Upgrade questions...

T

TrainTrackHack

VIP Member
So, we have a soon 3-years old machine, specs follow:

CPU - Sempron 1.8GHz (socket 939, 128KB cache, 1.4V)
RAM - 2.5GB (2x1GB+2x256MB) DDR-400 (3-3-3-8) in dual-channel
GPU - 8500GT (256MB DDR2)
HDD - 320GB SATA (Seagate) + 80GB IDE (WD Caviar)
PSU - 480 watt (if I remember correctly, at least 400 anyways) Coolermaster
DVD - LG IDE Burner
M/B - MSI AMETHYST-M (Chipset ATI Xpress 200, SB ATI SB400)

It's a prebuilt Compaq Presario, ATX case...I think that's all worth mentioning.

Anyway, the problem is, the CPU just plain sucks. Other components are good enough for our needs. So, here are the options I'm considering:

1) Get a new dual-core socket 939 CPU (must be dual-core at least)
I've tried finding these, but no luck...

If you can find a dual-core 939 CPU for me, then good, but it seems rather hopeless... I'd prefer this option over others since it saves me the hassle of reinstalling, but doesn't seem to work out (as I can't find any :()

2) New CPU+MOBO that takes DDR RAM.

I don't care what CPU brand as long as it's a dualcore, it will destroy the current sempron all the same. And the mobo has to take the DDR RAM, I'd really like to reuse it... I think this is the most viable option for me

3)New CPU+MOBO+RAM

If there really ain't any decent new boards that take DDR RAM out there, I'm willing to get my parents to shell out the money for DDR2 since it's so cheap nowadays.

Budget:

For option #1 absolute max is $200, I'd rather keep it under $150, not worth shelling out more cash for an old CPU.

For option #2 absolute max would be around $250, since for not too much more you can get a decent CPU+MOBO+RAM combo anyways, but I'd rather keep it under $200.

For option #3 I can get my parents to spend around $350 absolute max unless it's really worth it to throw in a few more bucks, but I think $250-$300 be enough and I'd rather keep it under that. I don't think it's worth spending more than $350-$400 as for a little more money you can get a prebuilt that will outperform the current rig anyways, and it comes with monitor & whatnot else...

Must be able to ship to Melbourne (VIC, Australia). The max budget for each option includes shipping, but no fuel costs if we can pick up (we live near dandenong, if you can find a decent deal on a store nearby...good).

Now, with all that info... start looking for deals :D

Oh and I don't want to buy from eBay or other online auctioning blah blah... preferrably good, reputable sites & shops
And of course, all prices are in AUD
 
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If you look carefully, I said that no online auction sites like eBay :P though I may resort to it...

Anyway, I found a board:
http://www.asrock.com/mb/overview.asp?Model=4CoreDual-SATA2&s=n
Dual DDR2/DDR slots, I could use 2GB of my current RAM. How's that board? Any good? I know Mr A.S. Rock is a budget brand but that's the best I could find. Any comments on the board?

I can get it for AUD$88 from MegaPC Australia (www.megapc.com.au)

the AMD FX-60 would be the best CPU you could put on that board but im not sure what there worth now days
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The problem is, all 939 CPUs I've managed to find that I would even consider cost more than $200, I've seen a few reach up to $500 bucks, which is just mad. If anyone knows where I could get one for cheap, good, but I reckon I'll be getting a new board and CPU altogether.
 
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Okay, the above^ board is the only one that takes DDR that I could find. I might go for it, comments & opinions are still welcome. Now, though, I need a good CPU... budget has been raised, I can go up to $300 total (absolute max, only going higher if it's REALLLLYYYY worth it but otherwise I'd prefer lower, say, $250), including mobo. The one above is $88, so assuming I'm going with that, it leaves me with... around $200 bucks absolute maximum. BTW, the CPU has to be VT enabled.

I'm still open to other options, if you find a good reasonably priced 939 CPU or a mobo that takes DDR then let's hear it. CPU+MOBO+RAM combo deals are also accepted, as long as you keep it below the absolute max of $300... I'm only willing to go, say, $50 higher on a setup with DDR2 if you think DDR-400 3-3-3-8 in dual-channel would be a significant bottleneck.

