What should i upgrade???

**nicked** · December 21st, 2009, 12:42 PM

Hi!
It has been a while that i haven't touched my hardware in my PC and I feel like it's time to change up some stuff... I was looking at all the new PC's at bestbuy and some have like 8G RAM!!... Anyways, here are my specs:

-CPU : AMD Athlon 64 X2 4200+
-RAM : 2 X 1G DDR2 333Mhz
-Graphics: ATI Radeon X1600/X1650 series ( 512MB )

...So except for the RAM and Graphics, everything is stock. It's a HP Pavillion a1610n Media Center Edition 2005.

For my upgrades, i was mainly looking at newegg.ca... And my budget is 200$.

Thanks a lot!
Nicked

**Aaron_8015** · December 21st, 2009, 12:50 PM

Well it may be you are better off selling this computer you have and building a new one from scratch.

We need to know what all your components are exactly... I could say get a faster CPU and if your on a 939 platform not much choice for you... Or I can say upgrade the GPU and you might only have an AGP slot so that leaves little room for upgrades...

Details please!!!

Use PC wizard to find out all the info we need.

Welcome to TechIMO by the way.

**nicked** · December 21st, 2009, 01:06 PM

Thanks for the fast reply!
ok well i d/led Pc wiz.

here is what it says:
Manufacturer: HP Company
Mainboard: Asus NODUSM3
Chipset: nVidia nForce 410
Processor: AMD Athlon 64 X2 4200+ @2200MHz
Physical Memory: 2048 MB ( 2 X 1024 DDR2-SDRAM )
Video Card: Radeon X1600/1650 series secondary
Hard Disk: WDC ( 250 GB )

do u need the rest or is that good?
I have dual monitors by the way and i would like to keep it like that.

**stroyal** · December 21st, 2009, 03:12 PM

I think this is the board, looks like you have a PCI-E 16 slot.

Motherboard Specifications, A8M2N-LA (NodusM3) - HP Customer Care (United States - English)

Edit; We will need to know what the specs on your power supply are.

**nicked** · December 21st, 2009, 03:25 PM

Im not 100% sure, but it looks to be exactly the same.

**Aaron_8015** · December 21st, 2009, 04:48 PM

Okay from reading that the max cpu your board can take is a 5000+ which tbh is not work the cost for the slight performance increase... So Changing the mobo/cpu will be the best upgrade for you atm....

Edit; We will need to know what the specs on your power supply are.

Gd point, but with the limited budget it is either a gpu or CPU upgrade....

What do/will you use this computer for?

**nicked** · December 21st, 2009, 04:58 PM

BTW, thanks a lot guys for your responses.
Anyways, Aaron, I was thinking and if it was more efficient to build a new PC i might... it isnt out of the question. It would be my first build so it would be a challenge but i think it could be worth it. I was planning on buying a new PC in 2 years.

So IF I was to build a new PC, could i use any of my parts that i have now? If i was to build, I would like to stay in-between 200 to 800$.

Some more info on my usage:
- On occasion i use video editing software like CS4. It lags A LOT, and thats one of the main reasons why i wanted to upgrade in the first place. I dont want a PRO video editing PC, just something that will be able to run the program more smoothly.

So i dont know if i should wait 2 years to buy a pre-built PC from Bestbuy, wait 2 years to build, upgrade now or build now. In 2 years, my budget would be higher though.... probably in between 800 to 1200$.

Anyways, I hope you guys can help me make a more informed decision

Thanks!
Nick

**Aaron_8015** · December 21st, 2009, 05:07 PM

Its not difficult at all to put your own together, I highly recommend it over some junk from bestbuy.... You will get a nice rig for the $800 budget, you didnt mention anything about needing a dedicated video card so I am going to presume you don't need one...?

(just read the dual monitor part so you will need a dedicated GPU for that but it does not need to be anything special).

I can put together a list and just get as far under $800 as possible....

**nicked** · December 21st, 2009, 05:35 PM

I dont understand what you mean by a "dedicated video card"...
And I think I would be buying the components from newegg.CA since i hear that they have really good prices...

Anyways, is it worth it building now instead of just upgrading the system i have now.
Because if I just upgrade my current system, i will be building a PC in 2 years from now.
If I build now, i will just be upgrading it slightly in 2 years... a upgrade in between 100 to 400$

**Aaron_8015** · December 21st, 2009, 05:45 PM

Dedicated GPU will be a card just for video/graphics as opposed to one built into the motherboard.... If you want to upgrade you will end up switching out most of the components now anyway... Where as if you built one now to be easily upgraded in the future you save yourself some money and headaches.

**nicked** · December 21st, 2009, 05:52 PM

ok well now i got a dedicated GPU... so yes i would need one.
umm, well i guess we are heading in the dicrection of me building a new pc. So what are the benifits to building now instead of upgrading... And does it seem to you that i need to upgrade?Thanks a lot, I REALLY apreaciate all the help. =)

**Aaron_8015** · December 21st, 2009, 06:38 PM

Probs not a good idea asking me if I think you should upgrade. You said it yourself it is sluggish when running CS4, so that would show you need an upgrade.

