Packard Bell IXTREME 2712 mobo/gfx/RAM Upgrade

[Dealmaster13]

After receiving some money from my parents as a Christmas present, I've decided to invest most of it into upgrading my current system, as it is lacking a powerful graphics card and RAM, with the Windows Experience Index rating my Memory (RAM) at 4.1 (surprisingly this has changed from the original 3.1 it rated my memory at, before I clicked 'update my score'), my Graphics at 4.9 and my Gaming graphics at 5.3 (My CPU and 2 identical hard drives are decent enough receiving 5.9 and 5.8 points respectively).

I bought the Packard Bell barebone PC from PC World last summer with the following specifications:

Packard Bell IXTREME 2712
CPU: Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600 processor (regretably not the SLACR ver)
RAM: 3GB (1X2GB PC2 5300 and 1X1GB PC2 5300 - strangely only clocked at 266MHz according to CPU-Z) only 2 RAM slots available
Hard Drives: 2X Seagate 360GB (720GB total)
Graphics Card: 8600GS (unfortunate I hadn't seen the benchmarks for this particular card before hand; I have the very odd GS, NOT GT, GTS or 8400GS)
Operating System: Vista Home Premium 32-bit
Monitor: 6 year old Compaq 1280x1024 15"/17" (nb. I bought a barebone)
Chassis Dimensions: 195x420x415(mm)

Motherboard:
The exact model of my motherboard has been really difficult to find, however I believe, after opening the case, has the specs listed below.
Foxconn PT8907MB-2.0-8ERS2H

I think it only has a single PCI-E x16 slot (unsure of which version) which is occupied by the nVidia 8600GS, and a couple of unnecessary PCI x1 slots or something of that sort, one of which has a free TV tuner connected to it (it came with the Packard Bell barebone package already installed - no idea how it works unfortunately). It also supplies 2 RAM slots both limited by the PC2 5300 specification (please correct me if I'm wrong).

I am looking to upgrade my PC for gaming, light photoshopping, programming and general mulitasking (most of which are achievable thanks to the existing Q6600).
Thus, I want to upgrade my graphics card and RAM. Before I do this, I should really be thinking about replacing my mobo as well; as it severly limits the components I can buy.

What I'm looking to buy:
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-EP45-UD3/R/P or ASUS P5Q-E/PRO (budget <£150)
Graphics Card: ATI Radeon HD 4670 or 4850 or 4870 (budget <£200)
RAM: 3GB/4GB of PC2 6400 or PC2 8500 (nb. I have Vista 32-bit) (budget <£50)

With a new high-end graphics card, I will probably need a new PSU, especially considering that my current FSP250-60HEN only supplies 250W. Unfortunately I have absolutely no knowledge of which PSU to buy other than to look for one with particularly high stability, enough energy output and low price (budget <£50)

What I need:

• Information on exactly what my motherboard provides in terms of PCI slots and RAM speed compatability
• I need advice on which products I should buy, if not the ones I listed above
• If buying new PC2 5300 RAM will improve loading speeds of general everyday programs

Please note that I am quite new to PC building, decide to use the upgraded build for light overclocking, hence the motherboard choice (however if there is a significant difference in price between the UD3/P5Q boards and another recomendation; I am willing to go with your suggestion), and will not be thinking about getting a Crossfire/SLI setup in the near future.

Thanks a lot, and looking forward to your replies.
Oliver

PS. Happy New Year!

[BipolarBill]

If you are not getting a new CPU, it makes no sense to replace the motherboard. There will be no real performance increase from it. Besides, changing the motherboard requires reinstalling Windows in most cases.

Your current motherboard supports the video card you want. Go ahead and get it, but invest in a nice 500W brand-name PSU too. OCZ is a good choice - as are Seasonic and Enermax.

You have good RAM and plenty of it. Leave that.

As an aside, that 266MHz speed is the unmultiplied speed. Multiply that number x 4 for the effective speed of your RAM - 1330MHz.

[Dealmaster13]

Quote:

Originally Posted by BipolarBill

If you are not getting a new CPU, it makes no sense to replace the motherboard. There will be no real performance increase from it. Besides, changing the motherboard requires reinstalling Windows in most cases.

Your current motherboard supports the video card you want. Go ahead and get it, but invest in a nice 500W brand-name PSU too. OCZ is a good choice - as are Seasonic and Enermax.

You have good RAM and plenty of it. Leave that.

As an aside, that 266MHz speed is the unmultiplied speed. Multiply that number x 4 for the effective speed of your RAM - 1330MHz.

How sure are you that my current motherboard supports my graphics card? How much will it suppress its performance by?

Will the OCZ 500W SXS run both my CPU and GFX card just fine even on full load, or should I go for the OCZ 800W EXS which costs £69 instead of £44 (I have a very tight budget)?

I have PC2 5300 RAM modules, one is 2GB and the other is 1GB; thus causing them to run in single channel. PC2 5300 RAM is supposed to run at 333MHz. What speed would DDR2 800 RAM run at; I think dual channel would be worth it, but should I get 533, 667 or 800 RAM? See the CPU-Z screenshot below for more details:


So, with this said, is a 2x1GB/2x2GB Crucial Ballistix PC2 6400 RAM set a good option? Will it run at 400MHz, 333MHz, 266MHz or 200MHz?

[BipolarBill]

PCIe x16 is what it is. The card will work.

Have you tried manually setting memory speed to 333MHz in BIOS setup? Try it. Use the CMOS clear jumper if it locks up. Update your BIOS. Any motherboard that supports your CPU should also support the RAM.

I stand corrected - multiply memory speed x 6 for your quad core. Come to think of it, the 333MHz speed that you think it should run at may apply only to Core 2 Duos - not quad. Please research that.

Dual-channel RAM is nice, but not earth-shaking. You should consider:

1. 2 x 1.5GB matched modules

or

2. Switch to 64-bit and two larger matched modules.

Frankly, I don't get my panties in a bunch over dual-channel RAM. It's only a minor bump in performance all else being equal.

You do NOT need an 800W PSU. It's a waste of money. If you need a little headroom, 600W is more than adequate.

[Dealmaster13]

Quote:

PCIe x16 is what it is. The card will work.

But it will run significantly slower than a high performance motherboard with a 2.0 slot?

Quote:

Have you tried manually setting memory speed to 333MHz in BIOS setup? Try it. Use the CMOS clear jumper if it locks up. Update your BIOS. Any motherboard that supports your CPU should also support the RAM.

[Big_Daddy]

"But it will run significantly slower than a high performance motherboard with a 2.0 slot?"

No.The difference is minimal.

You will have 3.5G available. That's the 32-bit limit. The 1G on your video will not affect it.

[BipolarBill]

Getting faster RAM is not going to help unless you change the locked motherboard. "Better RAM" is not going to fix the multiplier. Maybe you should get a new mobo, but not for the reasons you thought originally. I don't think this mobo fully supports your CPU. That's a good reason to upgrade.

Did you put this CPU in or did the PC come with it?

Any OCZ PSU will work fine for a single video card. Don't obsess over it. 600W is adequate for even two VGA cards and the quad. Like I said, don't obsess.

You seem bent on spending "x" dollars here. Just because you have the dough doesn't mean that you have to spend it.

[Dealmaster13]

Yep, I think getting a new mobo is the only way out of this... but that would mean getting a new OS. Frustrating.
Yep, everything stating came as a fully equipped PB barebone PC, yet the CPU and Memory does not run as expected... extremely annoying. Any suggestions?

EDIT: the CPU runs as expected when under load (strange no one told me about that earlier)
However, I don't think the RAM does... again, any ideas?