Mobo upgrade help

[kalbal]

Hi all, i am new around here !

atm i have:
amd athlon 1ghz
GA-7IXE4 mobo
2x128mb 1x32mb sdram
gf fx5200 128mb

as u can guess not the fastest machine, i am thinking about an upgrade to an amd xp2400.
now the GA-7IXE4 does not support 266fsb

i need a new mobo
new cpu fan
new cpu

well, here is what i am hoping to get (bear in mind i am 16 and very very very short on cash)

xp2400
cpu fan
mobo, (possability, cus of cheapness)
well these are only possabilities because i still need to save up

tell me what you think and suggest, i only want to be able to play my games a little smoother

 

[kalbal]

thanks to the 40 ppl who looked and didn't bother replying :angry:

 

[Ian]

Hi kalbal,

Sorry about not replying, I've been really busy with reviews over the last few days!

It looks like it is quite a wise time to upgrade your PC, as prices are fairly low, and your PC is at the minimum end to play games.

I'd recommend getting new RAM with your system if possible, as it will really help system performance. If you are really on a tight budget, I think you have found some good components - although it may be better to get a better motherboard (they are one of the vital pieces).

Can you tell me if you have a budget to stick to for upgrading your PC?

Ian

 

[floppybootstomp]

For another few quid you could get the Asrock K7VT4-8X which is slightly higher specced, supports 8 x grafix cards & has 5.1 sound.

I've just taken delivery of one of these as a cheap solution to replace an Abit KR7A-R that a faulty video card fried.

I've heard good reports about these Asrock boards, including somebody I know who builds systems for a living and has been using them in his 'budget' systems.

I'll let you know how I get on, should be putting it together tommorow, using an XP1800 with it.

If money's the main concern, then what you've chosen seems OK to me.

And like Ian said, if you can stretch your budget to include some faster RAM, that would help. The Twinmos sticks are good value & overclock well.

 

[kalbal]

thanks alot guys, i read up about that mobo and the ram problem, i figured that is i wanna upgrade the comp, then i better do it properly.
i also read that the xp2400 runs best with pc2100 DDR Ram, so i will get some of that, and this mobo
mobo
will my graphics card be ok, with the setup that i have atm it seems to run games pretty slow compared with the benchmarks i have seen for it?. is it my systems setup that is leaving it behind? (proc, ram, mobo ect?)
overall i worked out the full upgrade to be around the £200 mark,
but i wondered, what about the powersupply?
i know processors need dif levels of power?. how do i know/change it to meet the needs?
and the power sup already in the comp, does it need changin, or will it be ok?

 

[captain_nemo]

If you want quality RAM go to Crucial.com for great quality and good value DDR. You shouldn't consider anything less than 256mb.

Your GFX card is fine, being an FX5200 it's obviosuly quite new and will be more than capable of running any forthcoming games.
These are really good cards.

As for PSU if you are wanting to upgrade I would suggest a HiperPower 420watt. Available for about £40.
It is really good with dual fans and adjustable fan speed if you want a quiet system. Gold plated connectors and fan guards give it looks to match the performance.

In total, CPU + m/b + RAM + PSU this should come in well under £200.

Hope this is useful.

 

[captain_nemo]

Also, you should consider an MSI KT4V-L Ultra motherboard. These are really good and available for about £60. It can easily run an XP2400+ and leaves room to upgrade to 333mhx fsb CPUs

 

[kalbal]

thanks alot
the motherboard i picked out had an n'force chipset on it and i have heard that would help, but i will consider both.
.the power supply, what i need to know is would the one i have already be ok?

 

[captain_nemo]

As long as your current PSU has an ATX connector and sufficient Molex connectors for all your drives then it should be fine.

However if it is the bog standard PSU that came with the case these units are not renowned for their stability or constancy in voltage supply and you really should consider getting a new and better one (Hiper, Enermax etc)

But if you are happy with your current PSU and it doesn't give you any problems with your current setup, then there is no pressing need for a new one.

 

[kalbal]

there is no problem with it atm, i have never had any problems (apart from when my dad decides to cut the electricity when im on it :angry:.......)

so i think i will leave it as it is

one other question

the other day i decided to overclock my fx5200. i got the freq's to
291/417
until it goes weird and 3dmark2001se locks up
my original score without the o/c was
3655
now
4100
now my score wasn't greate even after the o/c
is it the whole system that is slow?...i mean if i do upgrade it to what i stated above will i get a higher mark?

now since i done mine i decided to do my m8's comp,
spec:
amd xp2600
512ddr ram
gf mx-440 64mb
now we managed to o/c his double the freq's....(well almost)
and his 3dmark without was 4500
bosted his to 6000 with o/c

 

[floppybootstomp]

Just out of interest, I've had the Asrock board I mentioned in an earlier post up and running for four days now and I have to say I'm very pleased with it. No glitches, BIOS was easy to navigate and everything worked well.

Using XP1800; Alpha 8045 cooler; 512 Twinmos PC2700; ATI 7200 32MB DDR; 2 x IBM 20Gb GX60P 7200's; on board LAN & Sound & WIN XP Pro + SP1.

Have to say, it really does fly. For £33.00 + shipping, if you're on a budget, I'd recommend it (so far ).

It's for my daughter who only uses it for the Net & Office stuff, so didn't have to be too highly specced.

 

[kalbal]

yes, i saw the features for the price and liked them, but if i want to do this i really have to do this right, i need to get the best outta my graphics card as well, considering it is agp8x and my mobo only got 2x :crazy:

 

[floppybootstomp]

kalbal, if you can afford better, go for it. The MSI's mentioned are good choices, I have a KT3-V running an XP2600 which I use for video editing and rendering, it's rock solid.

Just thought I best mention how I got on with the Asrock as I promised I would earlier.

Let us know when you make a decision or when your parts arrive and how you get on.

 

[kalbal]

i sure will, u guys have been a great help.
i think i have got my heart set on these bits for a good upgrade
512Mb DDR pc2700
CPU FAN
AMD XP2600 cpu
MSI K7N2 Delta-L NForce2 motherboard
well, let me know what you think, and will they all be compatible, and easy to assemble :spin:
thx alot!
altogether £217, i suppose it is worth it, or u could buy a whole new system for £999+
i may end up getting all this around x-mas time, because then i will have the cash flow

(btw, the shop i keep mentioning with the links, the shop is called web-systems, i get all my pc stuff from there, i live very close to the shop and they have very good prices)

 

[andyk]

good info looking into a similar upgrade myself

 

[8balls]

i'd go for an Abit NF7-S instead of the MSI board, but thats just me.

 

[kalbal]

what do you think to the components i said, will they work?