Daniel Posted December 13, 2008 Share Posted December 13, 2008 After xmas im planning to upgrade a few components of my computer but im not sure what would give me the most performance wise.. I have OS Name Microsoft® Windows Vista™ Ultimate Version 6.0.6001 Service Pack 1 Build 6001 System Type x64-based PC Processor AMD Athlon 64 Processor 3500+, 2200 Mhz, 1 Core(s), 1 Logical Processor(s) Installed Physical Memory (RAM) 1.00 GB I know i can upgrade my RAM to 4GB for about £40 according to the tool you can download from crucial memory. Plus since its a 64bit system it will utilise all 4GB apparently. Adapter Description NVIDIA GeForce 6200 TurboCache Adapter RAM 64.00 MB (67,108,864 bytes) Don't really know anything about graphics cards so any information on them would be good, Id like to get one that can handle most modern games though. What else would you need to know? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ten10 Posted December 13, 2008 Share Posted December 13, 2008 Not really sure what your looking to add in total, but you may need to think about replacing your PSU should the new components you choose require more power. I would think about upgrading the processor to a multicore one, stick with AMD brand so you don't need to change your mobo. In terms of graphics, the ATI Radeon HD4670 is a cheap low power capable piece of kit. which will greatly improve your machine's graphics capability. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daniel Posted December 13, 2008 Author Share Posted December 13, 2008 At the moment Vista is running particulary slow even with just about all optional settings turned off or on low. Applications like Itunes and Photoshop are a pain to use due to slow speeds. I know upgrading the Ram will solve most of these issues but My computer is over 3 years old now and i feel a few things need to be upgraded. So that Graphics card sounds good The game i think ill get is Red Alert 3 and i should think that card would cover it? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DCK Posted December 13, 2008 Share Posted December 13, 2008 From that information I can't tell you whether you can upgrade your processor, and that's what really would hold you back when you give it a new graphics card and memory. You should try Everest's evaluation edition: http://www.lavalys.com/products/download.php?ps=UE〈=en and see what motherboard you have. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daniel Posted December 13, 2008 Author Share Posted December 13, 2008 This is my motherboard Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ten10 Posted December 13, 2008 Share Posted December 13, 2008 I think its fair to say, looking at your mobo it might be worth building a new machine to bring things up to scratch. Your mobo doesn't support DDR2 ram. Changing the processor to anything close to anything that's standard these days is impossible due to the socket your mobo uses (939) There isn't really much you can do with what you've got except add some ram and try and source a faster processor like an athlon 64 x2 (socket 939) and get a more powerful power supply to handle the extra power needed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Raining_again Posted December 13, 2008 Share Posted December 13, 2008 I think its fair to say, looking at your mobo it might be worth building a new machine to bring things up to scratch. Your mobo doesn't support DDR2 ram. Changing the processor to anything close to anything that's standard these days is impossible due to the socket your mobo uses (939) There isn't really much you can do with what you've got except add some ram and try and source a faster processor like an athlon 64 x2 (socket 939) and get a more powerful power supply to handle the extra power needed. That's a blast from the past! I didn't think you could really find any decent 939 chips anymore, I mean I had difficulty upgrading my skt 939 server 2 years ago. Plus if its DDR ram yer using there is absolutely no point having more than 1/2GB anyway, it wont really get utilized with a slower chip. You can get pretty cheap motherboard kits on tinternet, then you can keep your case, cd drive and all them bits. Just need to get that and maybe a new harddrive (optional but its worth getting a new hard drive regardless because old ones get very unreliable) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daniel Posted December 13, 2008 Author Share Posted December 13, 2008 This is sounding more like a project than adding a few bits and bats to my pc :P What do you think would be an average price for new motherboard/GPU/CPU/RAM/HDD then? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ten10 Posted December 13, 2008 Share Posted December 13, 2008 Well I've built a new machine for about £400 although when I built it the financial economy was much prettier. Case which I paid too much for £50 came with a 450 psu 2 gig of DDR2 ram £29 DVD drive £18 Second dvd drive with lightscribe £15 Case fan £5 mobo £60 Sapphire HD 4670 Graphics Card: £55 500 gig hard drive: £40 Quad core processor (Q6600): £135 Building a new pc is pretty much about what you want it for/ what it will mainly be used for. Its a family pc, my family don't do any pc gaming but I like to play the odd game every now and again, so I just got what met my needs. As for the processor that was down to the fact that there wasn't much difference in price between the ones I was looking at. My advice to you would be to look at maybe purchasing a barebones system and adding parts as you see fit. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DCK Posted December 13, 2008 Share Posted December 13, 2008 If you find your computer fast enough as it is, you don't need to spend a lot of money. For less than 80 pounds extra you can get a modern cheap motherboard and processor (that'll be faster than what you have now), and then buy some new RAM and a graphics chip. You can get: - a 740G chipset motherboard for around 40 pounds or 780G for 50 - an AMD Athlon X2 4850e for around 45 pounds - 4 GB DDR2 for about 30 pounds - a Radeon HD4670 for about 50 pounds. That is, when I convert Dutch prices into euros. British prices are usually a bit higher. