Recently got married (need help upgrading)

D

Dulak

Limp Gawd
Joined
Oct 12, 2005
Messages
316
Recently got married; received amazon vouchers and I am looking to upgrade my pc so I can 'comfortably' play in the future:
D3, skyrim, and the current witcher 2

Currently I have:

win xp
q6600
DFI P35 lan party MB
4 gigs of corsair xms2 ram
Sapphire 5770
4 WD HDs, three 640aaks's and one 750 (forgot name but slower drive).
Sound blaster aud 2
antec neo HE 550 psu (modular)
all sitting in a antec solo case

atm nothing is OCed ... about 1 1/2~ years ago my 8800gts died and I bought the 5770. Shortly after I started getting random lockups.

I have tried to solve these lockup issues to no avail. A couple things remain to be tried (reformatting and reinstalling win xp - hate to do this since I have many many programs installed).
Wondering if something is causing power problems; since most of my lockups happen when I am running more intensive tasks like watching a movie or running mutiple programs.

Here are some things I would like to do or need help with ...

1. What smart program is best to use for detecting HD problems (failures or power issues).

2. What piece or pieces of hardware would I best benefit from to accomplish my goal of playing the above games including witcher 2 (at 1024 settings I am only getting 10-20ish fps and it is pretty much unplayable).

my thoughts ...

- one of my upgrades will be 1 or 2 HDs ... currently all my HDs are almost full. I really could use one of those 2 TB drives. Id prefer 2 but just not sure I want to fork out that much for them.
Ive also been reading all the hype about the SSD drives - if I went with one of those Ive narrowed it down to the 320 80 gig intel version for a OS boot with some key programs on there.

- my first thought for a vid card upgrade would of been the 6950 (been a ATI fan for awhile) but it looks like I will be out of luck putting one of those in my antec solo case (unless someone knows a brand that is comparable in length to a 8800gts (this just barely fit in my case; bumped against my HDs).

- a reformat appears to be in the works for me since I havn't been able to figure out my computer lockups; Ive debated about switching to win 7 but a bit apprehensive about it. Not sure if all my programs will work and not really in the mood to mess with compatibility issues (but who knows maybe it would be a good thing).

- a new mb/cpu/ram would be a nice upgrade but IMO that would be a bit too costly atm; and reselling my current mb/cpu/ram tends not to yield much. (perhaps this is something I could do later when I have more funds available).

- I only know a bit about the NVDA 560 and 570 cards; from what I can tell they use more power then the ATI ... Im not quite sure I want to go back to nividia thou.

- oh before I forget; I thought about OCing my cpu/vid card etc but with my current pc issues it makes it hard to diagnosis a OC failure and just a lockup; so Ive left my cpu/vid card at their stock value.

finances I have available ... probably about 300 pounds give or take~
enough for a HD and a vid card~
or a SSD and a 2 TB HD and just wait a bit for an upgrade.

again I have amazon vouchers which I can use in the UK but will be heading to the states in a couple weeks so could pick up some goods there also

thanks for the help
 
As far as windows 7 u can run the compatability check see what will/will not work. Anything that will not work itl let you know what you would have to do to fix that... Usually a quick download... Honestly on the 3 machines.i updated.. One of them being older than urs with a.conroe e6600.. I had to download a total of 2 new drivers... Its been out a while so I doubt u would have any issues


As far as everything else.... Il let you know... That tge guru's that have the answers are gonna advise you to answer the questions on the stickied thread at the top of this forum.. It really will help them alot
 
Yes it would help out a lot if you answered the stickied "ANSWER THESE QUESTIONS FIRST" so that we can help you better. But to answer some of your questions and concerns:
1) Just try all of these to diagnose the lockup issues:
[Testing the RAM]
Download Memtest86+ v4.00 or whatever the latest version is, unzip it, burn the ISO file to a CD, and then boot from it, just like you would do with the XP/Vista install CD. Let Memtest+ run for at least three hours on each stick of RAM separately as well as test the RAM all together. Go for a full 24 hours if you want to be completely sure that the RAM is not a problem. If you start seeing errors, than your RAM is defective or you have incorrect settings for the RAM.

[Testing the Hard Drive]
Download the CD image of Hitachi Drive Fitness Test, burn the ISO file to a CD, and then boot from it, just like you would do with the XP/Vista install CD. Test the hard drive and see if any problems are found. DFT will run on most manufacturers' hard drives. Alternatively, you can use Seagate's SeaTools for DOS to test a Seagate or Maxtor drive. For a Western Digital drive, you could use Data Lifeguard Tools for DOS to test a Western Digital drive.

[Testing the CPU]
Use Prime 95, OCCT, Orthos or Intel Burn Tool to stress test the CPU.

[Testing the GPU]
Use Furmark, OCCT, or ATI Tool to stress test the GPU. If you see any artifacts or any other graphical glitches, the GPU could be overheating, too overclocked, or faulty.

Try a different PSU as well.

