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| Thread ID: 45316 | 2004-05-18 06:38:00 | Upgrade vs New Computer | ephesus (2509) | Press F1 |
| Post ID | Timestamp | Content | User | ||
| 237499 | 2004-05-18 06:38:00 | Hi all, some advice re buying new desktop vs upgrading current one will be appreciated. Current 3 yr old desktop: Intel 82845 AGP, 1.6GHZ. 512 DDR (I think is 133), 40G HDD, 52x CDR, CDRW, external LAN. Is it feasible upgrading this to eg 3.0 GHZ, 1024 DDR RAM, 80G HDD and new graphics card? How does this compare with buying the following new CPU? New quote for P4 3.2 GHZ (Prescot), Intel 865GBFL, 1024 DDR400, Sata 80G, GF4 FX5200, Pioneer DVD+/-, Modem, Floppy, XP Home and a tv tuner for $2225. Don't really want to spend so much if I can help it. Thanks for your advice. |
ephesus (2509) | ||
| 237500 | 2004-05-18 08:26:00 | What you have been quoted is a bit too expensive for what it is really worth, in my opinion. From my usage and experience (i.e. not necessarily for other people), upgrades are a waste of time, effort and money. You take the risk of uncompatability, etc. *Even after you do homework* versus saving a "few" bucks. What do you mean by upgrade? What I suggest is to keep the monitor keyboard, etc. and just change the main PC unit. P.S. You might want to reconsider your video card, that is not the best choice. I'd go for Radeon 9600XT right now.... seems good value for money Good luck |
~~~~~ s y ~~~~~ (2054) | ||
| 237501 | 2004-05-18 09:35:00 | Thanks, commented noted. | ephesus (2509) | ||
| 237502 | 2004-05-18 10:15:00 | Wow thats a really, really bad quote. If thats DDR400 ram you would make sure it was a dual channel kit and you definitely don't get a GB of ram if its not CL2. 120Gb hard drive minimum. Look into dual raptors with raid-0. $200~ per drive if you like that idea. That graphics card is one of the worst you can get, and low of the low end. It depends on what you use your computer for??? What video card have you got in your current system? If it was something not too great, an upgrade for that would improve games 100%. Also a nice Western Digital or Seagate 7200rpm, 8MB cache drive for your current system would improve things by 100%. You could try overclocking your current system a little to squeeze a bit more performance out of it. Most likely a modest FSB adjustment. Head over to the overclockers.co.nz forums if interested in that. I think if you got the 3Ghz cpu in that older motherboard you wouldn't be running it to its potential. |
kiki (762) | ||
| 237503 | 2004-05-18 10:23:00 | <Wow thats a really, really bad quote . Thanks . Good to get second opinions . Where I can get better prices than that? Any suggestion? <If thats DDR400 ram you would make sure it was a dual channel kit and you definitely don't get a GB of ram if its not CL2 . Its Its not dual channel . Sales guy says no difference . . . <Also a nice Western Digital or Seagate 7200rpm, 8MB cache drive for your current system would improve things by 100% . <You could try overclocking your current system a little to squeeze a bit more performance out of it . Most likely a modest FSB adjustment . Head over to the overclockers . co . nz forums if interested in that . <I think if you got the 3Ghz cpu in that older motherboard you wouldn't be running it to its potential . Will try overclocking before buying . Is this difficult? |
ephesus (2509) | ||
| 237504 | 2004-05-18 10:33:00 | I may be wrong but I think your current board maxes out at 2.4 plus even it it was capable of taking it its not HT capable so you would be wasting a perfectly good chip. Partial upgrade could be in order but depends on what you want to use it for. However: Buy the system you have listed and you are buying almost superseded technology. Prescotts will be moving to a new socket interface soon and imho opinion at this stage of its development a northwood rather than a prescott is a better buy, especially the 2.8 (if you can still get them) as it is almost a guaranteed overclock to the 3.2 mark without breaking a sweat. If your periphials are running well and do the job (cd writer/cd/hardrive/floppy drive/modem etc) you could do a nice cheap upgrade by purchasing a decent but not top of the line motherboard (asus p4p 800 for around the $200 mark) a 2.8 northwood for around the $320 mark and 2 sticks of DDR 400 for around $400 dollars (depending on the brand of course) Your leftovers are worth dollars especially the ram which will be sd ram and particularly so if its double sided. Sell these items and you can purchse your dvd writer and larger hard drive. Think before purchasing a video card and get advice. There are a lot more knowledgable people than me on on this board who can give good advice on the best bang for the buck with video card selection. But remember AGP cards are now on the way out with pci express coming in. With some wheeling and dealing you could get this upgrade done for around the 1000 dollar mark which is more than some shops offer a complete system for. However these are often made up from cruddy components. By the way I agree your listed system is not a great buy. |
the highlander (245) | ||
| 237505 | 2004-05-18 10:42:00 | Just my 2 cents. Ignore the talk of overclocking,it has a learning curve and can open up a whole nest of issues. It not a bad idea if your willing to rough it out but is a poor mans alternative to a faster cpu. Forget upgrading your current computer, might as well keep it as a going unit and buy a second one, or sell it as a working unit. The only thing I would keep would be the monitor, and even then only if it’s a particularly good one. If you can tell us what part of the country your in someone may be able to recommend a shop that has better prices. |
metla (154) | ||
| 237506 | 2004-05-18 10:52:00 | In my opinion, it is best to buy a new system. Upgrading leave you with bits and pieces dying earlier than others in the long run... and it gets messy. | Growly (6) | ||
| 237507 | 2004-05-18 11:17:00 | Just as a matter of interest. What are your reasons for upgrading ? | the highlander (245) | ||
| 237508 | 2004-05-18 11:23:00 | Personally I feel that a small upgrade has its place, a stick of ram, a video card, a hard drive or whatever, but when your talking about upgrading multiple components and using the old motherboard then its stopped making sense. Might as well buy a new case (which will mean a nice fresh psu) whack in a motherboard and slide in the new super sexy components knowing everything is designed to work at about the same level. You can’t expect great results dropping an expensive cpu into an old board running outdated chipsets and slow ram. |
metla (154) | ||
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