Building second PC: Upgrade my PC and pass down? Opinions solicited.

P

Pen

Veteran XV
My dilemma is - should I pass down my CPU, video card and power supply and do a moderate upgrade on those (like one performance notch) or just buy cheaper stuff that would be about one notch below what I got. I am not sure the money to upgrade my system is worth it.


Current system:
Coolermaster Cosmos S case
*Corsair 450 VX PS
Gigabyte P35 Mobo (single video card slot)
*Intel 5200 CPU running at 3.5Ghz 100% stable on air cooler
4GB of 1066 DDR2
*Gigabyte ATI HD4850 1GB with factory passive cooler - 100% stable

My system is 100% stable and crash free and virtually silent.

For PC#2, I have a mATX case that is a cool little mini tower with a handle on top as we may move this second PC between rooms when I work from home. This means I need a new mATX motherboard regardless.

Option 1:

Pass my Corsair PS, Intel CPU and 4850 card to the second system. I have a HDD and RAM, I would just need a Socket 775 mATX mobo. I would then buy a better CPU/PS/Video Card for my main system - probably a Q9550, ATI 4890 and a premium 550-700W PSU (Corsair, Antec, Seasonic, etc)

PSU ($80-100)
CPU ($150-225 ish)
Video ($200-250)
Low end: $430
High End: $$575

Option 2:

Newegg has some great deals on AMD CPU / Mobo combos and this is $149.99 delivered:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.240747

Newegg.com - GIGABYTE GA-MA785GM-US2H AM3/AM2+/AM2 AMD 785G HDMI Micro ATX AMD Motherboard - AMD Motherboards


Newegg.com - AMD Phenom II X2 550 Black Edition Callisto 3.1GHz 2 x 512KB L2 Cache 6MB L3 Cache Socket AM3 80W Dual-Core Processor - Processors - Desktops

I have RAM and some HDDs already. I could buy a $40-50 PS (have a line on a 430W Zalman for $50) and a cheap or used video card - I can get an Nvidia 7950GT or ATI X1950XTX for $50 from someone I know. I could also add a new 4670 which would be just OK, but my kids mostly play older games anyway although the big kid likes his FPS games.

Option 2 cost is about $250 - maybe $300 on the high end.


What to do...
 
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Good question.

I am sure there are "games" that are "coming out" that will tax my system. I doubt I could run Crysis at better then medium detail.

Damned if I don't just like to upgrade just to do it. I should probably wait until I can go to an i7 or something before I spend very much money on it.
 
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Seems like alot of money for a rather marginal upgrade. At least wait for the next line of video cards to be released.
 
Unless you play something like Crysis or FSX, why upgrade? You should be able to run everything else just fine.

It isn't like there's all these huge games coming out. MW2 will probably run fine on your PC.
 
I just upgraded the comp. Last upgrade was over 3 years ago. It was getting to the point where new games would run at ~20 fps at low details, at 800x600. Now I'm running shit on a new monitor at 1680x1050 with details maxed.

My new comp is pretty similar to your current one, except it's running an AMD proc & has a 4870 1GB.
 
In the spirit of Reply Not New Thread, what's the word on SSDs right now? I know performance is already pretty crazy, but in terms of reliability, value, and products on the horizon?
 
With those, specs, save the cash. No point to upgrade.

Wait till you play a game you'll be addicted to, and it runs at 20 fps before upgrading. Otherwise you'll waste a whole lot of cash and not even use it to its potential.
 
My vid card just crashed, and I'm thinking its time to upgrade my computer. Just want to solicit thoughts on whether I should do a complete upgrade of my components or just the vid card and memory:

Current setup:
CPU: Intel Pentium D 830 3Ghz, 2 cores, 2 x 1MB L2 Cache
Mobo: Nvidia nForce4 SLI Intel Edition
Vid Card: Nvidia Geforce 6800, 256MB DDR Memory
RAM: 1 Gig DDR2

Proposed upgrade:
CPU: AMD Phenom II X3 720 2.8GHz
Mobo: GIGABYTE GA-MA770-UD3 AM2
Vid Card:MSI R4850-2D512-OC Radeon HD 4850 512MB
Memory: CORSAIR 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM

So... upgrade memory and video card as proposed or do a full upgrade? Will the difference be huge or not?
 
Going from a Geforce 6800 to a Radeon HD 4850 alone will make a huge difference, but the CPU is probably gonna hold you back. The Phenom II 700 series are great for what they cost, I got the 710 for $100.

