Just when I think it is safe to upgrade

[kRocket]

Just when I thought it was safe to upgrade my old AGP system I tried to come to a conclusion as to what to buy and it looks like I am in the middle of another transition period. My technology is not good enough to keep up with everything and I know there are people on this site that do, so....

I have starting collecting pieces:
500W PSU Antec Basiq w/ 2 12 volt rails
640GB WD Disk
Antec 900 Case w/ LG DVD RW & 3 1/4
4GB of 1066 OCZ Reaper DDR2 Memory

Now I am in a QUANDRY. I thought it would be easy to find a CPU and MOBO that would fit into my budget, along with a Video Card and Vista 64.

All of a sudden the world collapses and AM3 arrives ( I am kinda an AMD fanboy ). I cannot afford to upgrade every 6 mos to year. To make matters worse Windows 7 is on the way.

I am retired, on a budget (severe), and all I do on my computer is surf, email, and play MMORPG's. I never play FPS's so I don't have to be cutting edge, but I do have to keep up because the graphics on most of the new MMORPG's are being upgrading. I want a computer that will last several years and preferably be good enough to incrementally upgrade then.

Where should I go in the AMD world to solve my problem or should I just buy a cheaper Athlon 64 X2 and cheaper MOBO and upgrade again in a year. The AM3 Motherboards seem to be inexpensive but will they require DDR3 memory?

I hope I made this clear.

 

[imported_wired247]

keep in mind, you didn't say what your budget was...

 

[richierich1212]

Well since you said you wanted your new system to last a few years you should get a quad core processor since software in the future will be utilizing more than 2 cores.

 

[kRocket]

Well, budget is a difficult thing. Too me a $100 is a lot of money. On the other hand, if $100 makes the difference between having something to migrate to in the future and another dead end like AGP, then it is money well spent.

I still need a CPU/MOBO/Video card combination unless I can scrape by for another two months on an onboard GPU. That is entirely possible since the only game I am playing currently is WoW and it has rather low requirements by today's standards.

So if I could get by for $250 dollars for now that would be great. Keep in mind I still have to buy an OS.

 

[JackMDS]

Go back in the history of last 10 years and show me when it was safe???

On the other hand safe is Not the right expression, if your system does what you need to do leave it as is.

If it cannot do anymore what you need get whatever can within your budget.

Each one of the platforms have Motherboards that can be upgraded later on when the current state of the art CPU that cost a fortune and is beyond your means will go down in price.

The rest of the components are not upgradable at all so it is not a factor at all, buy the best that you can afford at the moment.

 

[VirtualLarry]

Get an EP45-UD3P, a Q9550, and a Radeon HD4830.

If you cannot afford a Q9550, then consider an E5200.

Overclock either CPU, and save yourself a bundle. The E5200 will cost much less up-front, but will need to be replaced in a year or so once more games start to require quad-cores. But it will play WoW fine today.

 

[Epsil0n00]

Originally posted by: JackMDS
Go back in the history of last 10 years and show me when it was safe???

I would say that during all of 2007 and 2008 it was pretty safe to just purchase the best Core 2 Duo or Quad you could afford... yeah, you had to choose between dual or quad core... but you can't really go wrong with either choice... then all of a sudden here comes Core i7, the end of Core2, and Phenom II. Decisions just got a lot more difficult to make with all of these options.

 

[dunkster]

Another retired guy here. A few suggestions:
- Base your hardware and software decisions on what is adequate for your own tasks.
- Ignore the 'benchmarks are everything' crowd.

My requirements differ from yours only in that I play games like Crysis and Crysis Warhead, which dictate just a bit more performance from my video card.

My last major upgrade, like yours, was forced by the AGP extinction dilemma.

I went with AMD based on price for both processor and motherboard.

I don't need Vista, Windows 7, etc. I'll make that decision when XP becomes extinct.

Hpe this helps!

 

[kRocket]

The last two guys (Epsil0n00 and dunkster) understand my problem well. Unfortunately my copy of XT is so old I can not even update it online (Curse MS for trying to protect updates like they were needed if you didn't have the OS in the first place) so I think I am bound to get some new hardware and software. MY wife wants my computer NOW, so she can play on it. I like the new AMD Athlon 64 X2 7750 Kuma. It is not the biggest, baddest in town but it would make my Athlon 2800+ look like it was running through wet cement. And it is $67 at Newegg. That leaves only the mobo to choose. Several are AM3 ready and $75-$125. With a reasonable Video card do you see this combo getting me through the next say 1-2 yrs?

