Requesting Advice on Upcoming Christmas Overhaul

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Finneal

n00b
Joined
Nov 15, 2005
Messages
55
Well folks, I did it. I finally convinced my wife that it's time to upgrade my gaming rig. I have final approval, yippee !!!

It's a great time, but my last computer upgrade was in 2002 to a P4 2.4. Yikes, I've been out of the loop so long.

Over the last few days, I've made it my business to get more educated on the latest hardware improvements and now I'm trying to get the most bang for my buck.

I scouted an awesome deal in Best Buy's ad on Sunday for a BFG 7800 GT OC. After the rebates, returning the free PC game at Wal Mart, and the Rewardzone coupons (5% of total purchase), I got this beauty for less than 300 buckaroos. So the video card is taken care of.

As for the processor, I've seen people on the forums here recommending the X2 3800+. I see Newegg has this processor for 322 dollars. Let me know if there is a processor solution with more bang for the buck. Keep in mind that I'm on a budget and I really don't wanna test my wife's limits =p

First question is whether this processor comes with a heat sink/fan or whether I need to purchase a third party one.

Second question (if I need to purchase a heat sink/fan) is which heat sink/fan I should buy.

Third question is related to the motherboard. I've seen lots of folks bragging about the DFI LP boards so I'm wondering if this is truly the board to have for gaming and if so, which one should I buy. Just as an FYI, I'd probably be willing to overclock a bit using stock equipment, but I'd rather not risk damaging the hardware. Lord knows what would happen if I told my wife I broke my new toy and needed to buy a replacement.

Fourth question is regarding the memory. Currently I have a pair of 512 MB Samsung DDR333 memory sticks. Would it be a significant upgrade for me to ditch these and go with a pair of 1GB DDR 400 sticks? If so, which do you recommend?

Fifth question is is regarding the PSU. Right now I have a QMax 350W PSU so I'm guessing that between the new video card I bought and this new processor, I will have to upgrade. Do you guys agree? If so, it seems like everyone is pretty much unanimous that the Antec 550W PSU is the way to go.

Sixth question is which HDD do you guys recommend. Right now, I'm using EIDE 7200 RPM drives so I'm guessing I need to make the switch over to SATA. Which drive are you guys recommending now for around a hundred bucks (have to go cheap on this since I can still use my EIDE drives for backup storage and the processor and video card are expensive).

Seventh question is whether I should stick with Mobo audio or whether I need to get a new sound board. Next question is which sound board I should get assuming you guys recommend getting a new one. Keep in mind, I don't have surround sound, just a pair of Klipsch Promedia 2.1s.

Eighth and final question, whats a decent (yet economical) DVD ROM drive? It doesn't necessarily need to be a burner. Just need to be able to read CDROMs and DVD ROMs from the same drive.


I sincerely appreciate any advice you guys can offer. Furthermore, I would like to thank all of the posters on these forums for being so helpful with those of us who aren't exactly in the know.

Happy Holidays!

Charles III


P.S. Thanks to HardOCP as well for hosting such a great site. I couldn't do these upgrades every couple years without ya.
 
Finneal said:
Well folks, I did it. I finally convinced my wife that it's time to upgrade my gaming rig. I have final approval, yippee !!!

It's a great time, but my last computer upgrade was in 2002 to a P4 2.4. Yikes, I've been out of the loop so long.

Over the last few days, I've made it my business to get more educated on the latest hardware improvements and now I'm trying to get the most bang for my buck.

I scouted an awesome deal in Best Buy's ad on Sunday for a BFG 7800 GT OC. After the rebates, returning the free PC game at Wal Mart, and the Rewardzone coupons (5% of total purchase), I got this beauty for less than 300 buckaroos. So the video card is taken care of.

As for the processor, I've seen people on the forums here recommending the X2 3800+. I see Newegg has this processor for 322 dollars. Let me know if there is a processor solution with more bang for the buck. Keep in mind that I'm on a budget and I really don't wanna test my wife's limits =p

First question is whether this processor comes with a heat sink/fan or whether I need to purchase a third party one.

Second question (if I need to purchase a heat sink/fan) is which heat sink/fan I should buy.

Third question is related to the motherboard. I've seen lots of folks bragging about the DFI LP boards so I'm wondering if this is truly the board to have for gaming and if so, which one should I buy. Just as an FYI, I'd probably be willing to overclock a bit using stock equipment, but I'd rather not risk damaging the hardware. Lord knows what would happen if I told my wife I broke my new toy and needed to buy a replacement.

Fourth question is regarding the memory. Currently I have a pair of 512 MB Samsung DDR333 memory sticks. Would it be a significant upgrade for me to ditch these and go with a pair of 1GB DDR 400 sticks? If so, which do you recommend?

Fifth question is is regarding the PSU. Right now I have a QMax 350W PSU so I'm guessing that between the new video card I bought and this new processor, I will have to upgrade. Do you guys agree? If so, it seems like everyone is pretty much unanimous that the Antec 550W PSU is the way to go.

Sixth question is which HDD do you guys recommend. Right now, I'm using EIDE 7200 RPM drives so I'm guessing I need to make the switch over to SATA. Which drive are you guys recommending now for around a hundred bucks (have to go cheap on this since I can still use my EIDE drives for backup storage and the processor and video card are expensive).

Seventh question is whether I should stick with Mobo audio or whether I need to get a new sound board. Next question is which sound board I should get assuming you guys recommend getting a new one. Keep in mind, I don't have surround sound, just a pair of Klipsch Promedia 2.1s.

Eighth and final question, whats a decent (yet economical) DVD ROM drive? It doesn't necessarily need to be a burner. Just need to be able to read CDROMs and DVD ROMs from the same drive.


I sincerely appreciate any advice you guys can offer. Furthermore, I would like to thank all of the posters on these forums for being so helpful with those of us who aren't exactly in the know.

Happy Holidays!

Charles III


P.S. Thanks to HardOCP as well for hosting such a great site. I couldn't do these upgrades every couple years without ya.
Click to expand...


Q1:The processor does come with a heatsink and fan

Q2:If you want to buy a aftermarket heatsink and fan I really like the Zalman ones

Q3:The DFI board really is the gaming board in the sense that its the best OCing board. If your going to OC then go DFI, or maybe the new ASUS one if you want to shell out the extra cash.

Q4:I'm not 100% sure on this but I would recommend getting some new ram, especially if you get the DFI board. I think the ones in my sig are pretty good and will work nicely

Q5:Your going to want a new PSU. The Antec 550W is really nice, you wont go wrong with it. Ive heard some people complain, so you may want to look into the OCZ powerstreams and the Seasonic ones. Just compare prices.

Q6:I personally like the WD drives that are out now. The ones in my sig were a little over $100. For 250 gb, sata II, 16mb buffer, its not bad.

Q7:I never like to use the mobo audio. In fact Ive never gotten it to work for some reason. I love the new x-fi cards. A lot of people will tell you that the 24 bit engine in the card is a load of crap, but to me the sounds are richer and fuller. I couldnt be happier. Plus I also have the Klipsh 2:1.

Q8:If you just want a dvd drive, the Lite-on ones and the NEC ones are cheap and reliable.

Have fun!
 
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