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pookiablo Posted December 13, 2008 Share Posted December 13, 2008 Perhaps most important of all, what do you actually use for PC for mostly? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daniel Posted December 13, 2008 Author Share Posted December 13, 2008 mostly i use it for general internet use, itunes, photoshop now and again, microsoft office applications. Just having a couple of these open and the whole thing is crawling along. Just need to speed it up and like i said id like to get some of the new C&C's as i havent played any since red alert 2 When looking at motherboards whats the difference between a 780g and a 740g? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DCK Posted December 13, 2008 Share Posted December 13, 2008 The 780G can handle AMD Phenom processors, and has a better integrated graphics chip that can shut down the 4670 when not running heavy 3D apps (so your PC is more quiet). It's worth the few extra pounds, though it has extra features you might not use. You might want to look out for the AMD Athlon X2 5400+ as well, it's a bit faster but the same price over here. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nolan Posted December 13, 2008 Share Posted December 13, 2008 The difference between 780g and 740g is quality. As in the 780g is high preformance, and the 740g would be medium preformance. It's not quite as simple as that though. Really it's more like the 780g being for enthusiast who are more likely to overclock and need high quality components. Basically I'd go with what DKC said though. Just make sure everything new you get will hook up with anything old. For example, your power connector for the mobo. Otherwise a Power Supply may be in order. Speaking of that, any idea what your PSU is rated for? If you don't know off the top of your head, you'd have to open the PC and peek at the side of it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DCK Posted December 13, 2008 Share Posted December 13, 2008 If your PC is reasonably new (and looking at the specs it is), it's quite a fair bet that everything will connect just fine. Also, that setup probably uses less power than the system now, so the PSU should take it just fine. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daniel Posted December 14, 2008 Author Share Posted December 14, 2008 Would these components work together? Motherboard £62 http://www.zonetronics.com/products/MSI_K9A2GM_FD_FIH_FIHS_MATX_SOCKET_AM2_2600FSB_780G_CHIPSET_DDR2-28601-36.html Processor £60 http://www.shop.bt.com/productview.aspx?quicklinx=541P RAM £35 http://www.crucial.com/uk/store/listparts.aspx?model=K9A2GM%20V2 GPU £60 http://www.lhdigital.co.uk/product_info.php?language=en¤cy=GBP&products_id=21119 so whole lot for about £220 If you can recommend a good supplier that would be good too thanks a lot Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ten10 Posted December 15, 2008 Share Posted December 15, 2008 I would say try Ebuyer they tend to be a lil cheaper. I've checked out a few of your components and you can save a few quid on them. Also they give you free delivery for orders over £50 so if you can get most of your stuff from off their website you can save money on delivery costs from various different places. Your cpu: £57.73 Ebuyer has your GPU at a slightly higher price but in a test order done on that other website the £12.00 delivery fee makes ebuyer cheaper. Your GPU: £63.90 This ram at £35 is very good: 4GB kit lifetime warranty Haven't had time to look into a suitable mobo but by comparing price alone I just picked this one £53.03 I've got work early in the morn so maybe some other members can scrutinise this for me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daniel Posted December 16, 2008 Author Share Posted December 16, 2008 This ram at £35 is very good: 4GB kit lifetime warranty That is £44 :P Thanks a lot for having a look Ebuyer seems like a good site, never used it before though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ten10 Posted December 16, 2008 Share Posted December 16, 2008 That is £44 :P Thanks a lot for having a look Ebuyer seems like a good site, never used it before though. At the time of writing, I.e last night, it was 35 quid. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DCK Posted December 16, 2008 Share Posted December 16, 2008 You can save yourself 10 pounds by buying the 4850e. The performance difference probably isn't worth 10 pounds. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
McPhee Posted December 16, 2008 Share Posted December 16, 2008 That is £44 :P Thanks a lot for having a look Ebuyer seems like a good site, never used it before though. Swap to this stuff then: http://www.ebuyer.com/product/142403 Won't notice any difference at all, it just doesn't have nice shiny heat spreaders :p One thing to remember with eBuyer, they charge for delivery by default. For their free "Super Saver" delivery you need to change the delivery options in the checkout. Sure, it's not next day. It's well worth it to save a tenner though Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DCK Posted December 16, 2008 Share Posted December 16, 2008 Actually those are a bit slower (they have higher CAS latency :wink:) ^ You wouldn't notice the difference though, you can save yourself another 10 pounds with those. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daniel Posted December 16, 2008 Author Share Posted December 16, 2008 thanks for the heads up I'm not buying till January though so hopefully they might have a sale and i can save some more money Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ten10 Posted December 16, 2008 Share Posted December 16, 2008 With Ebuyer sometimes you don't have to wait the whole 5 working days there have been times when my package has turned up 1-2 days later. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daniel Posted December 16, 2008 Author Share Posted December 16, 2008 With Ebuyer sometimes you don't have to wait the whole 5 working days there have been times when my package has turned up 1-2 days later. earlier? 10char Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts