Upgrade Check

Dynix

Dynix

Dynix

Hitman
Soldato
Joined
25 Feb 2004
Posts
2,837
Hi there :)

Looking to upgrade my system some. Havern't upgraded it for a year and so many months so about time to catch up.

Looking towards a move from Intel to AMD 64bit, so I cooked up this upgrade:

CP-119-AM - AMD Athlon 64 3500+ Venice 90nm (Socket 939) - Retail (ADA3500BPBOX) (CP-119-AM)
£123.95 £123.95

MB-087-AS - Asus A8N-SLi Deluxe nForce4 SLi (Socket 939) PCI-Express Motherboard (MB-087-AS)
£91.95 £91.95

GX-101-SP - Sapphire ATI Radeon X800 GTO² 256MB DDR3 TV-Out/DVI (PCI-Express) - Retail (GX-101-SP)
£109.95 £109.95

CA-005-UX - Ultra X-Connect 500W ATX2.0 Cable Detachable PSU - Titanium with UV Blue (CA-005-UX)
£54.95 £54.95

Subtotal: £380.80
Shipping: £8.95
VAT: £68.21
Total: £457.96

Current system is as follows:
Intel P4 3.0Ghz Prescott
1GB (512x2) Ram (Corsair Value stuff)
400GB (200GBx2)
ATI 9800SE AIW
350w PSU
Logitech G7 Mouse
MS Wireless Keyboard
17" LG TFT
DVD-RW // CD-RW
..and the other general stuff I've missed off.

Just wondering if what I've picked is a god choice? £450 would be the limit, obviously I've stretched a little which isn't a massive deal. Everything compatible, etc? :)

As a side question, I'm thinking on getting another 1GB ram (to make a total of 2GB), would a new 512x2 need to be identical to the current 512x2?

Cheers,

Matt
 
Last edited:
Personally, I'd just stick a better video card in there - maybe a 6800 GS AGP, or even a 7800 GS AGP. And yes, the new 2x512 would need to be the same spec (doesn't have to be the same brand, but that would be ideal). The 3.0GHz Prescott should be meaty enough for a while longer yet - you could always stick a better cooler on it and clock it to hell and back :) You might need a better PSU tho...

Just an alternative, unless you're itching to spend the money now ;)
 
I am just wondering why you have gone for this mobo:-

MB-087-AS - Asus A8N-SLi Deluxe nForce4 SLi (Socket 939) PCI-Express Motherboard (MB-087-AS)
£91.95 £91.95
Click to expand...

When your not going for an SLI setup as you have put down an ATI VGA card?? IMO I think your better off going fo a DFI LanParty UT NF4 Ultra-D mobo
 
I'd avoid the current lot of gto2 cards as they are using different cores, memory and PCB's now to when they first came out. They are clocking far lower than before. I'd recomend you spend a tiny bit more and get the x850xt.

Also if your planning to get another 2x512MB (for a total of 2GB) for the new AMD system then your far better off selling your current RAM and getting 2x1GB. This is because AMD chips loose some performance when running 4 DIMMS compared to 2.
 
With your budget this is what I would buy:

CP-134-AM AMD Athlon 64 X2 Dual Core 3800+ (Socket 939) - Retail (ADA3800BVBOX) (CP-134-AM)
£184.95 £184.95
MB-088-AS Asus A8N-E nForce4 Ultra (Socket 939) PCI-Express Motherboard (MB-088-AS)
£61.95 £61.95
GX-034-OK OcUK GeForce 6800 GS 256MB GDDR3 TV-Out/DVI (PCI-Express) - Retail (GX-034-OK)
£109.95 £109.95
CA-005-HP Hiper HPU-4K580-MK Type R 580W Modular ATX2.2 PSU - Black UV (CA-005-HP)
£54.95 £54.95
Subtotal £411.80
VAT £72.07
Total £483.87 :D
 
If its a gaming rig, i wouldnt bother with a dual core X2 chip.
Stick with single core 3500+ or 3700+ (if you can stretch).
The DFI LanParty UT NF4 Ultra-D mobo is very good.
PSU you stated - CA-005-UX - Ultra X-Connect 500W ATX2.0 Cable Detachable PSU - Titanium with UV Blue - is fine.
As fo graphics definitely go for the X850XT, few bob more but worth it. Much faster than the 6800GS, & no need to overclock like the GT02.
 
Hi there :)

Thanks for the suggestions for the upgrade. I've converted the motherboard and graphics card to the DFI LanParty UT NF4 Ultra-D and x850 XT. I'm quite chuffed that it only comes to just a little under £10 more (£467.36) which I'm sure I can be stretched to for such a nice upgrade.

Again, thanks for the suggestions.

Matt
 
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