Upgrade or New System?

Jimothy · 14 Jul 2007 at 09:35

Hello.

Our rather outdated PC has finally popped itself, PSU going first. We're currently in the dilemna of either updating some of the main components or just buying a new system complete.

Current system spec:

Mobo - GA-8IPE 1000
CPU - 2.66GhZ P4
RAM - 512MB
GfX - 256MB ATI Radeon 9550 Pro AGP
PSU - Blown up..

I would have imagined it to be cheaper to buy newer components than to buy a new system. Especially since all we really need to upgrade are the aforementioned parts. Dual-Core is a must as is 1GB. If possible, are there any mobos that run AGP still since the GfX we currently have is still in working order.

Suggestions?

Thanks.

semi-pro waster · 14 Jul 2007 at 09:51

I'm making the assumption that you want to do this as cheaply as possibly but if you have more cash in the budget then you can make further improvements.

Akasa Ultra Quiet 400W Paxpower Active PFC ATX2.2 PSU - Black Nickel £34.99
(£41.11) £34.99
(£41.11)
Asrock 4CoreDual-VSTA (Socket 775) PCI-Express/AGP DDR2 Motherboard £36.99
(£43.46) £36.99
(£43.46)
GeIL 1GB (2x512MB) PC5300C4 667MHz Value DDR2 Dual Channel Kit (GX21GB5300DC) £22.99
(£27.01) £22.99
(£27.01)
Intel Core 2 Duo E2140 "LGA775 Conroe" 1.60GHz (800FSB) - Retail £43.99
(£51.69) £43.99
(£51.69)
Sub Total : £138.96
Shipping cost assumes delivery to UK Mainland with:
City Link Parcel Next Day (Delivered Mon-Fri)
(This can be changed during checkout) Shipping : £8.95
VAT is being charged at 17.5% VAT : £25.88
Total : £173.79

hp7909 · 14 Jul 2007 at 10:26

Any budget?

Jimothy · 14 Jul 2007 at 12:22

Roughly...£250.

semi-pro waster · 14 Jul 2007 at 13:03

For roughly £250 I'd go with something like this, you could make it dip under £250 by just buying a PSU rather than PSU and case or by dropping the CPU down to the E2160.

Intel Core 2 Duo E4300 "LGA775 Allendale" 1.80GHz (800FSB) - Retail £65.99
(£77.54) £65.99
(£77.54)
Antec NSK6500 Super Midi Tower Case - 430W PSU £58.99
(£69.31) £58.99
(£69.31)
Asrock 4CoreDual-VSTA (Socket 775) PCI-Express/AGP DDR2 Motherboard £36.99
(£43.46) £36.99
(£43.46)
GeIL 2GB (2x1GB) PC6400C5 800MHz Value DDR2 Dual Channel Kit (GX22GB6400DC) £44.99
(£52.86) £44.99
(£52.86)
Sub Total : £206.96
Shipping cost assumes delivery to UK Mainland with:
City Link Parcel Next Day (Delivered Mon-Fri)
(This can be changed during checkout) Shipping : £9.95
VAT is being charged at 17.5% VAT : £37.96
Total : £254.87

hp7909 · 15 Jul 2007 at 08:34

How about...

The onboard GFX will perform the same if not better than the 9550 (see here)

<F0rb> · 15 Jul 2007 at 09:18

Thats probably not a very good idea. A micro ATX would limit upgrade potential, wouldn't it ?

hp7909 · 15 Jul 2007 at 09:36

<F0rb> said:
Thats probably not a very good idea. A micro ATX would limit upgrade potential, wouldn't it ?

MicroATX are just smaller/shorter ATX boards with less expansion slots. But you still got a PCI-E for adding a beefier graphics card & don't forget its got (decent) onboard. Old mATX boards were extremely crippled in terms of overclocking, no onboard sound, etc but not anymore

Recommend you check out the review I linked to

Jimothy · 29 Jul 2007 at 15:16

So here is what I've added up, and a new HDD since my current one is still an IDE. Can anything better be squeezed out of this for the same/less money?

HangTime · 29 Jul 2007 at 15:38

Jimothy said:
a new HDD since my current one is still an IDE

You'll still be able to use an IDE hd on modern motherboards.
If you look at the picture on the website you can clearly see the ATA133 ports labelled.

Jimothy · 29 Jul 2007 at 15:41

HangTime said:
You'll still be able to use an IDE hd on modern motherboards.
If you look at the picture on the website you can clearly see the ATA133 ports labelled.

Alright. Thanks for the clarification!