Thinking of replacing my aging 1.2ghz AMD Duron PC need advice though

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kiis102

New Member
Hey guys

Im from UK, i have a AMD Duron processor PC right now which i brought about 6/7years back and is starting to get past its time and i feel a upgrade coming on with a budget of around £800 which has to include a monitor.

My Current PC spec is as follows:
AMD Duron 1200mhz (1.2ghz) Processor
632mb SDRAM (1x512 + 1x128)
Nvidea TNT2 Riva Model64 Pro 32mb Graphics card
290gb Hard Drive (1x250gb + 1x40gb)
Via AC'97 sound card

Ive upgraded since i got my PC - The hard drive (put in 250gb as shown above) + 512mb memory + USB2.0 card with 4 slots + Ethernet card and the Nvidea 32mb card so now im out of PCI slots on my motherboard i cant upgrade anything really.

Ok to the new system im looking at after spending a few hours on Ebuyer.com and Amazon.co.uk last night.

Processor - http://www.ebuyer.com/customer/prod...2hvd19wcm9kdWN0X292ZXJ2aWV3&product_uid=91327
Processor - 1 x AMD Athlon 64 X2 4400+ / 2.2 GHz Dual-Core - Socket 939 - L2 2 MB - Box
EBuyer Price: £317.75

Motherboard - http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/B0007COBH4/qid=1145650611/202-3681149-2459833
ASUS A8N-SLI Deluxe - Mainboard - ATX - nForce4 SLI - Socket 939 - SATA (RAID), Serial ATA-300 - 2 x Gigabit Ethernet - FireWire - 8-channel audio
Amazon Price: £103.12

Case - http://www.ebuyer.com/customer/prod...hvd19wcm9kdWN0X292ZXJ2aWV3&product_uid=101935
Thermaltake VA3000SWA Tsunami Silver Aluminium Mid-Tower Case With Side Window - No PSU

Hard Drive - http://www.ebuyer.com/customer/prod...hvd19wcm9kdWN0X292ZXJ2aWV3&product_uid=103062
Maxtor 7V300F0 300GB SATA300 7200rpm 16mb Cache - OEM
EBuyer Price: £82.28
EBuyer Price: £73.14

Memory - http://www.ebuyer.com/customer/prod...2hvd19wcm9kdWN0X292ZXJ2aWV3&product_uid=78548
Viking 512mb DDR PC3200 400MHz 184pin Memory Module
EBuyer Price: £29.49 x 2 = £58.98

Fan - http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/B00009KH0C/qid=1145650866/202-3681149-2459833
Antec Smart Cool 120mm Fans
Amazon Price: £9.44 x 3 = £28.32

PSU - http://www.ebuyer.com/customer/prod...2hvd19wcm9kdWN0X292ZXJ2aWV3&product_uid=89518
Xpro 460w Quiet PSU
EBuyer Price: £29.99

Monitor - http://www.ebuyer.com/customer/prod...2hvd19wcm9kdWN0X292ZXJ2aWV3&product_uid=98788
Acer AL1916WS 19" LCD Widescreen
EBuyer Price: £173.00

Total = £866.58 (Price Inc all Del which is Free and VAT)

This seems like a good system to put together but i just got a few queries right now.

1. Does that case support the motherboard i chose ? (If not is there any nice looking cases for about £60ish or below that will be compatible?)

2. How many fans do i actually need ? (I put down 3 above but im not actually sure)

3. Will the above PSU work ? Im not actually sure what kind of PSU i need but i want it to be quite and under £30 if possible, also that don't push the electric bill up) I was told the PSU i chose above is crappy lol and i need a more reliable one.

4. Can i get the overall cost down ? Or find the parts cheaper else where but from a trustable source? Cause i want to get the overall cost down to about £800 or Below

thats all If someone can help me out i'll be greatful thanks.
 
First and foremost, you forgot a video card.

1. They're compatible.

2. The case will come with as many fans as you need.

3. The PSU will work. It's not "bad" but there are better ones.

4. If it were me, I'd drop to an X2 3800+ processor (http://www.ebuyer.com/customer/prod...hvd19wcm9kdWN0X292ZXJ2aWV3&product_uid=94640), drops your price by over 100, allows for a decent video card and better PSU.

Have a look here too, should give you some good ideas:
http://www.computerforum.com/showthread.php?t=37635&page=2
 
Well i really want the 4400+ processor which i had a look on eBay and is £250 and of course i need a video card but i also want a TV card too. Can you suggest a decent PSU preferbly quite.

W00t if the motherboard comes with the fans then i can save £30 straight away.

The main question i had was mainly wheather the motherboard would fit in the case. The case i really want though is the one shown on this listing - http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/NEW-AMD-ATHLO...Z8798978562QQcategoryZ179QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem -I know its like £100 but it looks mega cool.
 
Yes, it would fit in the case. Both the motherboard and case are standard-ATX form factor. Why are you intent on the 4400?

The case comes with fans, not the motherboard.

