32 Bit XP to 64 Bit Win 7

It could be - it really depends when you got it installed, companies have been making hard disks which use ribbon cables but implement new technology to suppy the market of people with PATA (ribbon cable) motherboards.

To show a screenshot you will need to print screen, paste it into paint (crop if neccesary), save file, upload to an image host and click on the yellow "insert image" box within the forums and paste the full-screen link into the pop-up box (or put ...[/IMG) with the image link where the "..." is, and make the final bracket a "]" not a ")").

[IMG]http://img838.imageshack.us/img838/2066/hddtune1.png

hddtune2.png


Just copy these image links into your post.
 
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Yea, please feel free to copy those image URLs and put them in your post, I will remove them from mine if you do so the thread isn't littered with them.

In comparison, here is the performance of a more modern hard disk (Samsung F3 1TB):

hdtunebenchmarkrsamsung.png


if you are low on funds then the existing hard disk should be fine - but if you want a relatively cheap performance boost after you have completed the main upgrade, that is where to look.
 
As far as I know the student version of Windows 7 is an upgrade.

There's a fair chance that the existing version of XP is OEM (sticker on the box should say). If it is OEM and you do an almost complete upgrade/replacement as suggested above then the existing version of XP will no longer be valid as a basis for the upgrade.

You’ll probably still be able to install the version of Windows 7 you have, but it won’t be completely legitimate. If you care or not is a different matter.

The hard drive appears to be a WD Caviar Blue which is never going to set any speed records. The 320GB Samsung F4 is now out and would be noticeably faster at about £30.

Most motherboards still have at least one PATA connection if you want to keep using the existing drive.
 
The Asus M4A78LT-M board has "1x Ultra DMA 133/100/66" ie. a PATA port included, so it will work fine.

It also has 6 SATA connections for adding the DVD drive and future SATA HDD drives.


Edit: @bremen, I was under the impression that any XP version (including OEM) was valid for upgrade - so long as the XP licence is valid. As XP can't do the vista-win7 upgrade step, then the only windows 7 upgrade installation method is clean install (best way of doing it imho). I can't find where it says such an install would not be legitimate.
 
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I got the Key for the Windows 7 off the site, like bought it legit?

Ill get a new HDD if I get a bit more money than im expecting off the family aha :|
Thanks for clearing some grey areas out tho people, thanks.
I just hope I can hook it all up right when I get it, as its my first time haha!
Really excited mind!
 
cmndr_andi said:
Edit: @bremen, I was under the impression that any XP version (including OEM) was valid for upgrade - so long as the XP licence is valid. As XP can't do the vista-win7 upgrade step, then the only windows 7 upgrade installation method is clean install (best way of doing it imho). I can't find where it says such an install would not be legitimate.
Click to expand...

The student version of Windows 7 is an upgrade.

If you install an upgrade version of Windows onto a PC then the PC in question must have a valid licensed version of Windows to upgrade from.

In this case the OP has a PC running Windows XP and there’s a fair chance it’s an OEM version (if it’s retail then there isn’t a problem).

The original question was regarding installing Windows 7 and a possible CPU upgrade. This would be fine as a CPU upgrade would leave the OEM XP licence intact.

If you get to the point where 90% of the original PC has been replaced with new components (as suggested within the thread) then the OEM licence will become invalid. This in turn will make the Windows 7 upgrade invalid.

It may still be possible to install and activate the software, but it won’t actually have a valid licence.
 
If you want confusing try reading the actual terms of the license you are intending on using!

If you have an OEM licensed PC and you keep on using the original case and motherboard then the license will still be valid (more-or-less).

If you change the machine beyond all recognition then the OEM licence will no longer be valid.

There’s a reason retail licenses are more expensive than the OEM versions, and it’s not the pretty box they come in!

If you install a student version of Windows 7 onto a PC that doesn’t have an existing valid licence then you are breaking the licence terms.

If you’re going to break the license terms then you may as well just download a dodgy torrent version for nothing and use that (I assume such things are still available?).

It’s a bit like a small business installing an academic version of MS Office. It’ll install and work, but is no more legitimate than a properly knocked off version.

The odds of an student getting sued for an individual breach is probably so low as not to matter. It is however an issue worth pointing out, especially on a forum owned and operated by a commercial IT supplier.
 
I get that now Brem.

I think ill take my chances and go for it still!
Learn something new every day.

So as one of you two where saying that my old HDD will bottleneck my computer up, how is this?
And I was wondering, could I buy a SSD for OS and use a HDD to install games and other files onto?
As the SSD just like Insanely fast!
Not to sure how I would do this mind :|
 
A small SSD for the OS and a standard HDD for everything else is a pretty standard setup.

It is however so far from your original terms of reference (and budget) that it isn’t worth worrying about.

Do you just want to get the best out of the Windows 7 upgrade you’ve purchased, or do you want a compete new PC?
 
Well basically im buying a new Mobo, CPU, RAM, Case, PSU for now.
Going to buy a GPU in the near future.

So I would say it would be a new computer, the RAM I was about to order is out of stock, do you know if:
OCZ Gold 4GB (2x2GB) DDR3 PC3-10666C9 1333MHz Low-Voltage Dual Channel

Is compatible with AMD CPU's as I seen on a review that they where optimised for Intel and not AMD?

My overall goal is to build a decent gaming machine, nothing Insane mind.
 
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