Geriatric P4 system -what do I replace?

julianhj · 19 Feb 2011 at 08:37

My current system is about seven years old, and it feels it.

It regularly struggles when using Paint Shop Pro, it sounds like my Dyson and I can't run 64 bit W7.

The details:

Abit AA8 i925X M/B
Pentium 4 3.2Ghz CPU
3GB Corsair DDR2 4300 RAM
Sapphire ATI Radeon X1950 Pro Ultimate silent 256MB GDDR3 GFX card
Corsair CX 400W PSU

Sony CD RW drive
Sony DVD RW drive
M-Audio 2496 sound card
Various HDDs, including a new 1TB Samsung F4

Coolermaster Wavemaster case
Dell 2408WFP panel
Logitech LX710 kb/mouse

Windows 7 HP

I'm keen to spend no more than around £300. I'm not a gamer, and the most strenuous stuff I'll be doing is photo processing. The GFX card was bought four years ago and the PSU was bought a year or two ago.

I'm thinking some sort of i3 CPU (don't want AMD), decent mobo, and 4GB of decent spec RAM (Corsair maybe?)

Any suggestions please?

julianhj · 19 Feb 2011 at 08:55

VoG - Currently have the 1TB Samsung F4, which would be my main drive on a new system. My current system runs on a 500GB Samsung F3. I also have a couple of WDs - 320GB and 640GB which are currently used for back up.

Grimley - nice one, thanks!

I know this is OCUK, but I've no interest in OC-ing my machine (please don't ban me!

)

julianhj · 19 Feb 2011 at 09:08

iBSOD said:
May I ask what's wrong with AMD?

I have an irrational fear of them, fuelled by ignorance and some ancient viewpoint that they were always the poor relation.

I fully accept that AMD might be the best choice, but I want Intel.

julianhj · 19 Feb 2011 at 09:10

Cheers VOG, I just read the disclaimer at the bottom of the page for the board you recommend. I'm in no massive rush to purchase - will the revised boards affect prices either way?

julianhj · 19 Feb 2011 at 09:14

Will I need a separate cooler for this, or will the (presumably supplied) stock fan be sufficient?

julianhj · 19 Feb 2011 at 09:28

Thank you for your help, I will sit tight until the new boards are released, and then take the plunge. I assume there will be some sort of announcement by OCUK staff when the new boards are in...

julianhj · 19 Feb 2011 at 11:13

Thanks. I can definitely wait, so no problems there.

I'm now wondering if there is any market value in my old components. Are P4s still wanted?