Oh and what kinda OCing options does the board above have (If any)?
 
http://www.itestate.com.au/pages/pr...aces?BeanName=productDetailAction&pcode=05273

How does that look? With the ASrock I mentioned it would come to a total of... $284 + shipping of the CPU (the ASrock, assuming that it's still available, is being sold in a nearby store so I can just go and pick it up)

Changed my mind on VT... I don't need it, though it would be nice.
(Just to let you know, VT-enabled CPUs are E8###, E6###, Q(X)### ones, AMD CPUs are -AFAIK- all VT enabled)
 
http://www.itestate.com.au/pages/pr...aces?BeanName=productDetailAction&pcode=05633

Performance of this one is more than good enough for our needs, it doesn't have VT but it's way cheaper than E8400. With the same ASrock board as above it'd be $224 + shipping of the CPU. Sounds like a good deal?

Still open to other options... also, would DDR-400 3-3-3-8 in dual-channel bottleneck noticeably? (AFAIK the timings would be like 6-6-6-16 for DDR2-800 which sounds pretty bad, plus it's only half the clockspeed...)
 
Intel C2D E6550 (2.3GHz, 4MB cache) would cost $127 in MSY and it's VT enabled... no shipping costs, we have a MSY store fairly close to our place. So, it'd cost $215 with the same ASrock board I've been yapping on about. Is that a good deal? Any recommendations? Other suggestions? Cohen (:P)?
 
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Damned! Just noticed that the ASrock board I picked supports 1066MTS FSB, and the 6550 is 1333MTS. What kinda problems would this cause? Will the CPU just be underclocked by default (It'd operate at about 1.8GHz, but being a dual-core and based on C2 architecture and having way more cache it'll still mince the Sempron)? Do you think I'd be better off with the 7200, and does the board even support 45nm CPUs? I'm STILL open to any other options...
 
Alright, I think I'm starting to make up my mind... the E6650 is only available in NSW branchs of MSY, dunno what other shops to get them from, so that probably won't be an option...

Unless someone comes up with something better, I'm locking the ASrock in.
specs here: http://www.asrock.com/mb/overview.asp?Model=4CoreDual-SATA2&s=n
AUD$88

Core2Duo E7200 costs AUD$139 in MSY, I'm PROBABLY picking that up. That would total AUD$227 + fuel costs... does that sound like a good deal (it does to me)? The problem is, it requires the latest BIOS revision and I'm afraid the board doesn't come with it by default...

OR

Core2Duo E1200 for AUD$45 in MSY. That would total AUD$133... and yes, I am serious. Granted the CPU is next to a joke, I'm hoping to be able to up the FSB to offically supported max of 1066 of the board, making it about 2.1GHz. It's still going to thrash my current Sempron even at stock speeds, correct? I'm probably not going with this setup since it won't offer the massive performance increase over others, but since it's the cheapest I might have to consider it...

OR

Core2Quad Q6600, for $228 at MSY, totalling AUD$316 with the board. All BIOS revisions of the board support it, so out-of-date BIOS won't be an issue, plus it has VT (a little bonus) and it will blow the Sempron out of this universe. The problem is the cost, I may have difficulties getting the funds off my parents, though it offers some of the best price-performance ratio and will last for a good while. Also, I've got the feeling that I won't be able to get the most out of the CPU because of the crappy RAM, but since it's got both DDR and DDR2 slots that can be upgraded to WAY higher-speed memory later.

Just contemplaiting... in the meantime, if you have comments, other options/factors I would/could/should consider, any better deals anywhere, feel free to post here... No, DO post here.
 
I've been bumping this thread all day long, yet nobody is responding :confused:. "Le Sigh" like imsati would say... anyways.

Assuming that MegaPC has the board in stock (It says so on their site, but thenagain sometimes the info on their site IS a bit off I've come to realise...), the upgrade is probably going to happen. As for what CPU I'm getting, I'm still making my mind up, but if the board's got up-to-date BIOS (I'll have to go and ask them) the E7200 is it, if not and can't have them upgrade it for free, I'll probably go for a Celeron dual-core/Pentium dual-core or Q6600. Whatever CPU I'm getting, I'm probably ordering from www.itestate.com.au. Does anyone know if this is a good site? They have the best deals I could find, and seem like a legit seller...

