Considering building new computer; hope to save money by using old parts

MightyZRex · 10-23-2007, 10:55 PM

I bought an eMachines T6524 a few years back. Needless to say, it's a piece of junk now. I've been buying parts for it to make it run faster, but unfortunately it's come down to me needing a new processor/motherboard, PSU and most likely a case. However, I would like to salvage as much as I can from this machine. All my drives, memory, sound card, wireless adapter, ect. Trying to save money, you know the deal.

I was hoping you might know of some sort of application or website that will help me reverse engineer a system that will let me run my old parts.

I don't know anything about building a computer so excuse me in advance if I'm slow.

cheapcheat · 10-24-2007, 12:20 PM

"reverse engineer"

I'm sorry but I chuckled a little. Not trying to be mean but building a computer is not that hard. You do not need to go to a website or use an application to build a computer. You just have to put a bunch of parts together. You should definitely read a tutorial on how to make a computer.

I have to say the best option is to get rid of everything. These are the
specs on the T6524:

AMD Athlon 64 3500+ <------------Very old processor. It's worth your time to get a better one. I would recommend something like a AMD x2 4600 (85 bucks)

1 gb DDR SDRAM 400 MHz DIMM 184-pin <----------You will have a hard time trying to find a motherboard that is compatible to that RAM. DDR DIMM 184-pin is outdated. Get 2 gb of ddr2 800 mhz RAM and you will be set (around 50 bucks)

1 x200 GB - 7200 rpm <-----------7200 rpm is the standard. If that is enough space for you, you will be fine

DVD±RW (±R DL) - IDE <----------That is fine also

ATI Radeon Xpress 200 <----------I don't think you will be needing a 500 dollar video card, so this is OK, but I would get a cheap GeForce 8500GT (as low as 40 bucks)

You will need to get a new motherboard since your old motherboard is not compatible with ddr2 RAM and AMD's x2 (dual core). Get an ATX motherboard that is compatible with ddr2 800 mhz RAM (preferably 4 slots, has at least one PCI-e x16 slot, is compatible with AMD dual core processors. This could cost as low as 75 bucks if you get a low-end motherboard.

The sound card is integrated (meaning it is on the motherboard). 99 percent of the motherboards right now have decent integrated sound cards. If you are an audio fanatic you might want to get a 40 dollar sound card but it is not need is the point I'm trying to make.

As for case, as long as its ATX then you should be fine. I would recommend two 120 mm fans or one 120 mm and one 80 mm. I'm not sure how good the PSU is that came with the computer. Usually companies like eMachines and Dell cut corners when it comes to the PSU (actually they cut corners for everything). It is probably poorly made and has the bare minimum wattage. I think you should get a 400 watt PSU from a good company like thermaltake, cooler master, etc (ask around and you will find the good quality companies). Another thing to check out when buying a PSU is how many amps is on the 12+ volt rail, (22 or more should be good)

I don't think you will be bragging to anybody or doing serious gaming/ video editing so this set up should be good.

It should only cost around 400 bucks if you shop around enough or just pick www.newegg.com ;) (best site ever)

Good luck on your build and remember: DO YOUR RESEARCH (I'm just some crazy guy with an opinion).

wintersnow · 10-24-2007, 05:01 PM

Hey I think you can find some good parts in a reasonable price on ebay .

cheapcheat · 10-24-2007, 05:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by wintersnow

Hey I think you can find some good parts in a reasonable price on ebay .

My experience with ebay is it is actually more expensive than retail. You are welcome to check it out but I don't think you will find any good deals and you will have to deal with a non-professional business.

1 g0t 0wn3d · 10-24-2007, 05:49 PM

The 8500gt well....sucks, if you can find a good seller you can get things cheaper on ebay. Please fill this out

Budget: How much money are you willing to spend on the new build?

Brands: Are there any brands of components you want or don't want?

Multitasking: Will you be multitasking with this computer and if so, how much?

Gaming: Will you be gaming and if so, how much and how new are the games?

Calculations: Will you be doing any intense calculations or media encoding?

Overclocking: Do you plan on overclocking and if so, how much?

Storage: How much storage will you need and what will you be storing?

Legacy Support: Will you need support for older hardware like parallel, serial, or PS/2 devices?

Operating System: Do you want Windows XP or Vista, or Linux compatibility?

Case: Do you want help selecting a case and if so, how big do you want it?

Accessories: Do you want a keyboard, mouse, or other items included?

Recycled Components: Will you be reusing any components you already have?

Monitor: If you want a monitor, what size do you want and should it be widescreen?

Stores: Do you have any online stores that you prefer to purchase from?

Location: What country do you live in?

**TheMatt** · 10-24-2007, 07:05 PM

The 8500GT is more of a mainstream card rather than a midrange card. Despite this however there are a few vendors making "superclocked" 8500GT cards.

Answer the questions and we can recommend something good.

10-23-2007, 10:55 PM	#1 (permalink)
MightyZRex Registered User Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: Virginia Posts: 4 OS: Microsoft Windows XP Media Center Edition Version 2002 Service Pack 2	Considering building new computer; hope to save money by using old parts I bought an eMachines T6524 a few years back. Needless to say, it's a piece of junk now. I've been buying parts for it to make it run faster, but unfortunately it's come down to me needing a new processor/motherboard, PSU and most likely a case. However, I would like to salvage as much as I can from this machine. All my drives, memory, sound card, wireless adapter, ect. Trying to save money, you know the deal. I was hoping you might know of some sort of application or website that will help me reverse engineer a system that will let me run my old parts. I don't know anything about building a computer so excuse me in advance if I'm slow.

