over for a while. Found one for $55 shipped. Seller thinks it's defective (doesn't report processor fsb correctly or run at correct speed for that matter) but I discovered he put it into a motherboard that only supports a 1066FSB max.

He said it boots into windows. It's a gamble but I think it's fine.
Click to expand...

Are you sure about that model number? An E8200 is a Core 2 Duo.
 
Shawn said:
Llano is interesting. I haven't had an AMD processor since my old Athlon 600 riser CPU. If I got a FM1 board would that be more future proof than a AMD3+ board? OR will FM1 be primary used for CPU+GPU?

I wouldn't mind integrated graphics if it's comparible mainly because the GPU I have now is huge and puts out a lot of heat.
Click to expand...

The Athlon II X4 631 is a Llano chip with its IGP disabled. The A series processors fit into the same FM1 socket, but have the IGP. As for longevity, AM3+ and FM1 are both on their last processor series, so that's a wash.
 
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