Hey! Help me (tell me an advice) to upgrade my computer.
I have this configuration for about 5 and 1/2 years now, and want to make it better at the end of the year (planning to buy some new components)...
So I need new stuff :
- mother board
- processor
- lot of RAM
- graphic card
Suggest me for each part - what brand, how much, how much money is costing... please :)
What's the highest you would pay for the complete rig?
Happy to help, name price and tel us your current config, so we can see what parts can be reused and what needs to be replaced. Don't forget case and PSU.
From me, I suggest Intel and nVidia ;)
Quote from: The Uninvited Gremlin on September 29, 2013, 05:27:04 pm
What's the highest you would pay for the complete rig?
About 1000$, maybe a little bit more.
I have:
P4 - 3GHz
2GB DDR
Ati Radeon with 512Mb
(want to change those parts)
Hey smeghead! Yeah you!! Read the whole thing first before you start doing stuff.
Cool beans! I'll help too. Used to run my own business building systems for personal use and still do it on the side.
Since we've got a few folks here we can design by committee if you're all up for it. Our combined brain power should help us prevent any mistakes! If you don't wanna do that, I'm still gonna go ahead and do my thing so don't get in my way. (sarcasm) :P
Whatever the case, smeghead I need you to download this program (http://www.piriform.com/speccy) here. It is called Speccy and it will give us a complete rundown of your system specs in detail. Install Speccy and run it. Then once it compiles all your system's information go to File and select "save as text file". From there you can copy/paste the relevant data we need.
Specifically we'll need the Motherboard, CPU, and GPU (video card) information. Or, if you'd rather and feel comfortable doing so, you can paste the entire contents of the file (or feel free to PM it to me and I'll post all the relevant stuff we need).
Beyond that, I'm just gonna post my current thoughts on the information you have posted. It's gonna have some technobabble in it so if you don't understand it all, don't worry. It's more of a reference for myself and for others that are taking part in this process.
Since you're on a Pentium 4 we need to know the exact specs of that Pentium 4 since that chip utilized several different socket types over its lifespan, most of which are obsolete by today's standards. This is going to be important because if we have to match for a very old socket type, it will impact what other types of components we can suggest for you. This is because socket type is a reasonably good indicator of your motherboard's other specs such as PCI-e speeds, acceptable RAM types, power requirements, et cetera.
P4 lasted up to the LGA775 socket and if you have that socket type we can work with it, though I'd still recommend upgrading so you aren't bound to using older parts (like I am currently). If you have a P4 that uses any socket type older than LGA775 a complete rebuild is going to be required.
That said... if you can't tell already I am pushing you toward a complete rebuild because even if your processor uses the most recent socket type that P4 used, it's still going to be obsolete. Moreover, with a budget of 1,000 USD it shouldn't be a difficult task to construct something significantly better than what you currently have.
You are CERTAIN that you can spent 1,000 USD, yes? Your estimate needs to be set in stone, otherwise it could throw all of this out of whack. So be prepared to spend up to your maximum amount.
Oh also, smeghead, what types of software do you usually run? I assume this is going to be for gaming. What kind of games do you play? What is the most graphically intensive game you want to play with this system? Tell us this will give us a rough benchmark to aim for when we start picking parts. And do you plan on putting it all together yourself? Is that something you are comfortable doing? Let us know!!
Finally, I notice your profile says you are from Croatia. Is that your current location? The reason I ask is because some websites do not ship internationally, which can impact what we can get for you, how soon we can get it, and the overall price (tax laws are a bitch). It's usually not a huge deal but it does matter. So let us know what country you will be in when the parts ship out.
Don't worry, this is the most complex part. It gets easier once we're past the information gathering stage. ;)
Thanks for the help. That Speccy program is cool...
Yes, I'm from Croatia... but i didn't want to order parts from out of my coutnry, i don't know... maybe i will, if the price is good...
