Thinking of making a cheap upgrade. :)

S

Shoorik

New Member
So, I am quite new with this whole computer mumbo jumbo. :) I was using an 11 year old computer until two weeks or so ago. I recently bought a 2006 Compaq HP DC7700 Ultra-Slim computer with 3 GB or RAM and a 1.86 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo Processor. It's so much faster than my old 11 year old computer. I've been posting on this forum for a few days now and have learned a few ins and outs of computer hardware.

Soooo.... I am thinking of amping this thing up a notch with a cheap budget.

So here are some replacement components that I have been looking at:

Motherboard - $57



Mid-Size Tower Case + Power Supply - $42



Slim DVD Tray (for my current slim DVD drive) - $15



DDR3 RAM 1333 (overclocking) - $40



CPU Heat-Sink and Fan + Grease - $30



And I have already purchased this Graphics Card - $35



Total upgrade: $219

The current parts that I will be using are the 1.86 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo Processor, Some 120 MM fans, the Slim DVD ROM drive, the Hard Drive, and the Windows 7 Boot Disk.

So here are the question which I have:

1.) Do all of these parts which I chose seem compatible with one another?
2.) To how many GHz's and V's should I overclock the processor?
3.) Do you guys have any other reasonable (price-wise) suggestions regarding better parts?

And most importantly, thank you for your help, as always. :-)
 
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you should really get a better power supply than that comes with the case. A subpar supply can take out the whole system when it goes.

I would suggest getting a better case too. Overclocking requires good airflow to keep it cool. A cheap case will only hinder you here. The HAF 912 is an option, as is the antec 302.

As for how far you can push it, it depends on many things. you should be able to get 1GHz over your current speed probably, so 2.86GHz. Maybe a little better if you have a good chip and take your time with it.
 
BY the time you ugrade this computer, you'll have more $ in it than its worth and it will still be older tech.

The ps, other than being low wattage, won't fit another case and even if it did the cables would be too short.
If by "Windows 7 boot disc" you mean HP's disc, it won't work.
 
I understand the computer not being able to fit another case, that's why there is a new motherboard. So you mean to say that if I used the HP Windows 7 boot disk it would not work? Even with the same Hard Drive?
 
you can not reinstall windows 7 from a HP CD unless it is with that specific hardware. You change the motherboard and you violate the license from microsoft.
 
Lol.... mangoes. Well, I guess I'll just have to think of another way then. :-) but the whole cable comment made above does not apply here correct? Since there is a new motherboard.
 
you could try Linux. Ubuntu 12.04 is pretty strait forward and free. Otherwise you are going to need to buy a windows disk.
 
Okay, well, obtaining a software base should be no problem. But that's the only problem that you guys see here correct?
 
Shoorik said:
the whole cable comment made above does not apply here correct? Since there is a new motherboard.
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I was thinking same old ps for some reason so my mistake and it does not apply but not because there's a new mb.
And still...
wolfeking said:
you should really get a better power supply than that comes with the case. A subpar supply can take out the whole system when it goes.
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Windows 8 consumer preview is also free, but I don't know if it has any issues.

What are you going to use the pc for?
Ditch the adapter tray. You can get a new burner that fits for 15-17$ And if you need the 15$ for what I'm about to say, then just use the one you have as is, till you can get one.
Drop the cooler too and get one later.
Put a little more money with the new total, and/or sell the HP, and get a new(er) Intel/AMD socket mb and a processor to fit, it/new computer...
 
Since no one else mentioned it, you need to give us specifics. We can't tell if something is compatible just by the picture.
 
I'll tinker around, I always wanted to have a nice computer. Actually, this one is already quite nice anyways, but I'd like it to not be outdated in a few years. Maybe I'll just build my own from scratch with "low-end" parts, I don't know about you guys, but Intel Core 2 Duo seems pretty high end to me. :-)

I used to have an 11 year computer, so pretty much anything is better for me now. :D I want to experiment with a cheap build, I think it's quite interesting, that's the main reason why I'm doing it, to see what I can do with a low budget and still far exceed my old computer. :-) And of course use it for whatever it is I need to do. :-)

University, games, video editing, or just browsing the web.
 
Shoorik said:
I don't know about you guys, but Intel Core 2 Duo seems pretty high end to me. :-)
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It depends which C2D you want. Something like an E8400 or an E8500 would still be fine (if a little outdated), but something like an E4300 would be very low-end.
 
we have a e5200 in the living room, works pretty well with a gt430, may be low end, but its a good match for the hardware.
 
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