First build help request

Tikk

Tikk

Tikk

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Joined
21 Dec 2010
Posts
3
Hey guys, Im just after a little help here, I have a prebuilt PC from overclockers approx 1 year old and am looking to upgrade it. I have limited to no knowledge about doing this though.

Im one of those "learn by doing" type of people and it has been something I have always wanted to do, however my funds and need to use my computer regularly dont really allow much margin of error.

I am currently using the "titan pyro" i think it was called:

Gigabyte GA-M61PME-S2P
http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=MB-261-GI&groupid=701&catid=1903&subcat=

AMD Athlon II x2 245 Processor 2.9ghz
This model is no longer avaliable on overclockers.

4gb of DDR2 RAM

Palit Nvidia GTS 250 1gb Graphics card
Also no longer avliable on overclockers.


As stated, my budget isnt huge and my knowledge is extremely limited, but so far I have been looking at:

http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=MB-283-GI&groupid=701&catid=5&subcat=
For my motherboard, I like the 2 pci-e 16 slots as one day i hope upgrade to a 3 screen setup, as for now though, the second slot will be disused.

http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=CP-244-AM&groupid=701&catid=6&subcat=
As my processor, Im a fan of AMD's bang for buck, plus I understand the sockets on motherboards slightly better :D

*Insert random DDR3 ram here* I honeslty have no idea of the difference between any of the RAM, assuming say 4gb at first, the prices are almost the same and Im far from technical enough to know about any actual difference in performance. Some input here would be appreciated.

I intend to keep my current graphics card and hard drive, and later upgrade to an SSD hdd (hence the 6gbps sata on the motherboard).

Also, I am currently using a 400W corsair PSU, the fan bearing is gone so it needs fixing/replacing soon to get rid of that aweful noise, but is it needed to be able to use the above components (or any of the alternatives people might suggest)

Any input at all here is welcome, so far I have it in my head I can order the above parts, recieve them, take my old motherboard out, put the new one in, put the new processor in, put the new ram in, connect the wires and turn it on, job done. Im aware that Im probably being a little naive to think it will be that easy, for me anyway, but thats where you guys come in :D.

Thank you in advance for all help!
 
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The motherboard you linked as current is an AM3 board with 2 PCIe2.0 x16 slots- unless this is a mistake, I wouldn't replace it.

Have you tried unlocking the cores on the X2? I believe it's a 4-core model with 2 cores disabled. If you can get the other 2 cores working, you'll get a jump to near X4 955 performance without paying a penny.

RAM is a complex topic, but basically if you buy 2x2GB of Corsair XMS3, you can get it for just under £50, and it'll be plenty fast enough. I wouldn't bother replacing it unless you replace the motherboard though, as DDR2 doesn't really hold you back.

As for recommendations, the real question is what you're going to use your PC for. If it's largely video editing or some other kind of CPU-intensive work, a Phenom X6 and possibly 2x4GB instead of 2x2GB of RAM would be a big performance improvement.

If you're gaming, which is what I'm guessing, you should buy a new PSU (Corsair 550 TX, £75) and a new graphics card (5850, £125). Money left over can be spent on a new CPU if you can't unlock the extra cores in the X2- the X4 630/640 and Phenom X4 955 are good bets.
 
http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=MB-261-GI&groupid=701&catid=1903&subcat=

Is the motherboard I actually have at the moment, my mistake, edited the first post to reflect this.

I do mainly game, however I do a little video editing. I was looking to get the DDR3 to more "future proof" it than anything else. As stated I intend to use the new motherboards 2 pci-e x16 slots at some point for a 3 screen setup.

Im happy with the performance of my gfx card, although its a little hot, so I dont think ill change that for the moment.

I was looking at getting 1x4gb if ram though so at a later point i can upgrade to to 16gb if needed without needing to replace the 2gb's with 4gb's.

Am i also right in thinking now then i could just get the new board and put my existing CPU into it and then my budget to stretch to a new PSU a bit easier and just grade the processor later (much later if i can unlock its cores)?
 
If you only run one stick of RAM you lose the dual channel memory which will halve your memory bandwidth. Much better to get two sticks.

Also if your copy of Windows is OEM it is tied to the motherboard, and won't activate on a new one.
 
It is OEM but i was told that it was possible to switch it to a new motherboard with a phone call to microsoft they can "unlock" it from the current board, is this not true?
 
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