Here are specifications of my PC:
Operating System
Windows XP Professional 32-bit SP3
CPU
Intel Pentium 4 630
Prescott 90nm Technology
RAM
2,00GB Dual-Channel DDR2 @ 333MHz (5-5-5-15)
Motherboard
ECS 945GCT-M2 (CPU 1) 40 °C
Graphics
E2441 (1280x768@60Hz)
512MB ATI Radeon HD 4800 Series (Sapphire/PCPartner) 55 °C
Hard Drives
932GB Western Digital WDC WD10EZRX-00A8LB0 (SATA) 40 °C
Optical Drives
TSSTcorp CDDVDW SH-S223C
TSSTcorp CDDVDW SH-S203D
DTSOFT Virtual CdRom Device
DTSOFT Virtual CdRom Device
Audio
AMD High Definition Audio Device
Thanks! Here are links to your current Mobo and CPU specs for reference material.
Motherboard (http://www.ecs.com.tw/ECSWebSite/Product/Product_Detail.aspx?DetailID=810&CategoryID=1&MenuID=16&LanID=9)
CPU (http://ark.intel.com/products/27478/Intel-Pentium-4-Processor-630-supporting-HT-Technology-2M-Cache-3_00-GHz-800-MHz-FSB)
Looks like you're gonna be capped at LGA775, DDR2 DIMM memory, and a single PCI-e x16 (most likely PCI-e 1.0).
So... okay we can work with that, but we can easily build you a whole new system given your current budget. That is the course of action I think we need to take. Before I go on I need to know if you have access to an operating system. 64-bit is required if you want more than 4 gigs of RAM, and I think it's time for you to move on from Windows XP. (if we go the new system route, you can keep your current system as an XP machine and have both)
Your best odds are to track down a copy of Windows 7 64-bit. If you can get one yourself at low cost that is optimal, otherwise you'll need to burn some of your budget on a fresh copy. You should be able to find it for under 100 bucks. Don't try to get a hacked or pirated version, really. It's more of a hassle in the long run.
Report back once you figure out what you wanna do for an operating system and we'll adjust your budget accordingly. Speaking of your budget, I accidentally made an improper assumption and assumed you were spending 1,000 USD. Is that the case? Or is it another currency? I can (and have) worked with exchange rates so it's no problem.
**EDIT**
Just a heads up, I have work in about 30 minutes and I'll be out most of the evening (EST time zone) so I won't be able to reply for a bit. Since we have until the end of the year it shouldn't be a big deal. I have Wednesday off (tomorrow is a killer though) so if I can't something specced out for you tomorrow, Wednesday should be the day.
Ok, thanks!
I realy didn't know some of those things... so I must go on WINDOWS 7 if want to have more RAM!
Well, that's about what's my budget covering ~ 1000 USD. i think will be enough to buy some decent hardware!
Ok time for some suggestions:
Mobo: ASROCK Z87 Pro4
Cpu: Intel Core i5-4670K
Ram: Kingston 8GB (2x4) KIT DDR3 1600MHz CL9
VGA: MSI N680GTX
Thanks, i'm gonna check for prices...
...so on that cnfg. will be able to run newer games easily?
Yeah that should work nicely.
I'm on break right now, thinking I'll be able to get you my own proposal to you tomorrow. Since we have the luxury of time we can all put our brains together and get something good put together. :)
Shoul be awesome ;)
Also think about buying both new hdd and a SSD. But I may be over-stepping the budget..
Throwing more thoughts down here.
I like the LGA 1155 socket motherboards. It's not as current as the LGA 1150 boards so it can't run Intel's Haswell CPUs but it can run their Ivy Bridge CPUs which are still very good. Haswell only has a small level of improvement over Ivy Bridge and the Haswells don't have a stellar reputation, or at the very least they have more reported failure issues than the Ivys do. Plus Haswell runs hotter and I hate heat. Heat is the enemy here.
That said, I do like ASRock's boards of late and am eying the Z77 (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157293) as the board for your system. It's basically the same board that jpx72 recommended except it is designed around LGA 1155 rather than LGA 1150.
In terms of the CPU, the Intel i5 3570K (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819116504) is a really nice processor for gaming and other resource-heavy tasks. If you ask CPU experts they would probably recommend the 2500K but those are very hard to find now so I can't really recommend it.
