Upgrading Help...

Associate
Joined
26 Feb 2006
Posts
21
Location
Rushden, Northants
Hi all,

I have spent a lot of time lurking, and perusing the shop. But I now have a small dilema.

I have just recently got a new computer, a pre-built branded one, and there are items that I would like upgrade, but am not sure what to get.

The main part that requires upgrading, is the PSU. The one that is in there currently, is a 300w Bestec jobbie. According to the motherboard manual, it should be at least 350W, and I want to add various extras, see below.

Second is the graphics card. No laughing, but, the pci-e slot is filled with an Nvidia 6200SE with Turbocache.

Third is more memory. Currently I have 2 x 512mb samsung PC3200 sticks. Would I be better off going for another 2 sticks, or possibly just one 1Gb stick?

Lastly, I am not certain if I need a sound card, and I have never had one before. Is it worth it, considering the budget that I am sort of trying to work to would limit me to the SB Audigy SE 7.1 OEM.

I also want to be able to add further, i.e optical drives and poss harddrive, so the PSU needs to be sufficiant to cope with further expansion. These are the specs of the system at the moment:
AMD Athlon 64 3700+ (San Diego)
MSI MS-7184 M/b
1Gb (2 x 512Mb) Samsung PC3200
320Gb (2 x 160Gb) Hard drive
Bestec 300W PSU
Nvidia 6200SE w/Turbocache

It didn't set me back much, and I dont want to spent a huge amount on these bits, I am looking to spend about £300 to £350. I want to build my own from scrath when the new AMD processors have been out for a bit.

Any help would be greatly appreciated, and I would like to thank you in advance for any help rendered.
 
Associate
Joined
18 Oct 2002
Posts
2,185
yes, it's easy to replace the psu, just unplug the old one and plugin the new one, hoping it doesn't go "bang" the first time you switch it on (like my first Enermax did). that frightened me a little, but a replacement worked fine.

if your system supports dual channel ram, then your best off with a matching set. Since your using a A64 however, your probably best selling your existing ram and replacing them with 2x1GB.

Personally, for audio, I'd say that unless you have a professional speaker setup, then onboard audio is most likely fine for you. You can always try it out and disable it later if you find it not to your liking though. Onboard audio has come a long way in my opinion, and now I'm more than happy to use it and save the cash.

No point me recommending a power supply, as the ones I normally recommend are ~£100, and thats a third of your budget :)
 
Soldato
Joined
17 Aug 2005
Posts
4,297
Agreed with above comment on audio cards, generally the cheaper ones are about the same as onboard audio, so dont bother.

Keep the matching ram you have.

Then for £300 your best bet is to upgrade PSU & graphics card.
something like ...

FSP Sparkle AX500-A Blue Storm 500W ATX2.0 PSU (CA-005-SK)
£58.69 Including VAT ***should do very well***

Connect3D ATI Radeon X1800 XT 256MB GDDR3 AVIVO TV-Out/Dual DVI (PCI-Express) - Retail (GX-044-CO)
£229.07 Including VAT ***great high end card, best bang per buck at present***


Adding these two to your current spec would give you the most benefit & you would actually have a great gaming & all round rig. :)
 
Man of Honour
Joined
27 Sep 2004
Posts
25,821
Location
Glasgow
Welcome to the forums. As an alternative to either of the above options you could try this system and replace your existing 2x512mb and sell them off to raise a bit extra cash. It will partly depend on what games you play and at what resolutions which option will be best for you. PSUs are easy to replace so no worries there but if you are unsure then just ask and someone here will be able to help :)

GX-055-PC PowerColor ATI Radeon X800 GTO16 256MB GDDR3 TV-Out/DVI (PCI-Express) - Retail (GX-055-PC)
£104.95 £104.95
MY-046-GL GeIL 2GB (2x1GB) PC3200 Value Dual Channel Kit CAS3 (GE2GB3200BDC) (MY-046-GL)
£99.95 £99.95
CA-023-EN Enermax Noisetaker 535W EG565AX-VE(W) SFMA ATX2.0 SLI Compliant PSU (CA-023-EN)
£59.95 £59.95
Subtotal £264.85
VAT £46.35
Total £311.20
 
Associate
Joined
11 Jun 2005
Posts
636
Location
Brighton
REFERENCE DESCRIPTION QUANTITY PRICE COST REMOVE
CA-005-HP Hiper HPU-4K580-MK Type R 580W Modular ATX2.2 PSU - Black UV (CA-005-HP)
£52.95 £52.95
MY-046-GL GeIL 2GB (2x1GB) PC3200 Value Dual Channel Kit CAS3 (GE2GB3200BDC) (MY-046-GL)
£99.95 £99.95
GX-010-BG BFG GeForce 7800 GT OC 256MB GDDR3 VIVO TV-Out/Dual DVI (PCI-Express) - Retail (GX-010-BG)
£174.95 £174.95
Subtotal £327.85
VAT £57.38
Total £385.23


Get that and sell your current RAM to cover the difference.
 
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