Complete Upgrade Advice needed

[unbot]

i've been debating if i should upgrade or not... i've had my system for probably over 5 years with minor changes (upgraded vid card about 2 yrs ago or something like that).

my specs are:

abit kt7 mobo
antec pp-303x 300w ps
amd athlon 900mhz
ibm deskstar 75gxp hard drive
seagate 300gb 5200rpm hd
256mb ram
ati radeon 8500
sony 19" G400 monitor
pioneer A105s dvdrom
plextor 12/10/32x cdrw


i'm likely keeping the dvdr/cdrws, monitor, and 300gb storage drive cause they are good enough for me... and debating if i should keep the main 75gxp hard drive.

i'd like to build something new mainly for gaming, but i don't need to be playing at the absolute highest resolution either. overclocking probably isn't my thing because i keep these things forever and would be worried of shortening it's lifespan (this old system is going to the parents).

i've been doing lots of reading up but probably need to do a lot more since i am completely out of the loop on what's out there....dual core, sli, blah blah!

any help would be aweome! thanks in advance!

 

[Steve]

First of all, what's your budget?

 

[unbot]

oops, i forgot about that part. i'd like to stay under 1k.

 

[theMan]

get an X2 3800+
nvidia 6800GS
seagate 7200.8 hdd (i think you should get a new HDD)
seasonic s12-430 or fortron 450w
antec p180 case

since you arent overclocking, go for a mobo that has a lot of features, like the MSI K8N Neo4 platinum, or the Asus A8N-sli premium.

2x512mb (or 2x1gb if you want it) of corsair value select

NEC 3550a dvd burner

i have the same monitor you do, its SWEET. dont give it up.

that should be about it. comes to around $1000 i think.

 

[RussianSensation]

evga 7800GT - $280 (after $20 MIR)
EPoX EP-9NPA+Ultra Socket 939 $105
Or something along these lines
X2 3800+ $325
G.SKILL 2GB (2 x 1GB) PC3200, 2.5-3-3-6 $175
Audigy 2ZS - $54 (after $40MIR) for games
Try to find a HDD with MIR or on sale. BestBuy might have some for $40-50 7200 rpm variety.
Antec Sonata II w/450 watt = $100 + $20 ship = 120

Total: $1060. $60 over your budget, but you have 2 gigs of ram, a good sound card, and dual core goodness, as well as more bulletproof 7800GT.

 

[unbot]

thanks for the suggestions (and links). very helpful. here's what i'm thinking...

vid card: 6800gs or 7800gt...this one will be a tough call. 6800 being around $200, is the extra $80 on a 7800gt worthwhile?

soundcard: do i need one since i mainly play games off of headphones or just 2channel speakers. i guess i'm picky about music quality but would onboard sound cover this?

processor: i guess dual core is the way to go for the long run if i don't plan to upgrade in the near future.

case/ps: antecp180+seasonic/fortron ps will probably put me near the $200 for both (and the p180 does seem to be a little big for me as i don't think i'll need 4 external 5.25"). i like the sonata II w/450W ps for $100, although some people here mention that the case is not great for cooling and does get rather warm. probably need to get a front 120mm fan? i guess i'm not overclocking so it probably won't be an issue.

hd: guess i should upgrade my 75gxp...drat, thought i could keep that...

monitor: ya i love my g400 so i'm keeping it for a while until i need more deskspace...

mobo/ram: hrrrm i need to read more about features and understand more about ram. thanks for the suggestions to get me started.

thanks again for the help! keep the suggestions/comments coming!

 

[unbot]

^ bump ^

 

[thraxes]

Well that more or less sums up what I am going to be buying soon aswell. Difference is that I have a good Enermax PSU already and will not need a soundcard (don't play that many games, computer is connected via SPDIF to a Pioneer surround Revceiver so an Audigy will do me no good anyway). I want a quiet system and components that take advantage of my existing and very efficient case cooling system - no overclocking. This is what I am looking at getting:

Gigabyte 7800GT with preinstalled quiet Zalman HSF">http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16814125214</a>
GA-K8N-9 Ultra with a passively cooled Northbridge
Big 120mm Zalman CPU HSF
AMD A64 3700+ (no dual core for me, I could use it but its too expensive for my budget)
2GB OCZ Value RAM
200GB Maxtor SATA drive to keep my demand for more space in check

 

[unbot]

thanks for the input.

trying to learn more about all of this since i've been out of the loop for a while and all these suggestions and posts on the forums here are really helpful.

 

[theMan]

get an antec sonata ll, cheap, and comes with the power supply, get a 7800gt, its worth it. get 2x512mb VALUE ram. its cheap, and good. maybe even 2x1gb as it will be useful in games in a year our so. for the mobo, you will want something with a lot of features, for example, the MSI K8N Neo4 platinum (SLI maybe) or the ASUS a8n-sli premium. dual core is the way to go for you. just check the Best buy adds for a big rebate for a hard drive. they have a lot of good deals. i just get a 120gb seagate ide drive for $20 after a mail in rebate. try to get a SATA drive if you can, but, its not that much different from ATA133. for the hsf, you should get a thermalrigh SI-120, and you can put a really quiet Nexus 120mm fan on it.

also, dont get that 7800gt that thraxes linked to. its way to expensive for just that cooler. especially since you arent overclocking. just check the hot deals section. is that $280 one still on sale?

 

[unbot]

ya that 7800gt is still there i think with MIR. hopefully they won't run out!

i think i may go with a sli motherboard, in case i decide to upgrade.

thanks for your help. can't wait to start putting this thing together, as my 900mhz athlon is near it's end, at least for gaming.