I'm still open to other options/deals if anyone can find some.
 
look from MSY i would get this an new ram cos it cheap an better.
E7200 $139
Gigabyte EP31-DS3L $78
2G Kit-800(2x1G) Apacer $49
thats $266 an trus me its worth the extra money.
i know most ppl hear would not know much about that ram brand but i have used it in many computers now an there great chips i think i have mi 2G sticks of it stock 800MHz 5-5-5-18 i have mine at 951MHz 4-4-4-12 100% stable have not tryed to go further i have had mine foe about 1 year now my dad has had his for about 2 years
 
look from MSY i would get this an new ram cos it cheap an better.
E7200 $139
Gigabyte EP31-DS3L $78
2G Kit-800(2x1G) Apacer $49
thats $266 an trus me its worth the extra money.
i know most ppl hear would not know much about that ram brand but i have used it in many computers now an there great chips i think i have mi 2G sticks of it stock 800MHz 5-5-5-18 i have mine at 951MHz 4-4-4-12 100% stable have not tryed to go further i have had mine foe about 1 year now my dad has had his for about 2 years
Click to expand...
You reckon that would work with all the other components? If so, good... I really don't care about the RAM brand anyway, I've always been using value RAM and generic brands and I'm the "cheapest is the best" type of guy as far as memory in concerned. Is that a good mobo? Compared to the ASrock mobo I picked, does the Gigabyte offer any significant advantages? Because if I picked the ASrock it'd be a little cheaper since I can reuse the old RAM and I'm sure that in dual-channel it'll be just fast enough for our needs... plus the ASrock can't be worse than our current board, our current comp being a pre-built low-end machine... but at least we're getting somewhere. That sounds like an alright deal, all look into it (esp. if someone gives me some really good reasons to go with that gigabyte instead of the ASrock I found)

I assume there will be no troubles in putting a new mobo in a 3-years old case of a prebuilt machine? No special-proprietary-designs for specific manufacturers or anything like that?
 
P31-DS3L is a great motherboard. I can overclock my E2140 3.1GHz+ if it matters. Lots of overclocking options, and overall, I love the motherboard. You just can't go wrong (unless it's a DOA)
 
So, everyone seems to think P31-DS3L would be my best bet... cool. I assume it has rated FSB of 1333? What is the difference between P31-DS3L EP31-DS3L anyways? The E is only 3 bucks more expensive so I'm it really doesn't matter, but just out of curiosity...

The RAM reddevil suggested seems alright (2x1 DDR2-800), is it worth the extra (insignificant) $3 over the identical(?) "Gingle" kit though? I could also get 2x Generic 1GB DDR2-533 sticks for $19 each, totalling $38... is faster name-brand memory really worth it (I'm not planning on any heavy OCing)? Or I could get 4x Generic 512MB DDR2-667 for $40... any thoughts on memory? I'm trying to save wherever possible...

As for the CPU, the 7200 seems like my best bet... but since pretty much any CPU out there will significantly outperform our current Sempron, I'm still considering cheaper options. How about E2160 (1.80Ghz)? It costs only $65 @ MSY and I could easily up the FSB from 800 to 1066 giving me about 2.3GHz... or I could go all the way up to 1333 and with luck get 3GHz with a VCore bump or two. It's got x8 the cache of the Sempron (1MB vs 128KB), and AFAIK cache increases beyond 1MB have insignificant effects unless the CPU is used for HEAVY gaming, multimedia encoding & such. The most CPU-intensive games I currently have are Stronghold 2, AOE3 Demo and GTR, and I'm not big on gaming and my GPU will bottleneck anyways when it comes to realy GPU-intensive stuff, so don't expect me to play anything even close to Crysis, though I might try. Would the extra 2MB cache, 45nm and slightly improced architecture be worth it (It'd be $74 extra))?

Any thoughts? I've also started looking at 939 CPUs on eBay... since there's no need for an reinstall or any other fuss, just drop in the chip and done...
 
Been a change in the plans... the upgrade probably ain't gonna happen. The CPU is fast enough for my parents' needs (internet etc,) so they were a little reluctant to fund the upgrade right now... Prices of C2Ds are dropping around the time of the Nehalems' release, correct? I'm trying to start saving up for my OWN computer...
 
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