Upgrades vs New Purchase

[Bosing]

Hello. I'm simply looking for advice on upgrading my current rig, as opposed to buying a new machine outright. I'd be willing to part ways with around £250 for upgrades, and if it came to just buying the new desktop, I'll go no more than £500. Please keep in mind that I am not great on technicalities, my knowledge is very limited.

I'll list my current set up below. I'll put the problems I've been having below the list. Feel free to contribute anything that I may have overlooked.

Current rig:


AMD Athlon(tm) 64 X2 Dual Core Processor 4800+ 2.50 Ghz


3.25 GB of RAM (4 GB ?)


Microsoft Windows XP Professional, SP 2


NVIDIA GeForce 8800 GT


ASUSTeK Computer INC. M2A-VM HDMI 1.XX Bus Clock: 200 megahertz


Hitachi 160 GB


ST320410A 20.40 GB


ST3500418AS 500.11 GB


X-Blade Black Case

Issues that I am having:
First of all I use my PC mainly for sound work and gaming. Oddly enough this machine hasn't deteriorated much. I purchased this at the end of 2006, and even now I'm still able to run current games at their peak (or high in most cases).

My OS is a problem. Over the years I've been guilty to run on cracked software. My current Windows copy is a phony, and after so many years I think towing this line is costing the computers performance, in need of some real updating. I'm considering purchasing Windows 7. Worth it?

My case is a problem. It's noisy. The first day I got the machine (pre-built), I opened it up and misplaced a cable connecting a fan to the side panel, rendering the fan dead. I've never bothered to fix it since. I'm wondering how difficult it would be to replace the current case with something more economical. Maybe another fan would do?

Other concerns:
Is my graphics card getting on a bit? Time for an upgrade? What about my processor? Surely way behind now.

Thanks for your help.

 

[floppybootstomp]

You're somewhat limited with your budget there.

You got two choices, for £250 you can either:

Upgrade Motherboard/CPU/Memory

With something like This

Or upgrade the graphics card

With something like This

Those choices aren't written in stone, I just picked something to suit your budget.

Best bet would be buy both and with the little that's left over from the £500 budget also get a 500Gb hard disk.

I have used Aria as a supplier purely as an example, not recommending them, although imo they're quite good.

Hard to say which of the two main items would benefit gaming the most, I'd gamble on it being the graphics card but I could be wrong.

£500.00 will struggle to buy a complete gaming machine, best to upgrade and use the bits and pieces you already have,

And welcome to the forum

PS: Win 7 most deffo worth it. Will cost between £75 and £90 OEM for Home Premium.

 

[muckshifter]

Go get W7 64bit and a new graphics card, then continue to save the pennies for a new system.

Yes, your system is a wee bit long in the tooth, but not as old as my system, and I still play games, though not FPS that need £300 graphics cards.


Welcome to PCReview

 

[Abarbarian]

Your mobo supports all sorts of cpu's.

http://www.asus.com/Motherboards/AMD_AM2/M2AVM/#CPUS

So you could get,

AMD Athlon II X3 445 AM3 Tripple Core Processor - Retail

http://www.eclipsecomputers.com/product.aspx?code=CPA-AD2445EB

1TB Samsung Spinpoint F3 7200rpm S-ATAII 32MB Hard Drive(these are pretty fast)

http://www.eclipsecomputers.com/product.aspx?code=HDS-103SJ

MSI GeForce GTX 460 OC 1024MB GDDR5 Graphics Card

http://www.aria.co.uk/Products/Comp...C+1024MB+GDDR5+Graphics+Card+?productId=44316

Shop around a bit and chuck a few quid in the pot and you could get Windows 7 aswell and still be around your £250 budget.

 

[Bosing]

Thanks for all of your help. Unfortunately I'll be looking the full whack for Windows 7, as I wouldn't trust myself with an OEM edition.

From what's been said, I'll first delve in for CPU & Memory upgrades. Reason being is that I'm worried my current CPU off the bat, wouldn't be fully compatible with the W7 64-bit version - my machine being the wrong side of a few years.

These upgrades also cause me a headache in terms of actually fitting them onto the machine and getting them to work. There was much stress underwent adding two extra IDE Hard Drives to this rig a few years back! Well that, and a few YouTube tutorials.

Wish me luck.

 

[floppybootstomp]

Thanks for all of your help. Unfortunately I'll be looking the full whack for Windows 7, as I wouldn't trust myself with an OEM edition.

Don't worry, the OEM edition is exactly the same as the 'normal' edition. Exactly the same. Except it doesn't come in a huge cardboard box.

If yoy really want to spend about £150.00 on a cardboard box I could sell you lots of them

The OEM (Original Equipment Manufacturer) edition of Windows is given to suppliers and computer builders/sellers so they can provide a cheaper operating system as an aid to selling their products.

The only criteria a supplier needs to sell you an OEM copy of Win 7 64 Bit is that you buy some components from them so it looks as if you're building a computer.

But truth is most suppliers will sell you a copy on it's own anyway.

So please don't waste your money.

Good luck with your upgrade, if there's anything you need to know or are not sure about, don't hesitate to ask here.

 

[muckshifter]

Reason being is that I'm worried my current CPU off the bat, wouldn't be fully compatible with the W7 64-bit version - my machine being the wrong side of a few years.

Like I said, my PC is slightly older than yours and has NO problem with W7 64Bit ... in fact, it got a second lease of life just by installing W7 OEM

I did add a 9800GT graphics card also

 

[Abarbarian]

Don't worry, the OEM edition is exactly the same as the 'normal' edition. Exactly the same. Except it doesn't come in a huge cardboard box.

