[Help] Upgrading PC

Shinix

My pc is begging to struggle along now with it's date graphics card(radeon 9600), so an update was really needed. This also meant i had to get a new motherboard to get the PCI-E Slots and new DDR memory aswell, ouch >.<.

I currently have:

Athlon 64 3400+
Sound Blaster Live (sound doesn't really matter that much)
2 gigs of non DDR memory
DVD-R
300 Gig Hard Drive space

Graphics Card
Anyway i decided on the GeForce 8600 series since it seems to get decent fps and is directX 10 capable, although i'am stuck for choice on which of these to go for:

BFG GeForce 8600 GT OC 256MB GDDR3 HDTV/Dual DVI - £92

Below they are both practically the same card but it seems they have some small difference.

XFX GeForce 8600 GT 256MB DDR3 PCI-E DVI XXX Edition 620Mhz - £93

XFX GeForce 8600 GT 256MB DDR3 PCI-E DVI Fatal1ty Edition 540Mhz - £96

Motherboard
a bit confusing though i can't really tell all that difference from one to the other but this is the one i came across and i think it has everything i need.

Asus M2NPV-VM AM2 Skt940 nForce 430 PCI-E x16 GeForce6 Dual - £50

Memory
This seems like decent memory and cheap and i believe corsair is a good brand.

Corsair 2024MB TwinX XMS2 6400 DDR2 Memory Kit (2 x 1024MB) - £64

Tower

Any suggestions for under 30-40 that are big and look good?

CPU
Also i'm not sure if i should bother upgrading my cpu what do you guys think?

DanHibiki

http://www.microdirect.co.uk/(19416)XFX-GeForce-8600-GT-256MB-DDR3-PCIE-DVI-Fatal1ty.aspx

this one here looks like it's got a fucked up heat sink on it. I think that might be a problem for smaller cases, so make sure that it could fit first. Otherwise it looks good.

Rook

I don't think the 3400+ is an AM2 chip. So you'll either have to get a pin compatible motherboard, or a new CPU. On top of that your PSU might not be powerful enough/ have all the right connectors.

I'd take a good look at your budget and decide what you really want out of the PC first.

Shinix

Rook wrote: »

I don't think the 3400+ is an AM2 chip. So you'll either have to get a pin compatible motherboard, or a new CPU. On top of that your PSU might not be powerful enough/ have all the right connectors.

I'd take a good look at your budget and decide what you really want out of the PC first.

I see it say the 64 series is compatible. i've never actually installed a cpu before so i'm a bit blind on this section, the only thing i haven't installed.

I have a 500W PSU since my last one died about half a year ago so i dunno if that would be a problem. Any tips on what motherboard i should be looking at or a cheap mobo/cpu combo?

Rook

Shinix wrote: »

Rook wrote: »

I don't think the 3400+ is an AM2 chip. So you'll either have to get a pin compatible motherboard, or a new CPU. On top of that your PSU might not be powerful enough/ have all the right connectors.

I'd take a good look at your budget and decide what you really want out of the PC first.

I see it say the 64 series is compatible. i've never actually installed a cpu before so i'm a bit blind on this section, the only thing i haven't installed.

I have a 500W PSU since my last one died about half a year ago so i dunno if that would be a problem. Any tips on what motherboard i should be looking at or a cheap mobo/cpu combo?

The 64 series was produced for Socket 754, Socket 940, Socket 939 and AM2, And just to confuse maters the AM2 socket is 940 pins as well but incompatible with the old 940 socket. According to wiki they never produced an AM2 athlon 64 3400+ chip, only for 754 pins (which is what you probably have given the age of your other components), and OEM only for 939.

A 500W psu should be more than good enough, as long as it's got all the right connectors and you can usually buy adapters if it's missing anything.

editing: you can pick up pretty decent Dual Core AM2 cpus for £50.

Shinix

Ah this is just a downward spiral lol. Anyway i decided on getting a good cpu below is the mobo well suited or is there a better on i could get?:

Athlon 64 X2 Dual Core 6000 - £110

So far i have:

XFX GeForce 8600 GT 256MB DDR3 PCI-E DVI Fatal1ty Edition 540Mhz - £96

Asus M2NPV-VM AM2 Skt940 nForce 430 PCI-E x16 GeForce6 Dual - £50

Corsair 2024MB TwinX XMS2 6400 DDR2 Memory Kit (2 x 1024MB) - £64

And a tower which i'm undecided about - £40

Total = £360

Rook

I think the mobo you picked is fine. The only thing I would say is, You'll be 10x better off getting an 8800GTS, even if that means getting a cheaper processor. Once you're running at gaming resolutions 1280+ then CPU performance makes very little difference in most games.

http://www.firingsquad.com/hardware/oblivion_athlon_64_x2_fx_cpu_performance/page4.asp
http://www.firingsquad.com/hardware/stalker_cpu_performance/page4.asp
http://www.firingsquad.com/hardware/battlefield_2142_cpu_shootout/page4.asp
http://www.firingsquad.com/hardware/fear_cpu_performance/page4.asp

Shinix

I think i'm gonna go with what i have so far. Would love to get that card but i really can't push the boat out much further as i will be working my butt off to pay for this as it is. Thanks for the help rook

Sarathai

I'd advise against getting an 8600. The GT model is outperformed by the often cheaper 7900GS or ATI X1950pro, and really struggles with DX10. The GTS model preforms well enough, but currently has a large price premium over the two previously mentioned cards and doesn't outperform them by much.

If you are going to make the leap to PCIe, this 7900GS will give you the most bang for your buck outside the 8800 series.

If you're going to upgrade everything, you may as well spring for an Intel Core 2 based system with a motherboard that can use both DDR2 and DDR3. That should give you a nice upgrade path, whereas AMD is about to change CPU sockets yet again when thier Phenom processors come out.

Concerning your power supply, wattage doesn't mean much anymore. The rating you should care about nowadays is how many amps the 12v rail has. Who makes it is also relevent, since many brands flat-out lie about what thier product is capable of. Who made your current power supply, and what model is it? Also, your power supply being older, you probably don't have a PCIe power connector. If your power supply has dual 12v rails and is from a reputable brand, you could probably just buy an adapter for the PCIe power connection (if the 7900 doesn't come with one) and reuse it. Newer motherboards will have 24-pin main connectors, and 8-pin CPU power connectors, but you should be able to get away with plugging in your 20 and 4 pin connectors. There are adapters out there, but all they do is create resistance.

Also, you sure about your memory? I kind of doubt you have non-DDR SDRAM in an A64 system. CPU-Z should be able to tell you what you really have.

Edit: Dammit, I really need to take less time composing my posts.

setrajonas

I also recommend going with the 8800GTS, especially if you're going into widescreen resolutions. The C2D E6750 is coming out at the end of the month, and you'd do well to either get that or wait for the inevitable price cuts on the earlier models. Concerning power supplies, go with the well-known brands: Antec, Corsair, Thermaltake and Seasonic, among others, are good. Like Sarathai says, pay careful attention to the +12v rails.