Budget Speck me PLEASE

atm · 4 Jun 2007 at 15:40

Hi.

In need of a little assistance please.

I should be able to reformat my 2x80gb IBMs and start a fresh there however would like to improve my processing power. Will reuse my GeForce 3 and SC so just need MB, CPU and some memory. Criminal i know but dont need this for gaming just hoping a good clean up will stop a lot of my screen freezes that i get. Budget pretty tight as a split up has left me with all the rent to pay. £150 if i can get away with it. thanks for looking.

semi-pro waster · 4 Jun 2007 at 15:59

This is a bit over budget but it has AGP as well as PCI-E and would allow some expansion in the future. If the budget is really that tight then you could get away with 1gb Ram instead I guess.

Asrock 4CoreDual-VSTA (Socket 775) PCI-Express/AGP DDR2 Motherboard £39.99
(£46.99) £39.99
(£46.99)
Crucial 2GB (2x1GB) DDR2 PC2-5300C5 Dual Channel Kit (CT2KIT12864AA667) £41.99
(£49.34) £41.99
(£49.34)
Intel Core 2 Duo E2160 "LGA775 Conroe" 1.80GHz (800FSB) - Retail £54.99
(£64.61) £54.99
(£64.61)
Sub Total : £136.97
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 : £25.41
Total : £170.63

deadeyedic30 · 4 Jun 2007 at 16:00

Corsair 1GB DDR2 XMS2-5400C4 TwinX (2x512MB)
Asrock 4CoreDual-VSTA (Socket 775) PCI-Express/AGP DDR2 Motherboard £39.99(£46.99)
Intel Core 2 Duo E2140 "LGA775 Conroe" 1.60GHz (800FSB) - Retail £49.99 (£58.74)

Sub Total : £112.97
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 : £21.21
Total : £142.43

Quick look.

Edit, not quick enough.

Jameshill675 · 4 Jun 2007 at 16:01

Semi pro's spec is probably the best your going to get.

atm · 4 Jun 2007 at 16:12

great quick responses thanks

i found this

Corsair 1GB DDR2 XMS2-5400C4 TwinX (2x512MB) £27
AMD Athlon 64 X2 Dual Core 3800+ 2.00GHz (Socket AM2) - Retail £55
Asrock AM2NF3-VSTA (Socket AM2) AGP DDR2 Motherboard £38

£120 plus postage £8.25

would this work? be stable?
would my GeForce 3 be ok?

semi-pro waster · 4 Jun 2007 at 16:18

The motherboard supports AGP so the Geforce 3 should work without a problem and it is cheaper. It won't be as quick as the Core2Duo solution but then considering what you are starting from it will still be a major step up.

kkelly · 4 Jun 2007 at 16:26

I currently have a Celeron 2.7ghz box, the mobo is an unknown (i got the machine for free and it has no brand on it) anyway would the psu from the celeron support the items you have posted , or do i need a new psu ?

Quake wars is temping me back into pc land

edit dam lappy keyboard:}

semi-pro waster · 4 Jun 2007 at 16:35

kkelly, not too sure, what does it say on the PSU label? There is a chance but PSUs do become less efficient over time and I'd tend not to trust unbranded models too far without testing them myself.

steve258 · 4 Jun 2007 at 16:40

atm said:
Hi.

In need of a little assistance please.

I should be able to reformat my 2x80gb IBMs and start a fresh there however would like to improve my processing power. Will reuse my GeForce 3 and SC so just need MB, CPU and some memory. Criminal i know but dont need this for gaming just hoping a good clean up will stop a lot of my screen freezes that i get. Budget pretty tight as a split up has left me with all the rent to pay. £150 if i can get away with it. thanks for looking.

You will likely need a new psu as well I think. Which PSU do you own?

Shimmy · 4 Jun 2007 at 16:49

Errr, might need to ask about this mobo but:...

atm · 6 Jun 2007 at 17:29

steve258 said:
You will likely need a new psu as well I think. Which PSU do you own?

came in the enlight case... it says peak load 300w on the side of PSU..

would this cause random screen freezes?

just done a fresh install and freezes continuing.

thanks

steve258 · 6 Jun 2007 at 17:37

Have you already bought the new parts? what did you go for in the end?

Yes it definately sounds like a PSU problem, do you have a spare to test?

atm · 6 Jun 2007 at 17:49

steve258 said:
Have you already bought the new parts? what did you go for in the end?

Yes it definately sounds like a PSU problem, do you have a spare to test?

havnt purchased just yet.. just trying to sort out *** i have at the mo..

so psu you think... me being stupid but how does that cause a screen freeze??

steve258 · 6 Jun 2007 at 18:17

atm said:
so psu you think... me being stupid but how does that cause a screen freeze??

By not supplying steady/sufficient voltage or amperage on each rail, in particular the +12V rail since this is where most modern components draw their power from. Some generic PSUs usually have difficulties to reach even their rated wattage, plus the fact that PSUs become less efficient over time (capacitors aging) it's not surprising really.

A quality PSU doesn't cost much - the FSP Bluestorm 2 400W costs only £30 with the 500W only costing £15 more.

atm · 6 Jun 2007 at 18:39

steve258 said:
By not supplying steady/sufficient voltage or amperage on each rail, in particular the +12V rail since this is where most modern components draw their power from. Some generic PSUs usually have difficulties to reach even their rated wattage, plus the fact that PSUs become less efficient over time (capacitors aging) it's not surprising really.

A quality PSU doesn't cost much - the FSP Bluestorm 2 400W costs only £30 with the 500W only costing £15 more.

smart.. will this do the job? will it fit? or could there be another problem? memory? heat etc.

thanks a lot for taking the time to assist.. appreciate it ta.

steve258 · 6 Jun 2007 at 23:18

Yes it will fit assuming your current case and PSU are standard ATX spec.

I'm pretty sure the PSU is the root of the problem but like anything with computers I cannot say for sure that it will definitely be the end of your problem.

Either way a good PSU won't do you any harm.