Thinking of a upgrade - need comments (1 Viewer)

[Demandred]

Heya people, my computer mobo just died and I am look for an upgrade, my previous specs were:

AMD 3700X2
All-in-one Mobo
1 gigabyte RAM
9600 GT 512m
250 gig HD
600W PSU
Win XP

The upgrade package i am thinking off is:

Pentium E8400
ASUS P5KPL-1600 SLI Mobo
4 gigabyte (800) Kingston DDR2 RAM
Another 9600 GT 512 (SLI)
1 TB HD
Vista Basic


I was wondering if the performance of the new specs would be more 'in-sync' so that there aren't any bottle necks in performance. The 3700XP & the RAM was always lagging behind the 9600GT and I don't want to happen this time around.

I just hope this new rig should be able to run Empire Total War & the upcoming Starcraft 2 and Diablo 3.

Thanks for your help

 

[RohanZ]

The CPU looks excellent, but have you looked at the P5Q PRO mobo?
Also, maybe go for an ATi gpu? The 4800 series looks killer, i'm getting the HD 4850 512mb for myself.

 

[wrxsti]

Heya people, my computer mobo just died and I am look for an upgrade, my previous specs were:

AMD 3700X2
All-in-one Mobo
1 gigabyte RAM
9600 GT 512m
250 gig HD
600W PSU
Win XP

The upgrade package i am thinking off is:

Pentium E8400
ASUS P5KPL-1600 SLI Mobo
4 gigabyte (800) Kingston DDR2 RAM
Another 9600 GT 512 (SLI)
1 TB HD
Vista Basic


I was wondering if the performance of the new specs would be more 'in-sync' so that there aren't any bottle necks in performance. The 3700XP & the RAM was always lagging behind the 9600GT and I don't want to happen this time around.

I just hope this new rig should be able to run Empire Total War & the upcoming Starcraft 2 and Diablo 3.

Thanks for your help

CPU is good, i have the Intel E8500, runs like a jet!
U might want to reconsider (just my opinion) your graphics card, although the 9600 GT would do fine for the current time, but if your looking to future proof a little...not the way to go.

As RohanZ stated the HD 4850 512mb would be a blast wif your new set-up.

You going to buy a new case or use your old one? Cause your going to certainly need good ventilation.

 

[withoutaface]

9600GT's a piece of shit, go an ATi card.

 

[shinji]

Get an I7 processor!! =D

SLI 9600GT won't do much regarding performancei ncrease. New nVidia gfx chipsets get a big improvement over the 9-series.

Btw, to do SLI you would require an SLI compatible motherboard (one with 2+ PCI-E slots). And the I7 processor would require a newer motherboard. =p

 

[Demandred]

I can't afford the new i7s - I am not a budget. Atm the predicted price is around $750.

I was really thinking of getting a 1 gig ATI 4850 or a Nvidia 9800GTX but again... $$ considerations. But won't a 1 gig 9600GT SLI comes close in terms of performance?

 

[Enteebee]

don't bother with the p5q pro.... get a p5q s/e it's basically the same unless you're planning on upgrading to two vidya cards or have some other special requirement. It's also missing some mosfet heatsinks it's around $154.

What prices have you got on that gear?

Intel Core 2 Duo C2D E8400 3.00GHz (LGA775) CPU Genuine Retail Box $269 - you can get this to 3.6 on the stock cooler, no problem.

2 9600's in sli would be no where near as fast as one 4850, so if possible I would buy the upgrade.

ASUS 512MB EAH4850-HTDI-512 ATI 4850 HDMI DVI PCI-E Video Card $245

Don't buy a 1TB hard-drive... better off buying two 620's ..

Western Digital W.D. WD 3.5” 640GB SATA II Serial ATA100 HDD 7200rpm Hard Disk $99

So $200 for 1280gig.

If you were going to BUY vista my recommendation would be to either download it OR buy the educational upgrade cd... with just the upgrade cd you can get a free full copy of vista (I've done this myself). I did it this way for my parents:

Trick to Buy and Install Full Retail Windows Vista at Upgrade Price Even Without Existing Old Windows CD � My Digital Life

but there's also this way, which I haven't personally tried:

Buy Upgrade Copy of Windows Vista Key and Use it As Full Retail Version � My Digital Life

All my prices are from MSY MSY BUT READABLE (also trojan free) - Main

If you're going to go there, make sure you do an order to the chipping norton store... it's the only one that's any good imo. They only take phone/internet orders and pickups... so it's no where near as busy.

Hope this has helped.

 

[wrxsti]

Intel Core 2 Duo C2D E8400 3.00GHz (LGA775) CPU Genuine Retail Box $269 - you can get this to 3.6 on the stock cooler, no problem.

I got the Intel Core 2 Duo E8500 3.16GHz - Brand New FOR $240

 

[Enteebee]

yeah you can get cheaper prices for sure, it might be worth it to shop around ... for example IT ESTATE has it at $229.00... (check out staticICE :: Australia's comprehensive computer hardware and gadget price comparison search engine for the cheapest prices) but I found for myself at least it was easier/cheaper to just get it all from one place once I took into account shipping etc.

Given that you'll hopefully overclock with this chip it makes little difference whether you get the e8500 or e8400... just go for whatever's cheaper.

My upgrade recommendation using staticice.com for the cheapest prices (this wont include shipping etc) is:

MOBO: p5q s/e - $154
CHIP: E8400 - $229.00
RAM: Kingston HyperX KHX6400D2K2/4G CL5 4096MB 4GB Kit $85
OR Kingston 4GB 4096MB Kit (2GB X 2) DDR2 800 PC6400 $58
HDD: 2x Western Digital W.D. WD 3.5” 640GB SATA II Serial ATA100 HDD 7200rpm Hard Disk $198.00
OR 2x Samsung 500GB 'HD501LJ' HDD - 16MB Cache, 7200rpm, SATA II $158.00
GPU: Generic ati 4850 : $209.00

Cheapest upgrade: $808

 

[jb_nc]

4 GB of RAM is overkill without 64 bit windows cause it cant detect over 3

OR SOME SHIT

 

[Demandred]

yeah you can get cheaper prices for sure, it might be worth it to shop around ... for example IT ESTATE has it at $229.00... (check out staticICE :: Australia's comprehensive computer hardware and gadget price comparison search engine for the cheapest prices) but I found for myself at least it was easier/cheaper to just get it all from one place once I took into account shipping etc.

Given that you'll hopefully overclock with this chip it makes little difference whether you get the e8500 or e8400... just go for whatever's cheaper.

My upgrade recommendation using staticice.com for the cheapest prices (this wont include shipping etc) is:

MOBO: p5q s/e - $154
CHIP: E8400 - $229.00
RAM: Kingston HyperX KHX6400D2K2/4G CL5 4096MB 4GB Kit $85
OR Kingston 4GB 4096MB Kit (2GB X 2) DDR2 800 PC6400 $58
HDD: 2x Western Digital W.D. WD 3.5” 640GB SATA II Serial ATA100 HDD 7200rpm Hard Disk $198.00
OR 2x Samsung 500GB 'HD501LJ' HDD - 16MB Cache, 7200rpm, SATA II $158.00
GPU: Generic ati 4850 : $209.00

Cheapest upgrade: $808

I am just wondering about the ATI 4850, I had a look at Tomshardware site and it seems that a dual 1gb 9600 GT would perform better than a single 512 ATI 4850, I realise that a 1gb ATI 4850CF might really kick ass, but I just don't have the $$ for it.

Does anyone think a 600W PSU is enough to power the rig?

 

[wrxsti]

I am just wondering about the ATI 4850, I had a look at Tomshardware site and it seems that a dual 1gb 9600 GT would perform better than a single 512 ATI 4850, I realise that a 1gb ATI 4850CF might really kick ass, but I just don't have the $$ for it.

Does anyone think a 600W PSU is enough to power the rig?

As a minimum yes. For my rig ive got 850 W PSU

 

[RohanZ]

I am just wondering about the ATI 4850, I had a look at Tomshardware site and it seems that a dual 1gb 9600 GT would perform better than a single 512 ATI 4850, I realise that a 1gb ATI 4850CF might really kick ass, but I just don't have the $$ for it.

Does anyone think a 600W PSU is enough to power the rig?

If you're gonna duel the 9600 GT, i don't think 600W will be enough, imo. Stick with the 4850, or if you want to conserve some power, try the 4550. I've been told the 4850 is definitely worth the money. As for the CPU, i'm looking to buy the E8400 or the E8500, Intel has the upper hand with the CPUs atm.
As NTB suggested, the Kingston 4gb ram is a good buy. I would suggest pretty much the same as NTB for the rest. *shrug*

 

[Enteebee]

What sort of 600w PSU? Not all PSU's are the same, depends on how many rails etc...
If you want to sli 9600's then you'll need a more expensive mobo and while there might be a slight performance gain you'll have a bit more heat, noise etc.