Have a look at this one. It's a little over your price limit, but it has dual rails and +12v @ 34a combined. Hiper is also fairly reputable.

http://www.ebuyer.com/customer/prod...N1YmNhdGVnb3J5X3NlYXJjaA==&cat_uid=149&stid=2

Did you look at the last link I gave you in post #2? That has good ideas for your price range.
 
Yup had a look at the 3800+ but thought id get a higher model so i won't need to upgrade the processor for a few years and it will still be able to play future progs.

Does the processor fan & heatsink come with any of the listed items above?

My friend suggested this PSU to me - http://www.ebuyer.com/customer/prod...2hvd19wcm9kdWN0X292ZXJ2aWV3&product_uid=90616 bit pricy but did say it would be worth the cost if i upgrade or add things into the system in the future.
 
kiis102 said:
Yup had a look at the 3800+ but thought id get a higher model so i won't need to upgrade the processor for a few years and it will still be able to play future progs.
Click to expand...

You really aren't going to see much of a difference in the processors. In a few years they probably won't even be selling dual core processors for skt 939, because AM2 is due to come out soon. You will not see very much of a performance loss at all, just less bragging rights. :rolleyes:
 
Bobo said:
You really aren't going to see much of a difference in the processors. In a few years they probably won't even be selling dual core processors for skt 939, because AM2 is due to come out soon. You will not see very much of a performance loss at all, just less bragging rights. :rolleyes:
Click to expand...

Just had a look on Google for AMD AM2 and the info dont seem much different from SKT939 cept it supports DDR2 Memory. I may actually wait for a AM2 motherboard though to make sure i get the most up to date motherboard and processor. I think the 4400+ is only $10 - $15 more for the AM2 version so its all good :D The new AM2 motherboard from MSI sure does look good - http://img429.imageshack.us/img429/227/k9n026dm.jpg no info on price yet :|
 
May stick with my original board then lol all i want is a Mobo with 4-8 USB2.0 ports + 2/3 PCI-E slots + 3 or 4 PCI slots lol
 
kiis102 said:
May stick with my original board then lol all i want is a Mobo with 4-8 USB2.0 ports + 2/3 PCI-E slots + 3 or 4 PCI slots lol
Click to expand...
Well I hope you don't want 2-3 PCI-E 16x slots, because most boards only come with one of those, and 2 PCI-E 1x slots, which aren't used for anything that I know of.

*edit* ok i looked...your board is SLI. Not implying that you are stupid, but I trust that you know what all the specs are and know what you want, right?

And in general motherboards have 4 USB ports in the back, and 2-6 front connectors for USB. You can also buy PCI USB cards for around $10 that give you 4 more ports.
 
Yup i just really need a nice motherboard that can support the AMD 64 X2 4400+ Processor and has plenty of expansion capabilities. On the motherboard i have now on my PC ive got like 3 PCI slots which ive used up so i cant upgrade my PC much more :\. Im aware i can have 1 16x slot but wasnt sure about normal PCI-E slots but 1 or 2 of those will do + a few normal PCI slots. Obviously a decent inbuilt sound card and 4 USB2.0 slots then.
 
kiis102 said:
Im aware i can have 1 16x slot but wasnt sure about normal PCI-E slots but 1 or 2 of those will do + a few normal PCI slots.
Click to expand...
I don't think that we are communicating on the same terms here.

There are 3 types of Peripheral Component Interface (PCI) types:
PCI-E 16x
PCI-E 1x
PCI

PCI-E 16x is used only for video cards. You can either have one or two of these, if you have two, it is called SLI. SLI is expensive, because the motherboards are higher priced and you need two identical video cards.

PCI-E 1x is just a faster (and smaller) PCI slot. I have no idea what they are used for, I have never seen anything that uses them.

PCI is the normal slot, used for pretty much anything and everything.

The only reason I was questioning your motherboard is because you had asked where you could cut down the price of your configuration. If you are not going to use SLI, then there is no reasong in paying extra for it.

Also, what do you currently have in your 3 PCI slots? Because the A8N SLI Deluxe (what you had picked) also only has 3 PCI slots.

And what video card(s) are you planning to use?
 
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Bobo said:
I don't think that we are communicating on the same terms here.

There are 3 types of Peripheral Component Interface (PCI) types:
PCI-E 16x
PCI-E 1x
PCI

PCI-E 16x is used only for video cards. You can either have one or two of these, if you have two, it is called SLI. SLI is expensive, because the motherboards are higher priced and you need two identical video cards.

PCI-E 1x is just a faster (and smaller) PCI slot. I have no idea what they are used for, I have never seen anything that uses them.

PCI is the normal slot, used for pretty much anything and everything.

The only reason I was questioning your motherboard is because you had asked where you could cut down the price of your configuration. If you are not going to use SLI, then there is no reasong in paying extra for it.

Also, what do you currently have in your 3 PCI slots? Because the A8N SLI Deluxe (what you had picked) also only has 3 PCI slots.

And what video card(s) are you planning to use?
Click to expand...

