[SOLVED] New computer, want to make sure I am upgrading enough

hunterc311 · 03-14-2009, 09:20 PM

It's been years since I've upgraded my machine and I'm looking to do so now. I'm not too aware of all the new stuff out there, so I'm just going to give the relevant specs of my current and projected new machine, and ask for opinions.

Current machine:

P4 3.00ghz cpu
1 MB RAM
550w power supply
ATI Radeon HD 2600 video card

Potential new machine:

Core 2 Duo E7200
4 MB RAM
680w power supply
nVidia GeForce 8600 1GB

My main questions:

- how much of an upgrade are the CPU and video card? I'm aware that
it's a good upgrade, just not sure how good, and will it be sufficient for
a year or two?

- also, is it worth the extra $$$ to upgrade to E8200, E8300 or E8400?

- finally, any better video card suggestions under $150?

The rest I'm fine on. Thanks ahead of time!

**Pauldo** · 03-15-2009, 01:27 AM

What's your motherboard?

Radeon 4850 is $140 and probably the best bang for the buck.

Geforce 9800 GTX+ is $110 after rebates and free shipping at newegg.com, depending on your motherboard and who you favor in the graphics card wars. Might actually be worth it compared to the 4850, with that price you could put the extra into the E8400. You could cut your ram down, as well, to help get you to the E8400, depending on what you are using your computer for.

Who makes your power supply? Don't skimp on that.

Pauldo

hunterc311 · 03-15-2009, 06:49 AM

Motherboard is ASUS P5N73-AM.

Already have the RAM, got it for only $20 (Corsair).

Building my own and having it pre-assembled, so I don't know the power supply brand, but possibly Okia?

This is what I'm getting so far (with adjustments to stuff that won't stick when you reload the page)

http://www.smksuperstore.com/product....ashx?ID=37296

Considering getting the video card seperate to find a rebate, like you mentioned.

**Pauldo** · 03-15-2009, 11:28 AM

Good score on the ram!

With that motherboard I would stick with the nVidia graphics cards only. You didn't mention if this is a gaming rig or not. If it is, than the 9800GTX+ will do you nicely.

I would go for a different power supply. Generally speaking, you shouldn't be looking at anything below $50. The OKIA 680 has only 19 amps on the 12 volt rail which in today's world is a bit low. By comparison the Corsair CMPSU 650TX has 52 amps on it's 12 volt rail. It's $80 after rebates and free shipping. There is a guide, here, that will give you an idea of what TSF generally recommends. Scroll down just about 3/4 of the way down and you will get to the Recommended Brand Names and Models for the different types of computer classes.

Pauldo

**wrench97** · 03-15-2009, 12:12 PM

Watch the CPU's the E8400/8500 have 2 different steppings C0 and E0 with E0 being the current production your board appears to only support the early C0 model.
http://support.asus.com/cpusupport/c...roduct=1&os=17

hunterc311 · 03-17-2009, 08:48 AM

Received this info from CS where I'm looking to purchase:

"This option comes with the Okia / Echostar / Ritestar 680W power supply - it can be upgraded manually by customer service after the orderis in the system."

So I'll be doing that after the fact, but they don't offer the one you listed, so I'm on the fence over what's available. Do you recommend anything appropriate from Antec/Coolermaster/Thermaltake under $100?

Also, taking your advice, I'm purchasing this card separately:

http://www.tigerdirect.com/applicati...&Sku=P450-9824

hunterc311 · 03-18-2009, 09:41 AM

Remembered that I have some gift cards sitting on my Amazon account, so I'm gonna just order the case with the OKIA power supply in it, write that one off and instantly replace it with this one for free:

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/AS...nnorswebguidec

So my machine now looks like this:

Asus P5N73-AM mobo
Intel Core 2 Duo E8400 cpu
4 GB Corsair DDR2 memory
XFX GeForce 9800 GTX + video card

My one blind spot is the cooling fan that comes with the package, because it doesn't list a brand name but is $50 over the price of the basic cooling fan option. I don't suppose anyone can recognize what brand this fan might be?

http://www.smksuperstore.com/product....aspx?id=35846

Beyond that, looks like I'm ready to order, gonna wait a day just to see if the cooling fan is recognizable/acceptable.

**Pauldo** · 03-18-2009, 10:21 AM

Good choice on the power supply.

Don't know about the fan. You do get two case fans with that. Are you going to be overclocking? And are you comfortable putting your own heatsink/fan on?

If you are not going to be overclocking than I wouldn't worry about it.

Pauldo

hunterc311 · 03-18-2009, 10:35 AM

Nah no overclocking, and the product is coming pre-assembled in the case with the fans and heatsinks attached, so I won't have to do it myself.

Thanks so much for your advice and guidance though, it was extremely helpful for my only average level of knowledge of these things. :)

Off to purchase the lot... thanks again!

03-14-2009, 09:20 PM	#1 (permalink)
hunterc311 Registered User Join Date: Apr 2008 Posts: 15 OS: XP Pro SP2	[SOLVED] New computer, want to make sure I am upgrading enough It's been years since I've upgraded my machine and I'm looking to do so now. I'm not too aware of all the new stuff out there, so I'm just going to give the relevant specs of my current and projected new machine, and ask for opinions. Current machine: P4 3.00ghz cpu 1 MB RAM 550w power supply ATI Radeon HD 2600 video card Potential new machine: Core 2 Duo E7200 4 MB RAM 680w power supply nVidia GeForce 8600 1GB My main questions: - how much of an upgrade are the CPU and video card? I'm aware that it's a good upgrade, just not sure how good, and will it be sufficient for a year or two? - also, is it worth the extra $$$ to upgrade to E8200, E8300 or E8400? - finally, any better video card suggestions under $150? The rest I'm fine on. Thanks ahead of time!

