new here, need advice on CPU

SuperDuperMe

SuperDuperMe

New Member
hello, i am a total noob to computers and have not the slightest clue.

at the moment i have a tower with an amd athlon 2000+ xp running at 1.67ghz

im looking at upgrading the cpu before anything else as its probably the weakest part of my system however i do not know what my mobo is. i bought the tower used and the guy that sold it me doesnt know either.

the general specs of my tower (that i actually know) are

amd athlon 2000+ xp 1.6ghz
geforce 5200fx
1 gb ram

other than these im clueless, how do i start to upgrade?

( im wanting to upgrade so that i cna play games like cod 4, nothing higher really, i have my 360 for the most modern games but i would like to play older games like cod 4 at a good level)

so can anyone help me to determine what i need and have to do

thanks in advance

if its any help my tower runs max payne 2 on medium settings fine, and dawn of war dark crusade ok on medium setting
 
Last edited:
johnb35

johnb35

Administrator
Staff member
That system is way too old to spend money on. You have a slot 462 processor. Your best bet is to save your money and build a new system with todays technology.
 
SuperDuperMe

SuperDuperMe

New Member
there is no way i can afford that, like i said im not looking for uber good, just something generic, i would like to make this as good as possible and as cheap as possible

the motherboard is this one here

http://www.asus.com/product.aspx?P_ID=qfpaGrAy2kLVo0f2

what parts could i get to make this the best it can be

(i know its not going to be great but id rather not spend a huge amount on a computer considering im really new to all this. so id like to ease myself in with this so that if it does go wrong im not too out of pocket)

any help is appreciated and what ever information you require i can get it
 
johnb35

johnb35

Administrator
Staff member
The only other cpu you can put in there is the Athlon XP 2800+ and the only place you will find this is most likely Ebay. They don't make these socket processors anymore. You'll notice a little speed increase but nothing drastic enough to support spending money on. If you are wanting to play Cod4 then you will need brand new hardware.

You would need a dual core processor, 2gb of ram and much better video card then what you have.

My advise is to deal with what you got and save your money for a updated system.
 
SuperDuperMe

SuperDuperMe

New Member
if its not worth it what should i do on a strict budget?

im not sure what my budget would be as i dont know the price of parts etc but im in the uk if that helps

sorry if im not being very helpful but i really am new when it coems to this
 
johnb35

johnb35

Administrator
Staff member
I'll let someone from the UK give you some ideas on what you would need since they know what computer stores are around there. The only store I know of is http://www.scan.co.uk/ I'll do a build real quick just to give you an idea of how much money you would need. be right back.
 
johnb35

johnb35

Administrator
Staff member
Providing you can use the same case and cdrom drives, then this is what you will need. You can check prices when clicking on the links. Someone may have a different build for less money. If you are gonna go new, you might as well get something decent.

Motherboard - http://www.scan.co.uk/products/giga...-(x16)-ddr3-1666(oc)-sata-3gb-s-sata-raid-atx

CPU - http://www.scan.co.uk/products/amd-...e-s-am3-32ghz-2mb-cache-ht-2000mhz-95w-retail

Harddrive - http://www.scan.co.uk/products/250-...-caviar-blue-sata-300-7200-rpm-8mb-cache-9-ms

memory - http://www.scan.co.uk/products/4gb-...6-(1333)-non-ecc-unbuffered-cas-9-9-9-24-150v

Windows 7 - http://www.scan.co.uk/products/microsoft-windows-7-home-premium-64-bit-operating-system-single-oem

graphics card - http://www.scan.co.uk/products/1gb-...gddr5-gpu-850mhz-800cores-2x-dl-dvi-i-dp-hdmi
 
SuperDuperMe

SuperDuperMe

New Member
providing i can use my case and cd rom drives is this all i will need?

can i use the same PSU

and will i need any fans or anything or is that already on the mobo?
 
SuperDuperMe

SuperDuperMe

New Member
that would be great thanks

i mean without the PSU, its looking at about 380 pound which is a bit steep for what i can afford, it would take me months and months to save up for that haha

that said i suppose saving up would be the best option but if someone could come along and offer a better solution that would be cool as well

also if i do end up spending this much on a pc i may as wlel go all out and get a cool looking tower unit. any suggestion?
 
johnb35

johnb35

Administrator
Staff member
Any midtower providing it accepts atx motherboard would work, after all I don't what you like as far as case design and stuff. That would be up to you to pick. I edited my last post with the psu. I'll see if i can find someone to come over and offer a cheaper build that would work.
 
Rit

Rit

Member
Just here to say I back up what johnb35 says 100%. And as far as saving up for a computer, it's not as long as you think and if you're willing to get some used stuff you can cut down the price quite a bit, but you have to know what to look for. I was on a limited budget myself, but I looked for used items and took my time and in 4-5 months, I went from a Athlon 3200+ system to a Athlon IIx4 640 system only spending about $200 USD. Biggest thing is plan out what you want and stick to it. Think of ways of making money. Dump extra stuff laying around the room you don't need/use. Ask some buddies at school if they have extra gear laying around for sale, post it on facebook, that's how I got my case for $20USD and it is normally $60USD new.
 
SuperDuperMe

SuperDuperMe

New Member
thanks rit, i think im gonna buy a new set up

just buy bits at a time

and buy used i geuss :D

(still open for suggestions on cheaper alternatives just so i know what to get :D)
 
bomberboysk

bomberboysk

Active Member
There are cheaper alternatives in any case, but as far as bang for the buck, what John posted is pretty tough to beat--at best you could save ~50 quid, but you'd sacrifice a decent amount of performance by doing so.
 
CardboardSword

CardboardSword

New Member
I wouldn't buy it in pieces. Computer parts have this lovely tendency to go down in price fast as newer hardware comes out, so while you buy each individual piece and are waiting for the rest, the parts you just bought are getting cheaper, and better parts are now in your price range. It's a much better option to save up and get it all in one go.

I know it seems slow and painful, but it's much worse when you're sitting there looking at the box for your shiny new graphics card and you can't use it, even more so when you check online and that same card is now 20 pounds cheaper and you don't even have yours out of the box yet.
 
Rit

Rit

Member
CardboardSword said:
I wouldn't buy it in pieces. Computer parts have this lovely tendency to go down in price fast as newer hardware comes out, so while you buy each individual piece and are waiting for the rest, the parts you just bought are getting cheaper, and better parts are now in your price range. It's a much better option to save up and get it all in one go.

I know it seems slow and painful, but it's much worse when you're sitting there looking at the box for your shiny new graphics card and you can't use it, even more so when you check online and that same card is now 20 pounds cheaper and you don't even have yours out of the box yet.
Click to expand...

Sadly the parts I bought could be sold for more on ebay and it's 8 months later ;) Just need to know what you're doing.
 
SuperDuperMe

SuperDuperMe

New Member
so buy parts all together

check (by the way ic saved all the model number etc that john told me so i have a little file containing all that info)

last question probably, how hard is it to put all together?

is it just clip in or soldering?
 
fastdude

fastdude

Active Member
mikeb2817 said:
so buy parts all together

check (by the way ic saved all the model number etc that john told me so i have a little file containing all that info)

last question probably, how hard is it to put all together?

is it just clip in or soldering?
Click to expand...

No soldering, just screwing, slotting, patience and common sense. Most parts will only fit in one way - it's pretty hard to do it wrong if you take your time.
 
SuperDuperMe

SuperDuperMe

New Member
good godd glad thats cleared up

would this be the best set up to buy or would a better set up be bought if i buy an already made pc?

on a side not people are quite helpful here, thats not something thats very usual on forums :d kudos
 
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