Upgrading an old sh...computer

T

TrainTrackHack

VIP Member
I have a massive AUD$238 to spend on upgrades. Not buying online, so the only options are www.megapc.com.au and www.msy.com.au, unless you can suggest something else, I prefer MegaPC because it's, well, I could ride my bike there in 15 minutes, so... the closest MSY store is like half an hour drive away, yes I know megaPC is overpriced but this is also for the environment... or something.

Currently I have some Presario stock mobo (MSI Amethyst-M) with a 1.8GHz Sempron and 2.5GB DDR-400 (3-3-3-8). I'm planning on getting rid of these, as the rest is quite adequate for my needs (8500GT, 320+80GB HDDs, DVD writer). So, I need a new CPU+RAM+MOBO combo for less than $238... and all I'm looking for is best bang for buck, I have no brand preference whatsoever so I'll happily go with AMD or Intel, I don't care which. However, the case only takes mATX mobos, so... don't forget about that if you suggest something.

BTW, how good PSU brand is CoolerMaster? I currently have some 480 (I think) watt CoolerMaster PSU, will I be able to upgrade without getting a new one?

Anyway, this is what I've come up with so far (MegaPC prices):

$77.00 ABIT NF-M2PV
$89.10 AMD AM2 Athlon 64 X2 5000+ Dual Core CPU (2.6GHz, 65W, Stepping G1, Retail)
$72.60 2GB (2x 1GB Kit) Corsair Value Select PC-5300 (667MHz)

Goes 70 cents over the budget, I'm sure that I can bully it out of my lil' bro or something :P

P.S. There's no guarantee that the upgrade will actually happen, I'm still contemplaiting whether I would do the upgrade or not.

P.P.S. I'm going to Canberra this weekend, if anyone knows any good shops over there... you know what to do.

P.P.P.S. I may have an extra $60 coming up soon...
 
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Is the presario case actually standard?

e.g dell motherboards are mATX sizee, but you cant put an mATX motherboard in, as it and the case use a retarded totally nonstandard front panel and connector for the power switch etc
 
Is the presario case actually standard?
Click to expand...
I would think so... the mobo, AFAIK, is just a re-branded clone of an MSI retail board... I can't find the page right now but I looked up the board before, the layout and specs were identical to my current board, and it was a normal retail board... I wouldn't think this would be non-standard. Know any practical ways how I could make sure?
 
just check that the front panel connectors are standard

e.g dell ones are rebranded intel boards but use a wierd nonstandard connector. The mobo connects to the front panel with what looks like an IDE cable lol

Ive seen wierd stuff like this on a number of OEM manufacturers

just check.
 
How to Upgrade Computer Hardware- New parts for your Dell, HP, Compaq, Sony or Emachines PC
Before we talk about how to upgrade a PC, we have to address whether or not it's cost effective to do so. I measure cost effectiveness two ways. One, can you simply buy a new or better used PC for the amount of money it will cost you to upgrade your current box. Two, will the upgrade really have a significant impact on the user experience (ie, will you be happy that you spent the money. I've written about this in more detail on my other site, but I'm going to sum up here in a quick table. The obvious one I don't talk about is power supply, because that's not really an upgrade item, it's a repair item, since nobody upgrades their power supply unless they need to:-)
 
Upgrade your computer hardware

:)[/b]
starsale said:
how to upgrade computer hardware- new parts for your dell, hp, compaq, sony or emachines pc
before we talk about how to upgrade a pc, we have to address whether or not it's cost effective to do so. I measure cost effectiveness two ways. One, can you simply buy a new or better used pc for the amount of money it will cost you to upgrade your current box. Two, will the upgrade really have a significant impact on the user experience (ie, will you be happy that you spent the money. I've written about this in more detail on my other site, but i'm going to sum up here in a quick table. The obvious one i don't talk about is power supply, because that's not really an upgrade item, it's a repair item, since nobody upgrades their power supply unless they need to:-)
Click to expand...
 
One, can you simply buy a new or better used PC for the amount of money it will cost you to upgrade your current box.
Click to expand...
In this case new mobo in practice means a new build. If I was to build a new computer, I'd simply get a new case in addition to the new CPU+RAM+MOBO combo I'm looking for in this thread. I'd scavenge the rest of the components anyways so... I'll just save the cost of a new case and upgrade this rig.
One, can you simply buy a new or better used PC for the amount of money it will cost you to upgrade your current box.
Click to expand...
Yes. As I said before, I currently have a single-core sempron, and I'm a programmer working on multi-threaded graphics utilities (effects & stuff), and the rig gets really bogged down when I run them. I can live with its current performance, but it annoys me because I have to wait for so long for them to finish working when I test them & stuff. So, I'm kinda in need for at least two cores (quads seem to be out of my budget...)
 
jdbennet said:
Is the presario case actually standard?

e.g dell motherboards are mATX sizee, but you cant put an mATX motherboard in, as it and the case use a retarded totally nonstandard front panel and connector for the power switch etc
Click to expand...

Seconded. Completely and utterly retarded.
 
Sorry for double post, edit button wouldn't f***ing work.

starsale said:
How to Upgrade Computer Hardware- New parts for your Dell, HP, Compaq, Sony or Emachines PC
Before we talk about how to upgrade a PC, we have to address whether or not it's cost effective to do so. I measure cost effectiveness two ways. One, can you simply buy a new or better used PC for the amount of money it will cost you to upgrade your current box. Two, will the upgrade really have a significant impact on the user experience (ie, will you be happy that you spent the money. I've written about this in more detail on my other site, but I'm going to sum up here in a quick table. The obvious one I don't talk about is power supply, because that's not really an upgrade item, it's a repair item, since nobody upgrades their power supply unless they need to:-)
Click to expand...

That sounds like a bit of an advertisement to me, especially for one of your very first posts. What you mean is I can sell you parts if you really want them, or I could sell you a new PC for more money. And, where is this table you speak of?
 
just check that the front panel connectors are standard

e.g dell ones are rebranded intel boards but use a wierd nonstandard connector. The mobo connects to the front panel with what looks like an IDE cable lol
Click to expand...
No IDE cables here :P

The connectors for power switch, lights etc. seem standard to me, they're identical to those I've seen in both of my P3 builds, you know, the connectors are those flat plastic "chips" with 2 or 4 holes in them... those are standard, no?

As for the front USB and the card readers, the connector is a little more than 1cm wide, with 10 holes arranged in 2 rows that go in the pins on the mobo. Is this standard?

Anything else I should possibly worry about?
 
Update:
I can shell out the extra $60, but I'd rather save some for myself so... going to $298 only if it's totally absolutely worth it, otherwise keep it down.

I've compared prices between MegaPC and MSY, and it seems that the extra money I would pay at MegaPC would be enough to fund 12 trips to the nearest MSY store, so I'll probably go and pick my parts up from there.
 
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