Upgrading and old PC or building a new one, need help.

[Draco856]

I'm very noobish when it comes to the physical components of computers, and need some real help. I had asked on another forum, but I don't think my questions will be answered any more there.

 

Current specs:

 

OS

 

Windows Vista Ultimate 64-bit

 

CPU

AMD Phenom X4 9750

Agena 65nm Technology

 

RAM

8.0GB Dual-Channel DDR2 @ 401MHz (6-6-6-18)

 

Motherboard

ECS Nettle3 (Socket AM2 )

 

Graphics

E182H @ 1024x768

ATI Radeon HD 3600 Series (ASUStek Computer Inc)

 

Hard Drives

733GB Seagate ST375063 0AS SCSI Disk Device (ATA)

USB WD MyBook 1 TB Drive

 

Optical Drives

Optiarc DVD RW AD-7201S5 SCSI CdRom Device

 

Audio

USB Audio Device

Realtek High Definition Audio (Built-In)

AMD High Definition Audio Device (Unknown where this comes from, likely video card)

 

Power Supply:

 

Unknown

 

Case:

 

HP Pavilion, Pre-Built, likely Mid-Sized.

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What I'm looking for:

 

Future-proofing, I don't expect to have another computer for at least 3 or 4 years from now.

 

If I get a new case I'd like optimal cooling and air flow, as well as space and cable management. I've got several parts all ready picked out, but I'll probably need a new case just to be on the safe side if the new parts won't fit in the case I have.

 

My budget for this was originally $500, and the parts I have picked out all ready are just under that, so I'll bump it a little higher if I should need to get a new case & power supply. The most likely thing and probably the most prudent would be to get a new case and power supply that can stand up to a buildup of dust and hair from animals. Also, I'd like to stick with ATI/AMD components because I haven't had good experiences with the other manufacturers like Intel.

 

My current parts list:

 

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16813131402 - ASUS M4A79XTD EVO AM3 AMD 790X ATX AMD Motherboard

 

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16820231424 - G.SKILL Value Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333 (PC3 10666) Desktop Memory Model F3-10666CL9D-8GBNT

 

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16819103727 - AMD Phenom II X4 965 Black Edition Deneb 3.4GHz 4 x 512KB L2 Cache 6MB L3 Cache Socket AM3 125W Quad-Core Processor HDZ965FBGMBOX

 

http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboD...t=Combo.620408 - ASUS EAH6850 DC/2DIS/1GD5/V2 Radeon HD 6850 1GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.1 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFireX Support Video Card with Eyefinity

 

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I really hope someone is able to help me get this right as my video card has all ready started to fail because some games have stopped working as well as no longer being able to use the Catalyst Control Center. Upgrading to the latest version didn't help. I will likely wipe my HDD before I upgrade anything to make sure there are no viruses.

 

Also, the computer has a problem where I have to do a double restart before it gets past the first screen that says HP. If I power down the computer, then power it back on, the screen comes up, then freezes. I then have to do a hard reset by holding down the power button to turn off the computer, then turning it back on, which makes it work. I want to make sure I get the best computer possible for my money, instead of a POS HP that didn't even last a year and a half before problems started. It's now almost 3 years old and getting worse by the day.

 

I know I all ready have 8 GBs of ram, but those are just 2 GB sticks and the ones I'm buying are 4 GBs, which would free up 2 slots if I ever want to add more RAM.

[Draco856]

Also, I don't know if I should get a SSD drive just for the OS as I use a USB drive for my games, and have a regular HDD that I can use for everything else.

[evilneko]

You'll need to swap motherboards to get a AM3 socket for that Phenom II, and you can't go very far with your current socket (I think there's maybe one model up that still uses AM2+). I see you already have one picked out. That's usually the point at which I decide build is better than upgrade, since a mobo replacement is pretty much a new build anyway.

 

One thing to keep in mind is it's perfectly fine to skimp on a component or two for the initial build and then upgrade later. I do that with video cards personally, mainly because I hate how quickly the price shoots up for marginal improvements. Helps keep my projects under budget. Sounds like your video card has problems, so you probably don't want to keep it, but you don't have to get something super high end--you can go midrange and just upgrade when you feel like you need to or when you have some extra cash.

 

As for using SSD that will add to the price significantly so I'd skip it if I was trying to build a budget rig (and I always am). Even Windows 7's support for SSD isn't quite complete (so I've heard, I don't use 7 or an SSD, and I'll look it up later if you want) so it's probably best to hold off anyway.

[Draco856]

Well, I'd like to make sure it's powerful enough to last the 3 or 4 years before I even consider doing it again. With this current setup, I'm thinking I will defintely need a new case and power supply. But I have no idea what would work best as I said in the first post, the computer is in a room that my cat lives in. His litter box is maybe 2 feet away from the machine, and he sheds like a large dog. So I was thinking something like this:

 

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811119197

 

Or something that would keep the hardware cool because as it stands now, it all runs at around 63 - 64 C, which put's it just under the about to overheat mark, and when it plays games, it goes into the 70s which will shorten the life of the hardware. I'll need a power supply to go with it as well, something that will run all the hardware, and have like 100ws leftover for any future upgrades.

[DarkRiegn]

if u get a new motherboard u will most likely have to get a sata hdd. most new boards dont come with an ide plug so dont make the same mistake i did read the discription good. i also prefer more smaller ram chips vs less larger my system seems to run better. u also have a good cpu and u said u where on a $500 fund. your case is fine u can cut hole and put fans in it or get a liquid ket from frozencpu.com. also power supply is everything.

 

OS

Window 7 ultimate 64 bit

 

CPU

AMD Phenom II X4 955 Black edu

 

Motherboard

biostar TA870u3 AMD 870 Socket AM3

 

Ram

4x8gb DDR3 1333MHz 9-9-9kit

 

Graphics card

Zotac GeForce GTS 450

 

HDD

2x1Tb sata

 

disk drive

BluRay

 

Power supply

Ultra x3 1k watt modular

 

Case

Cheap

 

Can play or mod any game i have

 

 

DR

[DarkRiegn]

i miss read hes right get a am3

[Draco856]

I'm not really willing to cut the case simply because it's something I don't know how to do, it'd be better to just get a case that will fit everything. According to my system information my HDD is a SATA drive, or I'm just reading it wrong. I even checked online that the drive which is listed as ATA is also SATA. The budget is 500, but if it's the choice between being safe then being sorry, I'll push it as high as $600 or $700 for a new case and psu.

[DarkRiegn]

this is my next case http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811146068&cm_re=Phantom-_-11-146-068-_-Product

[Draco856]

The 4 items in the first post are pretty much locked in as to what I'm getting, it's just case and PSU that need deciding on. I don't want to make any mistakes on this, which would be another reason for me not to cut the case, if I make a mistake I'd have something to fall back on.

[DarkRiegn]

if it is a sata then u r one step better then i was

i had to buy 1