Report back with your results once you've done all of the above tests this week.

2) Well you haven't told us what's the max resolution of your monitor (which is one of the questions asked in the sticky). So really can't answer that. With that said, that Q6600 is gonna be a major limitation on virtually any sort of GPU upgrade. Once you've figured out the lockup issue, you should OC that Q6600 to at least 3Ghz to lessen the limitations.

Regarding Windows 7, unless you're using a really old program or really old hardware, you shouldn't have compatibility issues with Windows 7 and programs.


For now, we should concentrate on figuring out the lockup issue. No point in upgrading if that issue hasn't been diagnosed yet.

Oh and congrats on getting married :D
 
"Recently got married (need help upgrading)"

Thought you meant upgrading the wife for a minute there :D
 
Danny Bui said:
Yes it would help out a lot if you answered the stickied "ANSWER THESE QUESTIONS FIRST" so that we can help you better. But to answer some of your questions and concerns:
1) Just try all of these to diagnose the lockup issues:
[Testing the RAM]
Download Memtest86+ v4.00 or whatever the latest version is, unzip it, burn the ISO file to a CD, and then boot from it, just like you would do with the XP/Vista install CD. Let Memtest+ run for at least three hours on each stick of RAM separately as well as test the RAM all together. Go for a full 24 hours if you want to be completely sure that the RAM is not a problem. If you start seeing errors, than your RAM is defective or you have incorrect settings for the RAM.

[Testing the Hard Drive]
Download the CD image of Hitachi Drive Fitness Test, burn the ISO file to a CD, and then boot from it, just like you would do with the XP/Vista install CD. Test the hard drive and see if any problems are found. DFT will run on most manufacturers' hard drives. Alternatively, you can use Seagate's SeaTools for DOS to test a Seagate or Maxtor drive. For a Western Digital drive, you could use Data Lifeguard Tools for DOS to test a Western Digital drive.

[Testing the CPU]
Use Prime 95, OCCT, Orthos or Intel Burn Tool to stress test the CPU.

[Testing the GPU]
Use Furmark, OCCT, or ATI Tool to stress test the GPU. If you see any artifacts or any other graphical glitches, the GPU could be overheating, too overclocked, or faulty.

Try a different PSU as well.

Report back with your results once you've done all of the above tests this week.

2) Well you haven't told us what's the max resolution of your monitor (which is one of the questions asked in the sticky). So really can't answer that. With that said, that Q6600 is gonna be a major limitation on virtually any sort of GPU upgrade. Once you've figured out the lockup issue, you should OC that Q6600 to at least 3Ghz to lessen the limitations.

Regarding Windows 7, unless you're using a really old program or really old hardware, you shouldn't have compatibility issues with Windows 7 and programs.


For now, we should concentrate on figuring out the lockup issue. No point in upgrading if that issue hasn't been diagnosed yet.

Oh and congrats on getting married :D
Click to expand...


1) What will you be doing with this PC? Gaming? Photoshop? Web browsing? etc
- Gaming, movie watching, email/browsing, and photoshop

2) What's your budget? Are tax and shipping included?
- Well atm probably right around 300pounds; but in the next few months I would be looking to upgrade some more say 300 more pounds~ (if its worthwhile).

3) Where do you live?
- UK; but traveling home (wisconsin in a few weeks) (prefer to use amazon vouchers for the current 300 pounds)

4) What exact parts do you need for that budget? CPU, RAM, case, etc. The word "Everything" is not a valid answer. Please list out all the parts you'll need.
- spoke about in my OP

5) If reusing any parts, what parts will you be reusing? Please be especially specific about the power supply. List make and model.
- antec Neo HE 550 modular

6) Will you be overclocking?
- Well I would like to OC my cpu; and maybe the vid card if I could figure out my crashes - dont need a really high OC just enough to give me a boost

7) What size monitor do you have and/or plan to have?
- running a asus vw266h (26.5" runs at 1920*1200 - I usually run games at all sorts of resolutions depending on how the fps are going) ...

8) When do you plan on building/buying the PC?
- 300 now; say another 300~ a few months from now.

9) What features do you need in a motherboard? RAID? Firewire? Crossfire or SLI support? USB 3.0? SATA 6Gb/s? eSATA? Onboard video? etc.
- Happy with my current MB; but if in a future upgrade Id want sata 6gb, 6 sata ports, a silent no fan mb.

10) Do you already have a legit and reusable/transferable OS key/license? If yes, what OS? Is it 32bit or 64bit?
Yes its win xp 32bit; but now Im rethinking about the whole win 7 thing ...

------------------------

Danny,

Ran the memtest86 overnite - no errors.
I ran a program called diskcheckup that just looks at the smart info on my HDs and there is nothing detected; havnt run a full HD scan thou - didnt see anything in my WD data lifeguard but I can look into this more. (one of my drives is a bit older so may just swap that out with another 640aaks I have sitting here).

Ran the intel burn test for 15 mins - there were no errors.

Ran the scan for artifacts in ati tools - no artifacts or problems.

Dont have another PSU to test atm.

My monitor goes up to 1920*1200; I usually try to run it at whatever res. that gives me decent fps in games.

I agree with you about figuring out why Im getting the crashes; Only thing I know they usually occur when I have alot of things open (which I almost always do); but then also have a movie in the background (either playing or paused). But can happen anytime also; in games, or when a movie is not open.

I have had the same install of win xp for 3 years~ ... I may need to reinstall; and as you may guess Im not looking forward to it because of all the programs I have.

Been thinking about your win 7 suggestion ... In the past I used to run this stock trading program that wouldnt run on win 7 so perhaps that was my aversion.

- couple questions on win 7
a. no idea which version would suit me
b. if I end up getting win 7 now and installing this and all my programs would I need to reinstall it again if I get a new vid card or in the future a i5/mb/ram?

I'd like to get a new 6950 card but just not sure I would get much out of it because of my cpu, and then the fact it cant fit in my p150 case ... (was looking at different cases last nite) and was eying this lian li pc-8n case - but thats about my whole 'load' on a new case and vid card.

anyways ... let me know what you think
 
Did you test the RAM individually. It's been my experience that memtest won't report errors when one good stick is good while the other is bad.

But assuming that the RAM is shown to be clear individually, you're now looking at either the PSU or mobo. Considering the age of your PSU and potential future GPU upgrade plans, I say just get a new PSU now. You accomplish two things that way:
- Have a better, newer and possibly larger PSU for future upgrades
- Rule out the PSU as being a cause for your issues.

As for your questions about Windows 7:
a) Home Premium 64bit will fit you fine
b) Nah no need to reinstall even with a mobo switch. Windows 7 is pretty robust when it comes to mobo switches and such.

Yeah you wouldn't get too much out of that 6950 with your current CPU even at 3Ghz. And then there's the issue of your PSU possibly not being to support such a video card.
 
Danny Bui said:
Did you test the RAM individually. It's been my experience that memtest won't report errors when one good stick is good while the other is bad.

But assuming that the RAM is shown to be clear individually, you're now looking at either the PSU or mobo. Considering the age of your PSU and potential future GPU upgrade plans, I say just get a new PSU now. You accomplish two things that way:
- Have a better, newer and possibly larger PSU for future upgrades
- Rule out the PSU as being a cause for your issues.

As for your questions about Windows 7:
a) Home Premium 64bit will fit you fine
b) Nah no need to reinstall even with a mobo switch. Windows 7 is pretty robust when it comes to mobo switches and such.

Yeah you wouldn't get too much out of that 6950 with your current CPU even at 3Ghz. And then there's the issue of your PSU possibly not being to support such a video card.
Click to expand...

little update on where I am at ...

still havnt tested my ram individually yet; did mess with OCing my cpu thou. atm I have it sitting 2811 with the factory HS/fan on there. Seems to be fine there. At 2815 I had a bsod. Only thing I did was up the bus to 312; wasnt sure if I should mess with anything else; and really dont want to mess with voltage if my psu could be an issue.

Didnt try it out in any games thou simply ran the intel cpu burner (thanks for suggestion about that).

Im looking at getting a new case also; looking at the lian li pc-7fnwb. Spent alot of time looking at cases and pretty much settled on this one or a pc-9f.

Im not going to run out and buy a new PSU just yet; I figured Id start with a fresh install of windows 7 and then see how my crashes are doing. btw havnt had one in the past few days (but this doesnt mean anything - goes in spurts sometimes).

IMO if after a clean install of win 7 and putting my stuff into a new rack (will attempt to clean up some of these wires etc ...
and I still get crashes - then I figure you are probably right and my psu must be doing something funny when put under load.

btw any suggestions for a modular 650-850 range psu?

Id like to get a SSD but it appears its either that or a 6950. And I have a feeling Ill enjoy the 6950 more.

a WD 2 or 3 gig drive would also be added in the future.

So windows 7 and case now; 6950 in a month~, a 2tb+ hd in 2 months~
ps if need be.
 
Dulak said:
IMO if after a clean install of win 7 and putting my stuff into a new rack (will attempt to clean up some of these wires etc ...
and I still get crashes - then I figure you are probably right and my psu must be doing something funny when put under load.
Click to expand...

Actually my money is on the motherboard being the issue. However replacing that is going to be rather cost-prohibitive. And as I said earlier:
Considering the age of your PSU and potential future GPU upgrade plans, I say just get a new PSU now. You accomplish two things that way:
- Have a better, newer and possibly larger PSU for future upgrades
- Rule out the PSU as being a cause for your issues.
Click to expand...

So you're gonna need a new PSU no matter what happens.
Dulak said:
btw any suggestions for a modular 650-850 range psu?
Click to expand...

Any XFX 650W or 750W modular PSU
Corsair's HX series PSUs
Seasonic's X-Series PSUs.
 
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