If yoy really want to spend about £150.00 on a cardboard box I could sell you lots of them

The OEM (Original Equipment Manufacturer) edition of Windows is given to suppliers and computer builders/sellers so they can provide a cheaper operating system as an aid to selling their products.

The only criteria a supplier needs to sell you an OEM copy of Win 7 64 Bit is that you buy some components from them so it looks as if you're building a computer.

But truth is most suppliers will sell you a copy on it's own anyway.

So please don't waste your money.

Good luck with your upgrade, if there's anything you need to know or are not sure about, don't hesitate to ask here.

Not quite correct. OEM versions can only be installed on one pc and that is it they can not be transferred to another pc . Retail versions can be installed on a pc and if say you build another pc you can then transfer the Windows 7 to the new pc. Of course you can only have 7 installed on one pc at any time.

7 should run fine on your present cpu.

Why on earth change the ram ?

Amazon do a full Retail 7 for £109 inc postage, I got one for me sister a couple of weeks ago.

Get with the time flops 7 comes in a modern plastic case. Cardboard who uses cardboard

 

[floppybootstomp]

Not quite correct. OEM versions can only be installed on one pc and that is it they can not be transferred to another pc . Retail versions can be installed on a pc and if say you build another pc you can then transfer the Windows 7 to the new pc. Of course you can only have 7 installed on one pc at any time.

I've only ever purchased OEM versions of Windows and I've moved them around between different PC's, no probs.

Ok, I've had to do the telephone activation thingie each time but it works.

So that may be the official Microsoft line but the reality is different.

Amazon do a full Retail 7 for £109 inc postage, I got one for me sister a couple of weeks ago.

Get with the time flops 7 comes in a modern plastic case. Cardboard who uses cardboard

I didn't know that, 109 quid eh? Still, £19 is £19, you of all people must apreciate that

Wot? No more cardboard boxes? What is the world coming to?

True, dat, I suppose, Staples has DVD's lined up with Win 7 inside. Just how do they get away with charging over 200 quid for Home Premium? It's a mystery to me.

 

[Abarbarian]

I've only ever purchased OEM versions of Windows and I've moved them around between different PC's, no probs.

Ok, I've had to do the telephone activation thingie each time but it works.

So that may be the official Microsoft line but the reality is different.

That's neat. Got a phone number that's current ?

I didn't know that, 109 quid eh? Still, £19 is £19, you of all people must apreciate that

Shame me sister did not appreciate me offer to install Mint for £50.

True, dat, I suppose, Staples has DVD's lined up with Win 7 inside. Just how do they get away with charging over 200 quid for Home Premium? It's a mystery to me.

One born every minute

 

[floppybootstomp]

Mr Abarb, I daresay if you looked on the MS site you'd find a relevant phone number but I've never made a note of it.

Have you never encountered the phone line activation before then? It's a complete PITA but it works.

Just install a previously installed Windows OEM disk and it will have a look at your hardware and assuming you're online offer you a choice to pay for it all over again or phone a number which it supplies. It is an 0800 number, freephone, in fairness.

You then have to copy and enter about a zillion numbers, get just one wrong and you're fubar'ed. Get it right and you have Steve Bullmer's blessing and your Windows Operating System becomes legal and is activated.

I done it twice recently with two of me daughter's laptops, used my OEM copy of Vista and their Toshiba laptops' install codes. Most laptops usually only give you a rather worthless recovery disk so this is the best way to do a fresh install in my experience.

 

[Abarbarian]

Never tried the service but I may do so in the future as I'm due to re jig some pcs shortly.

 

[muckshifter]

If you actually get to speak to a real person, just tell them you installed a new hard drive.

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/950929

http://www.microsoft.com/licensing/existing-customers/activation-centers.aspx

I don't know, or actually care, what OEM's licencing 'rules' are, but I do know I have never been refused moving any of my OEM Windows to another / revamped PC


Now, back on topic.

 

[floppybootstomp]

Now, back on topic.

Well at least the thread starter should have their mind put at rest about OEM versions of Win 7 64 Bit

 

[Abarbarian]

Thanks for the phone numbers Mucks.

 

[Bosing]

Well at least the thread starter should have their mind put at rest about OEM versions of Win 7 64 Bit...

Certainly. That's great, thanks.

 

[Bosing]

This will probably be the dumbest thing unearthed on the forum, but here goes..

I have an old MSI Graphics card lying around from an old rig, and was thinking of popping it into my current machine, hoping that it might help in the slightest way for gaming performance.

I think it's a "MSI V064" (least that's what the numbers say on the card). I'm not sure about motherboard compatibility - if the card itself will actually fit into my board, (honestly, I wouldn't really know what to look out for, apart from if it fits like a lego piece).

I think my motherboard was posted on the threads first page; I'm assuming this is what it is... (ASUSTeK Computer INC. M2A-VM HDMI 1.XX Bus Clock: 200 megahertz). Well, I hope this is right.

Here is the card itself: http://s8.postimage.org/ddb36rtj9/MSI_V064.jpg

Thanks again - best.

 

[Bosing]

This will probably be the dumbest thing unearthed on the forum, but here goes..

I have an old MSI Graphics card lying around from an old rig, and was thinking of popping it into my current machine, hoping that it might help in the slightest way for gaming performance.

Pretty dumb. Found the answer via a couple of Google searches relating to SLI functionality. Anyway, better put the sledgehammer to that old junk.