cheap upgrade for an AGP gaming system

[warpigeon]

I posted a while ago about upgrading my gaming comp for around $500 and got some great suggestions. Before I act on that I would love some feedback on upgrading in the $250 or less range. Can currently run Skyrim on low settings and I'd be happy with running in the med/high range, possibly a little AA thrown in. I run everything at 1280x1024 on an 18" Dell Ultrasharp. I'm located in the US, and near a Microcenter if that matters. Up for OC'ing.

Parts I can harvest and re-use:

CM Case
OCZ 500w modstream
74gb 10k Raptor (that's plenty of storage for me)
Optical drive
XP Home
Thermaltake HSF for a skt 939 (reusable for other sockets?)
Peripherals

What needs to be replaced (the "barebones", I believe it's called):

MSI neo2 platinum
AMD 3800+ dual core (2210 Mhz)
2 gigs value ram
HD 4600 AGP

Lehtv suggested an i5-200k, Radeon 6850, etc. upgrade when I asked for the more expensive path. If my current rig is a '1' and his suggestion is a '10' are there any upgrades in the 6-8 range for around half the price?

Much obliged for any input!

 

[church473]

How about the A8-3870 Llano? I picked one up...must admit that I only installed it last night so not really installed many programs on there apart from Windows. Seems to be good. I picked the A8, 8gb ram, mobo for £195

 

[Ken g6]

Near a Micro Center, you say? Then I suggest...

...they have some really good deals.
[snip]
Buy an Intel Core i3-2100 3.1Ghz dual-core with HyperThreading for $100, and get $50 off of any compatible 1155 mobo. They have several that would be basically free with purchase.

Then get a cheap 6850 ($130AR), (Edit2: or a 6770's OK too) and try to squeeze some RAM into the $20 or so left over.

Edit: P.S. Be sure to get a mobo that matches your existing drive interface. Many these days don't have PATA; just SATA!

Also, if you feel like splurging at some point on non-gaming performance, you could clone your entire drive onto this $140 SSD!

 

[mfenn]

The current MC sale flyer indicates that the $50 off deal is applicable with the $100 Core i3 2100.

So:
Core i3 2100 $100 @ MC
GA-H61M-DS2 $0 @ MC AP AR
6850 $130 AR
Crucial DDR3 1333 4GB $18 - add another stick when you get another $20
Total: $248

 

[warpigeon]

The current MC sale flyer indicates that the $50 off deal is applicable with the $100 Core i3 2100.

So:
Core i3 2100 $100 @ MC
GA-H61M-DS2 $0 @ MC AP AR
6850 $130 AR
Crucial DDR3 1333 4GB $18 - add another stick when you get another $20
Total: $248

Im a little confused by the mobo choice. I can put a matx in my case?


Here's the MC hot deals...
http://viewer.zmags.com/publication/55af2b66#/55af2b66/27

 

[Ken g6]

Generally, you can put a matx mobo in an atx case. It's just short a few slots. It may not look very good if you have a window in your case. But matx boards are cheap, and you can't afford to be too choosy.

FYI, I offered the 6770 if you can't afford the 6850 after taxes and/or shipping.

 

[warpigeon]

OK, didn't know that. I figured the standoffs wouldn't line up but I guess there's multiple configurations in the case wall?

BTW, I'm not sure the GA-H61M-DS2 is eligible for the $50 off. The page it's on is ambiguous- would appear not all mobos on the list are eligible. I could pay more for a mobo and go for the 6770, but am stuck as to which mobo.

Also, my hdd is sata so I'm good there. Thanks.

 

[mfenn]

OK, didn't know that. I figured the standoffs wouldn't line up but I guess there's multiple configurations in the case wall?

BTW, I'm not sure the GA-H61M-DS2 is eligible for the $50 off. The page it's on is ambiguous- would appear not all mobos on the list are eligible. I could pay more for a mobo and go for the 6770, but am stuck as to which mobo.

Also, my hdd is sata so I'm good there. Thanks.

The header of the ad says says "$50 additional bundle savings on any 1155 compatible motherboard when purchased with an Intel Core i3 2100 processor". The GA-H61M-DS2 is a compatible 1155 motherboard, so it qualifies. Print the ad out and take it with you. If the cashier gives you any grief, point out the ad to them (or their manager).

 

[warpigeon]

Went to MC and got the i3 2100 and GA-H61M-DS2, total $110 after $10 rebate. Going to order:

this patriot 2x4 gb ram, $39:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820220570

and this sapphire 6850, $135 AR:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102908

I'm in CA so sales tax applies. Total cost $296. Over the $250 I planned but this thing should scream at 1280x1024 (I hope). Total is much less than the kid in front of me at pickup who bought the i7 paired with a GA-Z68X-UD3H-B3 for $410. Poor guy was upset that he couldn't stack the facebook $50 off and the $50 off mobo deal, his mom paid though so its all good.

Will build this in a couple days so I'll probably be back on this thread with questions. Thanks church, ken and mfenn.

