upgrade time - some advide on what to do please

ranarama

ranarama

ranarama

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21 Aug 2004
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832
Location
Harrow
It's about 4 years since I built my system and I think it's time for an overhaul. These are my current specs:

Antec P160 case
Antec 480w Truepower PSU (nearly did my back in looking for that and found out it's been mounted upside down for the last 4 years:rolleyes:)
A64 3500 processor
Asus A8v Deluxe mobo
2x SATA drives (1x80GB & 1x200GB)
2GB geil value RAM PC3200
AGP 6600 nvidea GPU (Can't remember make)
MAudio 2496 soundcard

I don't need to change monitor, keyboard or mouse.

From what is about nowadays I would think the only useful parts of that system are the soundcard, case and the SATA drives. I'd guess that the PSU is not powerful enough for modern requirements so what I'm thinking is to get something like below:

Q6600 CPU
some sort of cpu fan
Asus P5Q mobo
2G or 4G memory
HIS ATI radeon 4850 GPU
650W PSU
Vista 64bit

My main use for the PC is Photoshop/Lightroom work and to a lesser extent Flight Sim and even lesser extent other games. I don't have FSX yet as it would be too slow on my current setup but I'd like to able to play it to a reasonable standard with the new setup. I don't expect it to be brilliant. My monitor is a Dell 2007 WFP (1680x1050) if that makes a difference about cards and I may get a 2nd monitor at some point in the future. I am also concerned about compatibility issues with CS2 and vista64.

Your help is appreciated. I feel like I'm relearning everything again as I've not kept up to date since my last build. I am looking to spend about £500-£600.
 
I would probably push and go for the 4gb with vista 64. Card seems like a good choice- iv gone with one and awaiting delievery at the moment. Better in some benchmarks than 8800gtx's/9800gtx's which are also a lot more expensive.
650W might be a little excessive as your only running with the 1 card- however i am aware there isnt a great price difference between the psu's.

As you have said at the bottom of your post. I have also just relearnt the ropes myself doing a new build. 1-2 weeks on here browsing around and asking questions should get you back up to spec

Regards
 
Intel Core 2 Quad Pro Q6600 "Energy Efficient SLACR 95W Edition" 2.40GHz (1066FSB) - Retail £114.99 (£135.11)

Arctic Cooling Freezer 7 Pro CPU Cooler (Socket LGA775) £14.99 (£17.61)

Asus P5Q Intel P45 (Socket 775) PCI-Express DDR2 Motherboard £74.99
(£88.11)

G.Skill 4GB DDR2 PQ PC2-6400C5 (2x2GB) CAS5 Dual Channel Kit (F2-6400CL5D-4GBPQ) £51.99 (£61.09)

Sapphire ATI Radeon HD 4850 512MB GDDR3 TV-Out/Dual DVI/HDMI (PCI-Express) - Retail £117.99 (£138.64)

Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium SP1 64-Bit - OEM (66I-01939) £58.99 (£69.31)

Corsair TX 650W ATX2.2 SLi Compliant PSU £49.99 (£58.74)

Sub Total : £483.93
Shipping : £9.95
VAT : £86.43
Total : £580.31
 
mp260767 said:
Intel Core 2 Quad Pro Q6600 "Energy Efficient SLACR 95W Edition" 2.40GHz (1066FSB) - Retail £114.99 (£135.11)

Arctic Cooling Freezer 7 Pro CPU Cooler (Socket LGA775) £14.99 (£17.61)

Asus P5Q Intel P45 (Socket 775) PCI-Express DDR2 Motherboard £74.99
(£88.11)

G.Skill 4GB DDR2 PQ PC2-6400C5 (2x2GB) CAS5 Dual Channel Kit (F2-6400CL5D-4GBPQ) £51.99 (£61.09)

Sapphire ATI Radeon HD 4850 512MB GDDR3 TV-Out/Dual DVI/HDMI (PCI-Express) - Retail £117.99 (£138.64)

Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium SP1 64-Bit - OEM (66I-01939) £58.99 (£69.31)

Corsair TX 650W ATX2.2 SLi Compliant PSU £49.99 (£58.74)

Sub Total : £483.93
Shipping : £9.95
VAT : £86.43
Total : £580.31
Click to expand...

Be aware some of those prices are this week only specials, so unless you ordering tonight they may go up a little.
 
ih8modem said:
Be aware some of those prices are this week only specials, so unless you ordering tonight they may go up a little.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the heads up, a few quid isn't going to be a deal breaker TBH and at the moment I'm looking for ideas than being desperate to fork out the cash to upgrade.

mp260767 thanks for taking the time to put that spec together. It's really helpful.

Following on from smithy saying 650W is overkill, would I get away with the 480W that I currently use?
 
Id say get a new psu either way just for the opportunity for a modular one :) (im guessing that one isnt) just as it provides for a better organised case, which always helps.

You could get away with saving a little n getting a P35 board (you dont get pcie 2.0 which isnt that useful just now or the option of 16gig of ram which again probably isnt a key priority).

I get away with a 400W ethermax liberty psu so it could be ok though...
 
Pingwing what's a modular PSU and how does it differ from what I've got?

If I can save £60 I think I'll just see if the PSU I have at the moment works. I take it that if it is underpowered it won't do any harm other than not work properly???
 
A modular psu allows the user to remove cables that arent in use. In turn improving airflow and cooling within the case. Also makes it look better than having cables all over the place tied up in great bundles.
No as far as im aware if your psu is underpowered it just wont start up properly or bomb out once youve asked it to do something that requires more power.
 
what he said :)

with the power thing, if its underpowered you'll probably get random crashes when its trying to draw more power. typically this would be most seen during something 3D thats making the graphics card draw power, and tends to result in your pc turning off aburptly. To really determine if its underpowered you need to have a look at the amps it provides on the 12V rail (or maybe 5 i cant remember just now, pirating on the brain). anyway most graphics card need a certain ampage to ensure propper oporation (usually around 20amps) and you want to be sure this is ensured.

basically the only thing at risk is your data on the hdd for sudden unmounts (for example cutting the power whilst its writing) but thats about it (unless your in the hyper explosive club see the thread and it will explain)
 
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