10-24-2007, 12:20 PM	#2 (permalink)
cheapcheat Registered User Join Date: Jun 2007 Posts: 16 OS: Windows Vista	Re: Considering building new computer; hope to save money by using old parts "reverse engineer" I'm sorry but I chuckled a little. Not trying to be mean but building a computer is not that hard. You do not need to go to a website or use an application to build a computer. You just have to put a bunch of parts together. You should definitely read a tutorial on how to make a computer. I have to say the best option is to get rid of everything. These are the specs on the T6524: AMD Athlon 64 3500+ <------------Very old processor. It's worth your time to get a better one. I would recommend something like a AMD x2 4600 (85 bucks) 1 gb DDR SDRAM 400 MHz DIMM 184-pin <----------You will have a hard time trying to find a motherboard that is compatible to that RAM. DDR DIMM 184-pin is outdated. Get 2 gb of ddr2 800 mhz RAM and you will be set (around 50 bucks) 1 x200 GB - 7200 rpm <-----------7200 rpm is the standard. If that is enough space for you, you will be fine DVD±RW (±R DL) - IDE <----------That is fine also ATI Radeon Xpress 200 <----------I don't think you will be needing a 500 dollar video card, so this is OK, but I would get a cheap GeForce 8500GT (as low as 40 bucks) You will need to get a new motherboard since your old motherboard is not compatible with ddr2 RAM and AMD's x2 (dual core). Get an ATX motherboard that is compatible with ddr2 800 mhz RAM (preferably 4 slots, has at least one PCI-e x16 slot, is compatible with AMD dual core processors. This could cost as low as 75 bucks if you get a low-end motherboard. The sound card is integrated (meaning it is on the motherboard). 99 percent of the motherboards right now have decent integrated sound cards. If you are an audio fanatic you might want to get a 40 dollar sound card but it is not need is the point I'm trying to make. As for case, as long as its ATX then you should be fine. I would recommend two 120 mm fans or one 120 mm and one 80 mm. I'm not sure how good the PSU is that came with the computer. Usually companies like eMachines and Dell cut corners when it comes to the PSU (actually they cut corners for everything). It is probably poorly made and has the bare minimum wattage. I think you should get a 400 watt PSU from a good company like thermaltake, cooler master, etc (ask around and you will find the good quality companies). Another thing to check out when buying a PSU is how many amps is on the 12+ volt rail, (22 or more should be good) I don't think you will be bragging to anybody or doing serious gaming/ video editing so this set up should be good. It should only cost around 400 bucks if you shop around enough or just pick www.newegg.com ;) (best site ever) Good luck on your build and remember: DO YOUR RESEARCH (I'm just some crazy guy with an opinion). Last edited by cheapcheat : 10-24-2007 at 12:28 PM.

10-24-2007, 05:01 PM	#3 (permalink)
wintersnow Registered User Join Date: Aug 2007 Posts: 40 OS: XP	Re: Considering building new computer; hope to save money by using old parts Hey I think you can find some good parts in a reasonable price on ebay .

10-24-2007, 05:49 PM	#5 (permalink)
1 g0t 0wn3d Hardware Team Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Sedona, az Posts: 6,276 OS: Vista basic 32bit My System	Re: Considering building new computer; hope to save money by using old parts The 8500gt well....sucks, if you can find a good seller you can get things cheaper on ebay. Please fill this out Budget: How much money are you willing to spend on the new build? Brands: Are there any brands of components you want or don't want? Multitasking: Will you be multitasking with this computer and if so, how much? Gaming: Will you be gaming and if so, how much and how new are the games? Calculations: Will you be doing any intense calculations or media encoding? Overclocking: Do you plan on overclocking and if so, how much? Storage: How much storage will you need and what will you be storing? Legacy Support: Will you need support for older hardware like parallel, serial, or PS/2 devices? Operating System: Do you want Windows XP or Vista, or Linux compatibility? Case: Do you want help selecting a case and if so, how big do you want it? Accessories: Do you want a keyboard, mouse, or other items included? Recycled Components: Will you be reusing any components you already have? Monitor: If you want a monitor, what size do you want and should it be widescreen? Stores: Do you have any online stores that you prefer to purchase from? Location: What country do you live in? __________________ Bench Test \| PC Wizard \| System specs \| PSU info \| PSU calculator \| Memtest86+ \| Speedfan

10-24-2007, 07:05 PM	#6 (permalink)
TheMatt Moderator, Hardware Team Join Date: May 2006 Location: Boston Posts: 13,695 OS: Win 3.1, 98, NT 4.0, XP Debian 4.0, Kubuntu 6.06 My System Blog Entries: 3	Re: Considering building new computer; hope to save money by using old parts The 8500GT is more of a mainstream card rather than a midrange card. Despite this however there are a few vendors making "superclocked" 8500GT cards. Answer the questions and we can recommend something good. __________________ - Matt M - KB1OSC - Folding@Home 85015 If TSF has helped you, please consider donating. If I have stopped responding to a thread, feel free to send me a PM with a link to the thread. It is advisable to subscribe to threads so you will receive updates when replies are posted. You can subscribe to threads from the "Thread Tools" Menu. »Memtest86 »Prime95 »UBCD »SpeedFan »NHC Personal »Everest »Sandra »PC Wizard »RivaTuner »ATi Tool Click here for Useful Articles and Guides