Need help upgrading my system...

Just read that the Intel Nehalem is right around the corner (sorry, not very up-to-date on technology these days), so was just wondering if I'd be better off waiting for the new boards and chips to start arriving before making any decisions?

In the mean time, if I'm *desperate* to upgrade my current configuration, I could go with the suggestion in my original post - What do you guys think?
 
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I believe that DDR3 will be tri-channel when Nehalem arrives. So buying now may feel like future proofing, but actually you'll still need to buy a new RAM kit to go into one of these systems. Therefore unless you're willing to wait for the arrival of Nehalem before you upgrade (and let's face it, who is that patient in the PC hardware world! :p) then I would go for a decent DDR2 setup.

My option would be to sell the 8800GTXs and go for 4870(s) as well, but taking on board that you're happy with your gfx setup then the spec that hp7909 posted above would be very good.
 
I ended up going with the AMD configuration, as I didn't want to spend more than £400. When these new Intel "Nehalem" processors have been out for a while, I'll consider a complete overhaul.

Anywho, last time I built / upgraded a PC was probably over 10 years ago, so I'm more than likely a little rusty now, and as a result, have a few questions...

  • My ALX has a water-cooling system inside it - I've never installed one of these, nor ever detached it from my CPU, GFX cards, or wherever else it may be cooling - I *presume* it just clips on and off like a heatsink?... But I'd like to be sure.
  • My 8800 GTX SLi graphics cards seem to be attached together by some sort of strip (?) - Do I need to remove this before removing the graphics cards from my old motherboard? Or does this "strip" not actually come off?
  • Will I need to format my HDD after upgrading, or just install the new drivers?
  • Is there anything else I need to think about / do when upgrading my PC?

Thanks again, guys.
 
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Useful to say what components you end up getting.

Depending on above, might find the watercooling kit is not compatible. Meaning have to use standard HSF setup.

New mobo = (highly recommended) format & reinstall OS. Can backup current HD/partition as is with your docs, etc then recover just the latter. Use this.

Again, I'd search around (here or Google) to see if anyone's upgraded your particular system. That way you know what problems to encounter, etc :)
 
Useful to say what components you end up getting.

I ended up getting the following...

  • Mobo: Asus Crosshair II Formula nForce 780a SLI (Socket AM2) PCI-Express DDR2 Motherboard
  • CPU: AMD Phenom X4 Quad Core 9950 2.60GHz Black Edition (Socket AM2) - Retail
  • RAM: Corsair 4GB DDR2 XMS2 Dominator PC2-8500C5 TwinX (2x2GB) Supplied with Airflow Fan (TWIN2X4096-8500C5DF)

And I'm currently running this...

  • Mobo: Alienware (Foxconn) nForce4 590i SLI x16 Motherboard
  • CPU: AMD Athlon 64 FX-60 Dual Core 2.80GHz
  • RAM: Corsair 2GB (2x1GB) DDR2 PC2-3200

New mobo = (highly recommended) format & reinstall OS. Can backup current HD/partition as is with your docs, etc then recover just the latter. Use this.

Does this mean I should be buying another external HDD as well? :confused:
 
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Could you go up to a 790i? Would be more future proof :)

I thought I'd just stick with AMD for now, and get the fastest CPU they currently do. :)

I'll build my next rig from scratch, and make it Intel... Well, providing they're still ahead of the game by then.
 
The RE3 is newer/better. But that range from WD is targeted towards RAID setup or workstations. Get the Seagate Barracuda 7200.11 500GB (here) instead or for their reputable silence, samsung spinpoint f1 500gb (here)

for backup, you don't really need an external hd just either use a spare hd or re-size & create a new partition (re-partition) on current one & back-up there (this is more useful for that task). If you opt for the latter, make sure the new partition is bigger then where you backing up from.

EDIT: That said, if buying a new HD simply install OS on that & copy over your docs, etc
 
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For backup, you don't really need an external HD just either use a spare HD or re-size & create a new partition (re-partition) on current one & back-up there

What use is a backup to another partition on the same hard disk? When the hard disk fails you loose both the orignal & the backup.:eek:
 
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