Alternative upgrade question.

Countcussy

Countcussy

Countcussy

Associate
Joined
10 Nov 2006
Posts
1,369
Right, after reading/searching the forums for hours, it seems i have 2 main upgrade options, due the limitations of my current system.

1. Start again. Complete new system. As my drives are PATA, Gfx are AGP(4x) and memory DDR, its practically a full build. Having just bought a Vostro, i cannot justify this to the missus. :D

2. I have noticed, whilst searching, that there are boards out there that support C2D and AGP (865PE?)

Are these any good? Even if i had to buy a processor and memory, this would allow me to use most of what i currently own.

I see the following advantages:

I could use my current drives.
My 6800 would surely see a benefit from an 8x AGP slot.
The system would run at 800fsb rather than the current 533.
My existing case and PS (Antec TP330) should be fine for now.
The C2D would outperform my P4 northwood big time.

I know this would not be a world beating system, but surely i would see a significant improvement over my current setup.

Am i missing something? Am i blinkered? Is this worth looking into?
 
Worth looking into certainly, it would cost about £150 including 2gb of good DDR2 Ram. The difference between AGP 4x and AGP 8x isn't as big as you'd think (somewhere between 5% and 10% is normal) but it is a bit better. Although note that there is only one IDE socket so you will either need a SATA-IDE adapter or preferably an IDE controller card which you should be able to pick up for £15 or less. :)

OCZ 2GB (2 x 1GB) PC2-6400C4 Dual Channel Platinum Revision 2 XTC Series DDR2 (OCZ2P800R22GK) £41.99
(£49.34) £41.99
(£49.34)
Asrock 4CoreDual-SATA2 (Socket 775) PCI-Express/AGP DDR2 Motherboard £36.99
(£43.46) £36.99
(£43.46)
Intel Core 2 Duo E2160 "LGA775 Conroe" 1.80GHz (800FSB) - Retail £42.99
(£50.51) £42.99
(£50.51)
Sub Total : £121.97
Shipping cost assumes delivery to UK Mainland with:
City Link Parcel Next Day (Delivered Mon-Fri)
(This can be changed during checkout) Shipping : £8.25
VAT is being charged at 17.5% VAT : £22.79
Total : £153.01
 
Thanks for the quick response.:)

Would it give the system a reasonable boost?

At least its a viable option. £150 i could get away with. :D
 
Last edited:
I don't know exactly what you've got at present so I can't say with certainty but as a guess, yes, it should offer a good boost and would allow some overclocking as well. :)
 
semi-pro waster said:
I don't know exactly what you've got at present so I can't say with certainty but as a guess, yes, it should offer a good boost and would allow some overclocking as well. :)
Click to expand...

SORRY!

P4 2.8ghz 533fsb
GF6800 128mb - Pipes unlocked
1.5gh ram
ASUS P4PE Mobo.

I suppose for an extra £30, i could get a SATA hd and run my opticals off the IDE channel. Would have to do a full re-install anyway.
 
Last edited:
Can anyone give any feedback on the Asrock board?

The "VIA Chipset" always worries me :)

Is that fair? I had so much trouble with VIA chipsets years ago. I have only used Intel chipsets since.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom