xboxrulz
Jun 2 2007, 04:53 AM
For those who don't know, it's been 5 years since I got a desktop, and now I'm pondering if I should overhaul my rig (getting a new one is NOT an option). I'm going to fuse both old and new parts together to overhaul my current rig. My main concerns are: speed, durability, extendability and cheap. My budget is approxiately $500 max. My current rig: Intel Pentium 4 2533 MHz Northwood 512KB L2 Cache 130nm process 61.5W (pre-HT) ASUSTek P4B533-VM Socket 478 120 GB Maxtor ATA-133 (8MB Cache), 7200 RPM 80 GB WDD ATA-100 (8 MB Cache), 7200 RPM 1 GB Kingston PC3200 (running @ PC2100 speed) NVIDIA GeForce 6600 AGP (running 4x) 1x DVD burner 1x CD-RW WEI: 3.7 (CPU, lowest)  (Inside of my current rig) Planned rig: AMD Athlon 64 X2 2.0 GHz Windsor 512KBx2 L2 Cache 90nm process 65W ASUS M2A-VM Socket AM2 (w/ Integrated ATI Radeon X1200, 256 MB shared) Seagate Barracuda 7200.10 320GB SATA NCQ 3.0Gb/s 16MB Cache (OEM) 120 GB Maxtor ATA-133 (8MB Cache), 7200 RPM (external) Corsair DDR2 PC2-5300 667MHz Value Select 2GB KIT (2X1024MB) 240-pin Unbuffered DIMM 1x DVD burner 1x CD-RW Cost: $386.41 (price and parts from canadacomputers.com. All Sales Tax Included.) ALL CURRENCY IS IN CANADIAN DOLLARS. xboxrulz
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tansqrx
Jun 2 2007, 05:31 AM
To me it doesn’t sound that your current setup is too bad. I will be glad to take that process and board off your hands. The one that replaced current machine finally died so I am looking for a new “in the closet PC.” I run also sorts of things that do not take up that much processor power but needs to run all the time. I have a AMD 64 dual core right now and I am very happy with it. I got it about a year ago. I hear that Intel is currently the best game in town now. They have dropped their prices and the performance is better than AMD (I’m still a AMD fan). All in all it sounds like you are getting a pretty good deal.
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Jimmy89
Jun 2 2007, 09:48 AM
The AMD Athlon 64 X2 is a great processor! I have one myself and have had no problems with it - it is very fast and deals with what I do like nothing! Your choice of 2x 1GB memory is good also and corsair is a great brand! One question though, when you say QUOTE ASUS M2A-VM Socket AM2 (w/ Integrated ATI Radeon X1200, 256 MB shared) does this mean that the ATI Radeon is built into the m/b and it is using 256 of the system memory? Good Luck with the computer -jimmy P.S What are you doing with the two old Hard Disks? 
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Soto
Jun 2 2007, 12:06 PM
It sounds good to me, but im not a computer technician, and i have no idea whats good and whats not good. I should probably go learn lol. I dont know what series processor im getting but itsa 4200+ AMD Athlon 64 X2 Dual-Core Processor Its good im sure but i dont know if the one he mentioned is a higher series or what 
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xboxrulz
Jun 2 2007, 05:38 PM
QUOTE(Jimmy89 @ Jun 2 2007, 05:48 AM)  The AMD Athlon 64 X2 is a great processor! I have one myself and have had no problems with it - it is very fast and deals with what I do like nothing! Your choice of 2x 1GB memory is good also and corsair is a great brand! One question though, when you say does this mean that the ATI Radeon is built into the m/b and it is using 256 of the system memory? Good Luck with the computer -jimmy P.S What are you doing with the two old Hard Disks? Exactly what u said above. I'm going to retire my 80GB HDD and use it for my experiments or I'll also use it as an external HDD to install other OSes. As for the 120GB, I did say that I'm going to put it as an external disc to replace my 80GB as the data drive =) Anyways, thanks for your comments guys =)! xboxrulz
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unimatrix
Jun 3 2007, 06:27 AM
externals are good if you are using for projects or between machines. (Typically everytime I start a new video project for a client, I get a new External firewire drive) But if you are going for biggest bang for the buck, I just picked up a 160GB HDD (EIDE) for USD $94 with local sales taxes. The old 80GB in my G4 tower died and I replaced it with this. I saw a SATA drive for $120 that was 300GB.
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Nintendo
Jun 3 2007, 10:01 AM
Well I must say that your current PC rocks. I'd love to have one like that! Don't upgrade  I have had the same one since the 80s until recently.
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Techno
Jun 4 2007, 09:28 AM
Your PC you have right now is almost as good as mine... If you are a gamer then upgrade is recommended to play the latest games. (eg Halo2 and Farcry 3) Your planned rig would handle these quite well however, the graphics card could be upgraded too. I understand you have a limited budget but just from my experience. I recommend nVidia 7xxx or 8xxx series. If it's just for general use then upgrading the video card isn't necessary
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xboxrulz
Jun 4 2007, 10:25 PM
Problem is that it runs Vista. However, I can't even play Battlefield 2142 at 1280x1024 on lowest settings, the fram rates are jumpy and laggy. The AGP4X and PC2100 RAM is lagging me behind. My bro has a newer machine with full AGP and PC3200 and it runs great. Also, the processor is the one that is ranked the lowest of them all. xboxrulz
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nightfox
Jun 5 2007, 11:33 PM
QUOTE(xboxrulz @ Jun 4 2007, 06:25 PM) Problem is that it runs Vista. However, I can't even play Battlefield 2142 at 1280x1024 on lowest settings, the fram rates are jumpy and laggy. Remember that Vista eats up 57% of 1 GB RAM with nothing running! Be sure to calculate that in your plans since you are a Vista user. [N]F
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xboxrulz
Nov 11 2007, 11:42 PM
Since I haven't got my desktop and technology changed again, I updated the list and I plan to get it in December as long as I get parental approval (I hate going through this process): Planned specs: AMD Athlon 64 X2 4000+ (65W) Dual-Core Socket AM2, 2.1GHz, 512KB x2 L2 Cache, 2000MHz HT, 65nm (ADO4000DDBOX) Asus M2A-VM Socket AM2 AMD690G + ATI SB600 Chipset Dual Channel DDR2 800/667/533 Integrated ATI X1250 Graphics Micro ATX Hitachi HD 320GB SATA 3.0Gb/s 7200rpm 16MB Bulk (0A33435) Kingston ValueRAM 2GB (1GB x 2) 667MHz DDR2 Non-ECC CL5 DIMM (Kit of 2) (KVR667D2N5K2/2G) Sapphire ATI RADEON HD 2600 PRO 512MB DDR2 Dual Display PCI-Express Graphics Card SUBTOTAL: C$358.95 TOTAL: C$409.20 If I need a new 400W supply, then add $70 (tax incl.) Right now I'm running on a 300W. Any comments? xboxrulz
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xboxrulz
Jul 17 2007, 05:16 PM
vidit
Jul 10 2007, 08:43 AM
I think its good. It has all the features u need ie speed, durability and extendability. Though i would like to advice you to upgrade your Graphics card to PCI-E(16x).It will be come well within your budget. Go Ahead and have it. 
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xboxrulz
Jun 20 2007, 05:40 PM
wow, I must say that the circuitry inside that PSU will die faster than ones with stable power (my power never dips lower than 120V unless there's a heavy storm). The lowest my machine was running on was 90V (My school installed a voltage meter for the stage) during my school play since we plugged too many high voltage lights into the same breaker. xboxrulz
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Grafitti
Jun 20 2007, 04:02 AM
How I wish my experience was like that. With an average of 5 or 10 complete power cuts per day, and constant voltage fluctuations (anywhere between 10 and 440), it's no wonder then that I've had worse experiences with generics. I do have to say though, that the Asus one on my personal computer has gone through it all for over a year now, and never has given me any problems. Keeps right on going till the power totally cuts out, and has a 1 second charge for the flash power cuts.
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