03-15-2009, 01:27 AM	#2 (permalink)
Pauldo Enthusiast Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: Seattle, Washington Posts: 1,444 OS: winXP Pro sp3 My System	Re: New computer, want to make sure I am upgrading enough What's your motherboard? Radeon 4850 is $140 and probably the best bang for the buck. Geforce 9800 GTX+ is $110 after rebates and free shipping at newegg.com, depending on your motherboard and who you favor in the graphics card wars. Might actually be worth it compared to the 4850, with that price you could put the extra into the E8400. You could cut your ram down, as well, to help get you to the E8400, depending on what you are using your computer for. Who makes your power supply? Don't skimp on that. Pauldo __________________ SystemSpec \| Power Supply Info \| How to Post a Screen shot \| Speedfan[/center] Last edited by Pauldo; 03-15-2009 at 01:31 AM.

03-15-2009, 06:49 AM	#3 (permalink)
hunterc311 Registered User Join Date: Apr 2008 Posts: 15 OS: XP Pro SP2	Re: New computer, want to make sure I am upgrading enough Motherboard is ASUS P5N73-AM. Already have the RAM, got it for only $20 (Corsair). Building my own and having it pre-assembled, so I don't know the power supply brand, but possibly Okia? This is what I'm getting so far (with adjustments to stuff that won't stick when you reload the page) http://www.smksuperstore.com/product....ashx?ID=37296 Considering getting the video card seperate to find a rebate, like you mentioned.

03-15-2009, 11:28 AM	#4 (permalink)
Pauldo Enthusiast Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: Seattle, Washington Posts: 1,444 OS: winXP Pro sp3 My System	Re: New computer, want to make sure I am upgrading enough Good score on the ram! With that motherboard I would stick with the nVidia graphics cards only. You didn't mention if this is a gaming rig or not. If it is, than the 9800GTX+ will do you nicely. I would go for a different power supply. Generally speaking, you shouldn't be looking at anything below $50. The OKIA 680 has only 19 amps on the 12 volt rail which in today's world is a bit low. By comparison the Corsair CMPSU 650TX has 52 amps on it's 12 volt rail. It's $80 after rebates and free shipping. There is a guide, here, that will give you an idea of what TSF generally recommends. Scroll down just about 3/4 of the way down and you will get to the Recommended Brand Names and Models for the different types of computer classes. Pauldo __________________ SystemSpec \| Power Supply Info \| How to Post a Screen shot \| Speedfan[/center]

03-15-2009, 12:12 PM	#5 (permalink)
wrench97 Moderator, Hardware Team Join Date: May 2008 Location: S.E. Pennsylvania Posts: 18,654 OS: Win7	Re: New computer, want to make sure I am upgrading enough Watch the CPU's the E8400/8500 have 2 different steppings C0 and E0 with E0 being the current production your board appears to only support the early C0 model. http://support.asus.com/cpusupport/c...roduct=1&os=17 __________________ Power Supply and Selection

03-17-2009, 08:48 AM	#6 (permalink)
hunterc311 Registered User Join Date: Apr 2008 Posts: 15 OS: XP Pro SP2	Re: New computer, want to make sure I am upgrading enough Received this info from CS where I'm looking to purchase: "This option comes with the Okia / Echostar / Ritestar 680W power supply - it can be upgraded manually by customer service after the orderis in the system." So I'll be doing that after the fact, but they don't offer the one you listed, so I'm on the fence over what's available. Do you recommend anything appropriate from Antec/Coolermaster/Thermaltake under $100? Also, taking your advice, I'm purchasing this card separately: http://www.tigerdirect.com/applicati...&Sku=P450-9824 Last edited by hunterc311; 03-17-2009 at 09:05 AM.

03-18-2009, 09:41 AM	#7 (permalink)
hunterc311 Registered User Join Date: Apr 2008 Posts: 15 OS: XP Pro SP2	Re: New computer, want to make sure I am upgrading enough Remembered that I have some gift cards sitting on my Amazon account, so I'm gonna just order the case with the OKIA power supply in it, write that one off and instantly replace it with this one for free: http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/AS...nnorswebguidec So my machine now looks like this: Asus P5N73-AM mobo Intel Core 2 Duo E8400 cpu 4 GB Corsair DDR2 memory XFX GeForce 9800 GTX + video card My one blind spot is the cooling fan that comes with the package, because it doesn't list a brand name but is $50 over the price of the basic cooling fan option. I don't suppose anyone can recognize what brand this fan might be? http://www.smksuperstore.com/product....aspx?id=35846 Beyond that, looks like I'm ready to order, gonna wait a day just to see if the cooling fan is recognizable/acceptable.

03-18-2009, 10:21 AM	#8 (permalink)
Pauldo Enthusiast Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: Seattle, Washington Posts: 1,444 OS: winXP Pro sp3 My System	Re: New computer, want to make sure I am upgrading enough Good choice on the power supply. Don't know about the fan. You do get two case fans with that. Are you going to be overclocking? And are you comfortable putting your own heatsink/fan on? If you are not going to be overclocking than I wouldn't worry about it. Pauldo __________________ SystemSpec \| Power Supply Info \| How to Post a Screen shot \| Speedfan[/center]

03-18-2009, 10:35 AM	#9 (permalink)
hunterc311 Registered User Join Date: Apr 2008 Posts: 15 OS: XP Pro SP2	Re: New computer, want to make sure I am upgrading enough Nah no overclocking, and the product is coming pre-assembled in the case with the fans and heatsinks attached, so I won't have to do it myself. Thanks so much for your advice and guidance though, it was extremely helpful for my only average level of knowledge of these things. :) Off to purchase the lot... thanks again!