When it comes to video cards I am currently in the Nvidia camp again after a few years of using ATI. Nvidia's drivers are just better and their PhysX graphics system has become something I'm envious of. Games look great with it, plain and simple. I'm eying the GTX660 (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814121656) for your needs. It meshes well with the CPU and shouldn't cause any bottlenecking and it runs relatively cool and quiet compared to the higher test cards that are out there.
RAM! Nothing like loading a system up with RAM. I've been following this company for a while now and they've risen to more or less dominate the market and for good reason. G.SKILL makes some nice stuff and their Ripjaws series has always been a winner. Eight gigs of this RAM here (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231314) should do you good. If and when you save up some more money (and when the price of higher test RAM lowers) you could look into getting some DDR3 2800 RAM, but for now that's way too expensive for this build and is therefore out of the question. DDR3 1600 will more than suffice and it's cheap!
As of now the ballpark price for these core components is around 685 USD, not counting any tax or shipping. And the OS we can assume will cost around 100 USD which puts of at 785 USD... we can round to 800 USD. This leaves plenty of wiggle room to swap out parts for something else. That said, you also need a power supply, a hard drive, and a case. You should be able to scavenge any optical drives from your current system unless you wanted to keep that system intact.
Your power supply (PSU) needs to be able to handle the CPU and GPU and most GPUs nowadays require multiple 6-pin PCI-e plugs, so be aware of this. I'd also recommend a hard drive over solid state unless you have money to burn. It's an upgrade you can make later but even with a SSD you should have a nice HDD that spins at at least 7200rpm. Don't get anything slower than 7200rpm if you plan to pair it with a SSD at some point. And then the case. Since the GPUs are gonna be on the bigger side and since both boards jpx72 and I recommended are ATX size, you'll want a mid tower case or a full tower case to be sure you can fit everything. Don't go too small with this build.
Anyway there's some food for thought. My main goal when I build systems is to make sure the components are in balance with one another. An unbalanced machine will cause problems. Bottlenecks are not your friend!! These components I've specced out so far will work nicely with one another, as will comparable parts. Remember: you are spending 1,000 USD, not 3,000 USD, so mind your wandering eyes. ;)
Tell me what you're all thinking and I'll check in later tomorrow.
Listen to PatMan33! Awesome post!
You now have everything you need, now only find the right price. I am buying components locally, so can't help you there.
Well PatMan, you're expert ! You know so much about PC hardware. :) :) Thanks for the help.
Happy to help! Shoot me a PM if you have any questions. I'll keep checking this topic but I can't promise I'll be here every single day, so a PM will ping my email and let me know you asked a question.
Again, you have the luxury of time so these prices will only come down. Heck you may get lucky and some components could go into end of life sale which could net you huge savings. Keep your eyes peeled and don't be afraid to buy at a later date. Nobody is gonna give you a prize for buying everything as soon as possible. :P
I always build my PCs after Thanksgiving, since a lot of sites (Newegg, in particular) will do a bunch of black friday (cyber monday!) deals. Not sure if the OP wants to wait that long or if the shipping prices to Croatia would negate the savings.
Go with one of the Republic of Gamers intel board.. (amd if light on the budget)
Maximus VI Hero is a nice inexpensive board.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131989
It's happening ;D
Operating System
Windows 7 Professional 64-bit SP1
CPU
Intel Core i5 3570 @ 3.40GHz 56 °C
Ivy Bridge 22nm Technology
RAM
8,00GB Dual-Channel DDR3 @ 800MHz (11-11-11-28)
Motherboard
ASRock Z77 Performance (CPUSocket) 40 °C
Graphics
E2441 (1920x1080@60Hz)
Intel HD Graphics (ASRock)
2047MB NVIDIA GeForce GTX 760 (ASUStek Computer Inc) 41 °C
Hard Drives
932GB Western Digital WDC WD10EZRX-00A8LB0 ATA Device (SATA) 39 °C
Optical Drives
DTSOFT Virtual CdRom Device
TSSTcorp CDDVDW SH-S203D ATA Device
TSSTcorp CDDVDW SH-S223C ATA Device
Cool beans! How is it??
It's great... what can i say, i can do anything i want on this PC configuration without any problems, playing games, photoshop, video editing...
and Windows 7 is just amazing!
Thanks for the advice what parts to buy!!!