CPU
Newegg.ca - AMD Athlon II X3 435 Rana 2.9GHz 3 x 512KB L2 Cache Socket AM3 95W Triple-Core Processor - Processors - Desktops
$88.99

Mobo
Newegg.ca - ASUS M4A785TD-V EVO AM3 AMD 785G HDMI ATX AMD Motherboard - AMD Motherboards
$114.99

RAM
Newegg.ca - G.SKILL 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333 (PC3 10600) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model F3-10600CL8D-2GBHK - Desktop Memory
$58.49

HDD
Newegg.ca - Western Digital Caviar Blue WD2500AAKS 250GB 7200 RPM 16MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive
$49.99

PSU
Newegg.ca - SeaSonic SS-350SFE 350W SFX12V V3.1 80 PLUS Certified Active PFC Power Supply - Power Supplies
$59.99

Optical
Newegg.ca - Sony Optiarc Black 24X DVD+R 8X DVD+RW 12X DVD+R DL 24X DVD-R 6X DVD-RW 12X DVD-RAM 16X DVD-ROM 48X CD-R 32X CD-RW 48X CD-ROM 2MB Cache SATA DVD/CD Rewritable Drive - CD / DVD Burners
$32.49

Case
Newegg.ca - Antec Three Hundred Black Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case - Computer Cases
$64.99

$469.93 (not including shipping)

Here is the list of everything you need for a new tower not including a GPU as you can use your old one. It is way under your budget so if you want faster parts or more RAM (I included 2gb) then there is plenty more budget for you to do that. You can also sell your old computer to get some money back.

Benifits now would be that you will spend a little more now but save even more in the future if/when you add more to upgrade you may find it is fast enough and have no need to.... Really putting more money into your existing computer would be a waste.

**stroyal** · December 21st, 2009, 06:58 PM

It's almost never cost effective to upgrade on all but the newest systems. The older they get the less cost effective.

If you upgrade your system as much as you can, you might spend $250 to $300
That's half way to a new computer.

Going from a 4200 to a 5000 is a 20% upgrade and the best video cards might still be bottle necked.

Aaron's processor choice is about a 100%+ increase.

PassMark Software - CPU Benchmark Charts

You can find your old one at 1,121 and the new one at 2,466

**nicked** · December 21st, 2009, 07:29 PM

Thanks a lot Aaron for that list!!!
but would i not be able to use like the PSU, HDD, Optical (even case and mobo ) that i already have?? I just don't understand what the difference is in between what I already have and those components...

**Aaron_8015** · December 21st, 2009, 08:38 PM

It is a HP system so I gather the PSU is a very cheap low wattage unit, The HDD I would guess is quite old and would be slow compared to modern hard drives, the mobo wont support any modern CPU and the case is your call (as long as its a mid/full ATX case).

The optical can easily be re used yes.... The idea was so your current computer can be re-used by say another family member or can be sold on....

**nicked** · December 21st, 2009, 09:49 PM

ok...
so I could keep the HDD, the optical and the case.
What about D drive?
So once I have all the components i just take out everything, then build it? I would still have my OS? and all my info?
_______________________

I have been looking at the CPU... would it be worth my while getting a quad core?

Newegg.ca - AMD Athlon II X4 620 Propus 2.6GHz 4 x 512KB L2 Cache Socket AM3 95W Quad-Core Processor - Processors - Desktops
or
Newegg.ca - AMD Phenom II X4 940 Deneb 3.0GHz 4 x 512KB L2 Cache 6MB L3 Cache Socket AM2+ 125W Quad-Core Black Edition Processor - Processors - Desktops

Is there a big quality difference in between these? and them in between the triple core you proposed?
I'm looking ahead, so I save up in the future =)
________________________

so many questions :P
For RAM and GPU. I see DDRx.. what number do i need or should get... really dont know how that works.

Thats all for now!
Thanks,
Nicked

**Aaron_8015** · December 21st, 2009, 10:14 PM

D drive will be the DVD drive i imagine, It is recomended you have a fresh instal when you change mobo. It will probably ask you to reacctivate when it pics up the new mobo and such.

the tri core is basicaly a quad but with one core deactivated.... It is faster clocked however to that athlon x4 its your call. That phenom II x4 would be faster for single and multi core apps.

RAM and GPU RAM are completely different so they dont need to match.... The mobo I picked out takes DDR3 I did list 2x 1gb sticks (if you want a 2x 2gb set I can list one for you).

**nicked** · December 22nd, 2009, 12:59 AM

Ok so then if i OC the CPU, I would need a CPU cooling device?
And what would i do for a OS? Is there a way to transfer Windows XP i have now to the new system?

Here are some changes i made to your list...
HDD
Newegg.ca - Western Digital Caviar Black WD6401AALS 640GB 7200 RPM 32MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive
RAM
Newegg.ca - G.SKILL 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333 (PC3 10600) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model F3-10600CL9D-4GBNT - Desktop Memory

**Aaron_8015** · December 22nd, 2009, 06:09 AM

Yes if you plan on overclocking you will ned a cooler. Also great choice on hard drive.

Newegg.ca - ARCTIC COOLING Freezer 7 Pro Rev.2 92mm Fluid Dynamic CPU Cooler - CPU Fans & Heatsinks

Pick up this memory which has heat spreaders and better timings....

Newegg.ca - G.SKILL 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333 (PC3 10600) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model F3-10600CL8D-4GBHK - Desktop Memory

**nicked** · December 22nd, 2009, 02:55 PM

And what about the OS... how do i get the computer up and running once all the components are instaled?Also, in how long will the CPU be outdated if it's OCed and if it is not?

Thanks again,
Nik