Go for the full upgrade. It's blasphemy to run an AMD/ATI card with an Intel CPU.
 
Cool, thanks Funky. I've fallen behind the times on CPU performance specs so wasn't sure how much better the Phenom is.
 
That looks like a pretty decent system.

The one thing I would say - I have a 1GB silent 4850 and I have not found anything it won't handle, but you should consider either going to 1GB of RAM or jumping to the 4870. The 4870 used DDR5 and has higher bandwidth which is better for higher resolutions and more AA and such. I doubt the price difference is that much.

If anyone is into quiet gaming PCs, the passively cooled Gigabyte 4850 is a fantastic option and is now $129 at Newegg. I paid nearly twice that in February :(

As tempted as I am, you guys are right, I can't find hardly any games that I like to play these days - its occasionally some Guild Wars (which ran great 3 generations of hardware ago) or CoD or something.

I need to just build out the second PC and maybe add more storage or something.

As for SSDs, the price performance ratio has been getting better and doing so faster but for most people they are still more of a curiosity, novelty or luxury. Don't get me wrong, I would like to get four SSDs and stripe them all as my game drive, but it's kind of silly right now.

From what I have seen, the best use for them is as an OS/boot drive, but you really have to pay attention to what you get as some have issues - I pay attention, but I still could not tell you what the current landscape is like. I think the previous gen intel drives (which are awesome) are being clearanced in various places, but they are generally snapped up in minutes.

I can't wait for SSDs, but I think they need until late next year to get really exciting but keep in mind that I am the guy who is still in love with CRTs over LCDs so a few grains of salt might be needed.
 
{CG}Pendragon said:
I can't wait for SSDs, but I think they need until late next year to get really exciting but keep in mind that I am the guy who is still in love with CRTs over LCDs so a few grains of salt might be needed.
Click to expand...

Don't feel bad. LCDs are just barely catching up to CRTs. Most can still only do 60 hz.
 
link_ said:
PASS DOWN!?

where are you from that this doesn't sound completely retarded?
Click to expand...

I speak American English. Since you only seem to speak pinko commie, let me help you:

Pass down synonym | Thesaurus.com

pass down - 1 of 1 thesaurus result
Main Entry: give
Part of Speech: verb
Definition: contribute, supply, transfer
Synonyms: accord, administer, allow, ante up, award, bequeath, bestow, cede, come across, commit, confer, consign, convey, deed, deliver, dish out, dispense, dispose of, dole out, donate, endow, entrust, fork over, furnish, gift, grant, hand down, hand out, hand over, heap upon, lavish upon, lay upon, lease, let have, make over, parcel out, part with, pass down, pass out, permit, pony up, present, provide, relinquish, remit, sell, shell out, subsidize, throw in, tip, transmit, turn over, vouchsafe, will

Antonyms: hold, keep, take

Roget's 21st Century Thesaurus, Third Edition
Copyright © 2009 by the Philip Lief Group.
Cite This Source
 
Well I think I am done. I managed to do it for about $200 but I already had RAM, HD and case.

Frys had a deal today where you get a super basic Biostar G31 motherboard and a dual core Celeron 2.2Ghz for $69 total.
Newegg.com - BIOSTAR G31D-M7 LGA 775 Intel G31 Micro ATX Intel Motherboard - Intel Motherboards
Newegg.com - Intel Celeron E1500 2.2GHz 512KB L2 Cache LGA 775 65W Dual-Core Processor - Processors - Desktops

I got an ATI Radeon HD4830 512k for $60 on ebay

This PS was $39.99 at Frys:
Newegg.com - Thermaltake TR2 W0070RUC 430W ATX12V V2.2 Intel Core i7 Compliant Dual 80mm Fans Full Cable Sleevings Power Supply - Power Supplies

I bought this case a couple weeks ago when it was $24.99 with free shipping. It is shockingly nice for the money and I like the handle on top for portability.
Newegg.com - APEX TX-381-C Black Steel Micro ATX Tower Computer Case - Computer Cases


$70 cpu/mobo
$60 Video
$40 PS
$25 case
-----
$195

Of course I am re-using 2GB of RAM and a 500GB HDD and I spent $4.50 on a 120mm fan and $2.99 on thumbscrews plus tax on the stuff from Frys.

Still, when I am done, this box should be able to run most games very well.
 
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