Ok that cleared some stuff up lol. Guess i need a motherboard with one of those PCI-E 16x slots and maybe a PCI-E 1x but properbly wont need that + An AGP 8x slot (may need this) + quite a few PCI slots, any suggestions on any decent motherboards with this ? (up to £100)

Yup the current Mobo i got is some old MSI make and has 3 PCI slots and thats about it, ive used up all the slots with - 32mb nvidia card + usb2.0 pci card and ethernet pci card.

Im also looking for a TV card that looks like this (sorry for the crap pic) - http://img185.imageshack.us/img185/909/tvcard1sf.png it has Digital/Analouge TV support + DAB digital radio support but i don't know what card it is does anyone know ?

Also does the heatsink and processor fan come with the processor or do i need to buy it seperatly?
 
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Bobo said:
There are 3 types of Peripheral Component Interface (PCI) types:
PCI-E 16x
PCI-E 1x
PCI
Click to expand...

Don't forget 4x, although it is easy due to it's worthlessness.

kiis102:

Why do you need an AGP slot and PCI Express slot? They exist, but you shouldn't need to use both.

The card you've added on to your PCI slots will not be necessary after a motherboard upgrade. The video card will be in a PCI express slot, if you upgrade (I'm still not certain where you stand on upgrading your video card.) All decent motherboards come with an ethernet adapter built in, some have 2. Also, motherboards will come with a lot of USB 2.0 ports, so many that you shouldn't need the card.

As for a TV tuner card:
http://www.ebuyer.com/customer/prod...n=c2hvd3N1YmNhdGVnb3J5X3BhZ2U=&subcat_uid=715
I don't know your budget for that so I can't suggest one. The prices range on those.

Your processor will come with a HSF, as I don't think AMD is selling OEM processors anymore.
 
TheChef said:
Don't forget 4x, although it is easy due to it's worthlessness.

kiis102:

Why do you need an AGP slot and PCI Express slot? They exist, but you shouldn't need to use both.

The card you've added on to your PCI slots will not be necessary after a motherboard upgrade. The video card will be in a PCI express slot, if you upgrade (I'm still not certain where you stand on upgrading your video card.) All decent motherboards come with an ethernet adapter built in, some have 2. Also, motherboards will come with a lot of USB 2.0 ports, so many that you shouldn't need the card.

As for a TV tuner card:
http://www.ebuyer.com/customer/prod...n=c2hvd3N1YmNhdGVnb3J5X3BhZ2U=&subcat_uid=715
I don't know your budget for that so I can't suggest one. The prices range on those.

Your processor will come with a HSF, as I don't think AMD is selling OEM processors anymore.
Click to expand...

Ok so now AGP slot thats alright PCI-E will do. The best motherboard that i can see right now is this http://www.europacomputers.com/Itemdesc.asp?CartId={070ECBC5-EVEREST507F-4FEA-A97A-09E2B2FBE0D1}&ic=2613&eq=&Tp= which looks pretty good and has 4 PCI slots w00t. And saves me about £25. The brand im not familier with i was hoping to go with Gigabyte or Asus or maybe even MSI but hey if the motherboard got all those slots then its all good.

I havn't chosen a graphics card yet but will do once everything is built.
 
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kiis102 said:
and has 4 PCI slots w00t.
Click to expand...
According to my calculations, you will only need one PCI slot. Don't buy this mobo just because it has 4.
but hey if the motherboard got all those slots then its all good.
Click to expand...
NO!!!! The number of slots does not indicate the slightest thing about the quality of the motherboard.
 
TheChef said:
The original board you picked out was really nice. The Foxconn one you just showed us is not in the slightest close to the quality you want to get from a motherboard. For something that's a tad more expensive, but is a great quality board, try this:
http://www.ebuyer.com/customer/prod...hvd19wcm9kdWN0X292ZXJ2aWV3&product_uid=101177
Click to expand...

That one is quite nice not too bad i'll have that then :D ive lowered some of the items i had (model wise). Ive got the following but need to get down to £500 and am nearly there. This is what i have at the mo:

Processor
AMD Athlon 64 (ADA4200BVBOX) X2 4200+ socket 939 Dual Core 2.2ghz 512kb and 512kb Cache
EBuyer Price: £246.72

Motherboard
Abit KN8 Ultra SKT939 NF4 chipset Dual DDR400 PCI-E SATA ATX
Price: £66.65

Case(s)
Thermaltake Soprano VB1000SWS Silver Mid-Tower Case with Side Window - No PSU
Ebuyer Price: £46.30

Hard Drive(s)
Western Digital WD2500JD 250GB 7200RPM SATA/150 8MB Cache - OEM
Ebuyer Price: £56.89

Memory
Viking 512mb DDR PC3200 400MHz 184pin Memory Module
EBuyer Price: £29.49 x 2 = £58.98

PSU
Antec SmartPower 2.0 500W 500PGB PSU - AtX 2.01 Dual Rails
EBuyer Price: £54.72

Total - £530.24

Im looking for cheaper memory right now to see if i can chop off another £10 from the price.
 
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