 

[AstroManLuca]

Honestly, it's going to sound like a broken record, but the HD4830. It's a good match for that processor. The 7750 Kuma is sort of the AMD equivalent to the Core 2 Duo E5200 - similar price, similar (but actually somewhat better) performance. The next logical step up would be one of the new Phenom II X3s at $125+, which would give you a significant boost but of course they cost twice as much! So you may as well save your money if you don't need huge performance. You can always upgrade to a Phenom II X4 later.

So anyway, here's what I'd do given your situation:

Motherboard: Gigabyte, AM2+/AM3-ready, 4xDDR2 slots, AMD 770 northbridge, SB700 southbridge, $75 http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16813128376
CPU: Athlon X2 7750 Kuma, $67 http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16819103300
Graphics: MSI Radeon HD4830, $80 after rebate http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16814127394

 

[kRocket]

Thanks AstroManLuca, you pinpointed the same type of gear I have been looking at in my price range (ca. $250). I just don't think I can do any better right now, not with my wallet size. AMD has just changed all of it's CPU's to the new Tri-channel memory, so who knows what will be here in a year or two. Sometime late this year Windows 7 is coming out. I suspect it will be a significant upgrade over Vista. It also introduces DX 11.0 which will probably obsolete all the current video boards anyway. This package should get me through the day. I know technical advances are inevitable, but I suspect that a lot of chicanery going on with PC gear right now is highly marketing oriented also. I can't think of a good reason not to have just good, better and best. KISS

 

[AstroManLuca]

Originally posted by: kRocket
AMD has just changed all of it's CPU's to the new Tri-channel memory, so who knows what will be here in a year or two.

You mean DDR3 on socket AM3? Or are you referring to the new tri-core AMDs?

Core i7s use tri-channel memory. Phenom IIs do not. But DDR3 is still twice as expensive as DDR2. That's one good reason to get a new motherboard now - get one with AM3 support but that still takes DDR2.

Originally posted by: kRocket
I can't think of a good reason not to have just good, better and best. KISS

In a way, that actually does exist.

AMD CPUs
Good: X2
Better: X3
Best: X4

Intel CPUs
Good: Core 2 Duo
Better: Core 2 Quad
Best: Core i7

ATI graphics
Good: 4830
Better: 4850
Best: 4870

nVidia graphics (okay a few more than good/better/best but still gets the point across)
Good: 9800 variants
Better: GTX 260/280
Best: GTX 285/295

Being able to pick exactly what hardware you can get is one of the great things about building. Then again, it is easy for there to be so many choices that it's hard to make a decision. A $10 or $20 here or there can move you up a level on one of your components. At those prices, it's tempting to just keep moving up and up, but then you realize your final system is $150 more than you intended to pay.

 

[kRocket]

A M L:

Yeah, my terminology is awkward at best. I meant the DDR3 memory and the CPU's that use it. I am not sure which they are. Is it a passing fad or a new tech. trend, I sure don't know. The AGP to PCI-e chamge left a bitter taste in my mouth because it dictated a complete change of gear, not an upgrade. It is hard to build a bridge when you don't know where they other side is suppose to touch land.

If those were the choices, you would be correct but, multiply those choices 10 and you are closer to the real world. I understand what your are saying, and if you are in the business or at least a big hardware fan it may be worth your while to keep up with all those specs and choices. Frankly, I play my games and surf the internet, and I am not really a big hardware fan. I need what I need to get the job done, that's all. I want a full experience however.

 

[0roo0roo]

anything is better than agp unsafe was sticking with agp

ddr3 ..just ignore it.

just get the newest amd chips that use ddr2, just buy that and don't worry, it doesn't affect you. and theres little advantage but to pay more for that.

don't buy ridiculously expensive components to be safe. theres no such thing. such high end components are for people who upgrade every 6 months so a fancy mb is worth it. otherwise its really just a waste of money, stuff depreciates and goes out of date too fast to pretend its worth looking for upgradability beyond a year. soon the parts will be a mismatch in speed and money spent on it will be wasted regardless of whether a slot or socket is phased out or not.