 

[mfenn]

Parts look good, don't forget the 10% promo on the GPU! That is another $15 off.

 

[TheStu]

Went to MC and got the i3 2100 and GA-H61M-DS2, total $110 after $10 rebate. Going to order:

this patriot 2x4 gb ram, $39:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820220570

and this sapphire 6850, $135 AR:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102908

I'm in CA so sales tax applies. Total cost $296. Over the $250 I planned but this thing should scream at 1280x1024 (I hope). Total is much less than the kid in front of me at pickup who bought the i7 paired with a GA-Z68X-UD3H-B3 for $410. Poor guy was upset that he couldn't stack the facebook $50 off and the $50 off mobo deal, his mom paid though so its all good.

Will build this in a couple days so I'll probably be back on this thread with questions. Thanks church, ken and mfenn.

Shame you didn't get the RAM there as well. Last I looked they had Kingston HyperX DDR3-1333 there for $25 for 2*4GB. It is 1.5v so what you need. I don't know how far the MC is from you and whether the drive is worth $15.

 

[warpigeon]

Build went well and everything's working great. Since I ended up with a micro atx board and my old case could probably be retired I've been looking at matx cases. This Fractal Design caught my eye.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811352009

Any thoughts?

 

[Athadeus]

Real nice cheap case, get it nao!

 

[Danimal1209]

I also recently got a near identical system. I have a 2100 with 8gb ram and a 6790. I am able to play skyrim on high with ultra shadows. 4x aa and 8x ar(or w/e it is) at 1050 with over 50 fps. Loving it.

 

[mfenn]

Build went well and everything's working great. Since I ended up with a micro atx board and my old case could probably be retired I've been looking at matx cases. This Fractal Design caught my eye.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811352009

Any thoughts?

The Core 1000 is a very nice uATX case for the money. :thumbsup:

 

[warpigeon]

Came back to confirm that the case is awesome for the money and a couple questions...

Getting a flashing yellow light where the ethernet plugs into the mobo although the internet works fine. Any ideas? No router, just modem. The mobo manual has nothing on this.

I added an 80g ssd (at $78 for the newegg intel deal I couldn't resist) and there's a program called intel rapid storage technology that preloads with windows when I turn the computer on. If I access it it just tells me everything's fine with the ssd. Does it do anything? Do I need to run it when I boot up every time?

I've got the boot order to start at HD Disk but it seems like it checks three or four other components before it gets to the ssd. This happens really fast so I can't quite read all the text on the splash screen, the last line (before it boots windows) mentions achi, which I did turn on so this is wierd. It only takes an addition 1.5 seconds buts its annoying that I cant fix it. Any ideas?

If you think I should get a router for security, could you please recommend a basic and inexpensive one. I'm on comcast cable with one computer.

Much obliged!

 

[Yuriman]

Getting a flashing yellow light where the ethernet plugs into the mobo although the internet works fine. Any ideas? No router, just modem. The mobo manual has nothing on this.

Activity light, I believe.

I added an 80g ssd (at $78 for the newegg intel deal I couldn't resist) and there's a program called intel rapid storage technology that preloads with windows when I turn the computer on. If I access it it just tells me everything's fine with the ssd. Does it do anything? Do I need to run it when I boot up every time?

You want the driver but I'm fairly confident you can set the program to not start.

If you think I should get a router for security, could you please recommend a basic and inexpensive one. I'm on comcast cable with one computer.

Most cheap routers are utter garbage. I've had so much grief over them that I'd be tempted to connect directly, if it weren't for others in my house. You'll probably be fine... though I'd get a 2nd opinion.

 

[mfenn]

Came back to confirm that the case is awesome for the money and a couple questions...

Getting a flashing yellow light where the ethernet plugs into the mobo although the internet works fine. Any ideas? No router, just modem. The mobo manual has nothing on this.

That's just an activity light. Usually yellow indicates 100Mb/s (which is probably what your cable modem supports) and green indicates 1Gb/s. Nothing to be concerned about.

I added an 80g ssd (at $78 for the newegg intel deal I couldn't resist) and there's a program called intel rapid storage technology that preloads with windows when I turn the computer on. If I access it it just tells me everything's fine with the ssd. Does it do anything? Do I need to run it when I boot up every time?

RST is the Intel-specific SATA controller driver. You don't strictly speaking need it, but it doesn't really hurt anything sitting there in the system tray.

I've got the boot order to start at HD Disk but it seems like it checks three or four other components before it gets to the ssd. This happens really fast so I can't quite read all the text on the splash screen, the last line (before it boots windows) mentions achi, which I did turn on so this is wierd. It only takes an addition 1.5 seconds buts its annoying that I cant fix it. Any ideas?

Nothing to fix really. AHCI has an additional BIOS layer that needs to load in order for it to function correctly.

If you think I should get a router for security, could you please recommend a basic and inexpensive one. I'm on comcast cable with one computer.

As Yuriman said, a basic router will give you nothing but grief with constant resets and crap performance. As long as you only care to have 1 computer connected and you are using a firewall, there is no need to get one.