Upgrading older computer

[iufan4lifeul]

Alright, so this is for my dad. I would say budget is right around $250 for upgrading, the lower the better. Computer will be used for surfing the internet, a little photo editing, a little gaming (microsoft flight sim X) etc. What we will be reusing is the monitor (1600x900), keyboard, mouse, power supply (500w), DVD drive, case, graphics card (Nvidia 7600gt, old I know but he doesn't use this to the fullest anyway).

The parts that need replacing:
AMD 3200+
mobo
2GB memory (400mhz)
Samsung 7200.9 160GB IDE HD

What I was thinking:
ECS A785GM-AD3 (V1.0) Motherboard and AMD ADX440WFGIBOX Athlon II X3 440 Triple Core Processor Bundle- $125
Corsair XMS3 TW3X4G1333C9AG 4GB Dual Channel DDR3 RAM - - PC10666, 1333MHz, 4096MB (2x 2048MB), 240 Pin, Dual-Channel - $75
Samsung Spinpoint F3 500GB- $55

Total- $255

edit: Will be putting windows 7 64 bit on this machine
Comments- I figured triple core is all he would need since he is "ok" with a single core now. Is that motherboard ok? I figured I would try to get AM3 to possibly upgrade in a couple years but not sure if it's really worth it?

 

[MisterDonut]

Do you live near a Fry's? I would go for one of their 955BE combos for around $160. FSX is heavily CPU-dependent, I think. Go for a quad, imo.

 

[mfenn]

That looks fine except for the mobo. I would look around and see if I could get a combo with a non-ECS mobo. Check out this combo. It's a dual-core instead of a triple, but the mobo is actually likely to last for the amount of time that your Dad seems to keep machines.

I would also probably just use the integrated 785G on either board in lieu of the 7600GT. If he's not fully using even something like a 7600GT, why not just use the integrated when and reduce the amount of heat, power, and noise?

EDIT: Whoops missed the mention of FSX. Nevermind about the GPU.

 

[Slugbait]

FSX is heavily CPU-dependent, I think. Go for a quad, imo.

Forget the quad, it won't help. FSX is single-threaded.

That 3200+ is somewhat of an (older) beast. It went neck-n-neck with the Galatin core 3.2 CPUs...of course, it couldn't be overclocked worth a damn (~5%) so an overclocked Galatin soundly beat it.

When it comes to FSX, I think you'll be disappointed with a mobo/CPU upgrade. I doubt you'll see much perf improvement. I'd say bump up the video card, maybe another gig of RAM.

 

[iufan4lifeul]

Well, I'm not really looking for any more performance in fsx, mainly just doing normal everyday things.

mfenn, I like your thinking. That looks like a very nice combo for what he is looking for. Another reason he is wanting to upgrade is that the mobo has slight damage due to improper mounting in the case. I think it was bent backwards not using the mounts correctly.

Sounds like a plan then!

 

[MisterDonut]

I just meant go for the quad , not necessarily for FSX. I thought I read somewhere that people got big boosts bumping up cores. Guess not...

 

[deadken]

If I were you, I'd check out MicroCenter. They usually have a Combo with a 'decent' mobo and a Phenom II 555 BE for around $100. With any luck that CPU will unlock to 3 or 4 cores and even if it doesn't you have a good upgrade path. For what it is worth, I was able to buy that CPU and add in a Asus M4A79XTD EVO mobo for like $55 after MIR. ($65 - $10 MIR). I was able to unlock mine and I even bumped the multiplier up from 16 to 17.5 with no increase in Vcore (since it is a 'Black Edition', the Multiplier is unlocked). Basically it's 965 for $99.

Here, this mobo http://www.microcenter.com/single_pr...uct_id=0334738

is free after $10 MIR when you buy the PhII 555BE.

And MicroCenter has 2x2GB OCZ DDR3 for $80. http://www.microcenter.com/single_pr...uct_id=0317772

They also have this http://www.microcenter.com/single_pr...uct_id=0322021
Asus M4A785-M Socket AM3/AM2+/AM2 785G mATX Motherboard for $30 AMIR available as a combo with the 555BE.

-Ken