It's time for an upgrade..

Discussion in 'Building a new PC' started by jigdish, Mar 25, 2008.

  1. jigdish

    jigdish Member

    Joined:
    Feb 15, 2006
    Messages:
    96
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    16
    I need some help and have some questions...

    I bought this computer in 2000 and its time to get something else.. It runs fine and i keep it clean and it does almost everything i need it to do... the biggest problem is multi tasking... It's seems to bog down a bit...it was mentioned in an earlier post suggesting I should maybe scrap my old computer and build one of my own using some of my old hardware. see below

    my current machine:

    Dell Dimension 8100 desktop
    1.3Mhz, Pentium 4
    640 MB RDRAM
    40 & 250 GB hard drive
    19" ViewSonic Va1912w-3
    Freecom DVD +/-RW16B6
    XP Pro Lite Weight Version /SP2

    I was complaining on the price of RD Ram
    I have a new monitor, keyboard & mouse, 4 port usb 2.0, dvd burner, speakers, Win XP pro, and a Sound Blaster Live sound card..

    I mostly surf the net, listen to music and work from home...

    Are there any major reasons to go with the newer SATA hard drives? everything I have read relates to lowering the temperature of the computer... I have a fairly new 250G IDE drive... If I went with the new SATA drive could I turn my current IDE drive into an external drive?

    I'm guessing I would need a box(could I use my old Dell box), mother board, ram, and hard drive... Would current my sound card (EMU10K1 audio chipset (SB LIVE!))still work with these newer motherboards?

    Any suggestions on what parts to get?

    Like I said I don't need a top of the line machine... I don't game with it. I just wanna be able to multi task and have my machine keep up..

    any suggestions?

    Jigdish
     
  2. core2kid

    core2kid Regular member

    Joined:
    Jun 9, 2007
    Messages:
    2,430
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    46
    You think you could post your service tag to your system so we can see the exact specs on http://support.dell.com and see available upgrades??
    And yes you will need a new box and mostly power supply too. Dell power supplies are proprietary to Dell systems.
     
    Last edited: Mar 27, 2008
  3. ddp

    ddp Moderator Staff Member

    Joined:
    Oct 15, 2004
    Messages:
    39,167
    Likes Received:
    136
    Trophy Points:
    143
  4. core2kid

    core2kid Regular member

    Joined:
    Jun 9, 2007
    Messages:
    2,430
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    46
    I know about those links but with the service tag you can type it in here: http://support.dell.com/support/top...tems_info/en/details?c=us&cs=WEX29&l=en&s=dhs and it gives you a direct link to exactly what hardware is in that specific computer down to every little bit.
    Giving out the computer service tag is all up to the owner. If he doesn't want to he doesn't have to. My service tag to my laptop is 9HRN4C1. I'm just throwing that out there to show that its not a private code or anything. It doesn't give away any personal information.
     
  5. jigdish

    jigdish Member

    Joined:
    Feb 15, 2006
    Messages:
    96
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    16
    my service tag # 455FQ01

    well DDP you said you could do a lot with $280 so $300 but you know how things go...

    Jig
     
  6. core2kid

    core2kid Regular member

    Joined:
    Jun 9, 2007
    Messages:
    2,430
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    46
    If you know how to build then you could look up parts on Newegg.com or barebone systems on Tigerdirect.
    This perticular one caught my eye, it was a nice looking powerful one on the home page.
    http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=3732839&Sku=A455-2812 E
    With this you'll still need to add DVD drives or use your old ones and a hard drive or use your old one. Oh yea, Operating system too. Go XP, not Vista btw.

    Here are all the barebones
    http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/category/category_tlc.asp?CatId=31&name=Barebone-Kits
     
  7. jigdish

    jigdish Member

    Joined:
    Feb 15, 2006
    Messages:
    96
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    16
    Is it better to go with the AMD64 for what I do? surfing the net, music,and home business..

    Is money the reason you didn't suggest an Intel Duo Core?

    Can my IDE hard drives hook up to this AMD motherboard?

    Can most of the new boards use both IDE and SATA drives? or do you use one or the other?


    Jig
     
  8. jigdish

    jigdish Member

    Joined:
    Feb 15, 2006
    Messages:
    96
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    16
    I did a little research... Little!

    Whats up with these new quad cores? and how soon until there is a
    Octa Core or Deci Core?

    Jig
     
  9. abuzar1

    abuzar1 Senior member

    Joined:
    Jan 5, 2005
    Messages:
    5,818
    Likes Received:
    4
    Trophy Points:
    118
    Octa cores come out next year. The new quad cores just came out. I have the older Q6600 version and it's great!

    I wouldn't go with that first barebone Core2Kid suggested, that PSU looks shady. I've used Ultra PSUs before, and some are great, but only some.

    Alright keep those parts, but you will need everything else new. Also if your DVD drive is IDE, well most modern motherboards only support two IDE drives. So it's one HDD and one optical or 2HDD, etc.

    Honestly, if money is not a problem I would go with these parts.

    CPU:
    http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=3636566&CatId=2396

    or

    http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115017

    Motherboard:
    http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128086&Tpk=GA-EP35-DS3R

    RAM:
    http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820227181

    Case:
    http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811133021

    PSU:
    http://www.buy.com/prod/corsair-vx-550w-atx-power-supply/q/loc/101/205852646.html

    Video Card:
    http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814150229

    A bit steep, but that's quality for you. Let us know if you are wanting to spend less.
     
  10. core2kid

    core2kid Regular member

    Joined:
    Jun 9, 2007
    Messages:
    2,430
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    46
    I also have the Q6600 and it's amazingly fast. Nothing I do seems to be able to max out the processor. About the new quad cores and the Old Q6600s, I have heard a lot of controversy about the Q6600s being better and I have also heard that the new Q9300s are better. Can anybody clarify this please?
     
  11. sammorris

    sammorris Senior member

    Joined:
    Mar 4, 2004
    Messages:
    33,335
    Likes Received:
    7
    Trophy Points:
    118
    Q6600 CPU http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115017 $250
    GA-EP35-DS3R Mobo http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128086 $141
    Corsair VX 450W PSU http://www.buy.com/retail/usersearc...VX+450W&loc=101&qxt=comp&display=col&dclksa=1 $60 after rebate
    Coolermaster Centurion RC-532 case & extra fan http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811119094
    http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835185005 $97
    HD2600XT Graphics card http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102700 $60 after rebate
    Extra IDE port card http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16816124001 $23
    That's a relatively high spec build, $631 if you use your existing hard drives and optical drives (I've included an extra IDE card assuming your current drives are all IDE, since modern motherboards only come with one IDE port)
     
  12. abuzar1

    abuzar1 Senior member

    Joined:
    Jan 5, 2005
    Messages:
    5,818
    Likes Received:
    4
    Trophy Points:
    118
    There is no reason for the new Q9300 to be better than the Q6600. It's got a lower clock speed AND less cache. The only difference is that it's 45nm, so it should run cooler.
     
  13. sammorris

    sammorris Senior member

    Joined:
    Mar 4, 2004
    Messages:
    33,335
    Likes Received:
    7
    Trophy Points:
    118
    Don't forget though that the E8400 is much faster at 3Ghz than the E6750 is!
     
  14. abuzar1

    abuzar1 Senior member

    Joined:
    Jan 5, 2005
    Messages:
    5,818
    Likes Received:
    4
    Trophy Points:
    118
    *cough*More cache*cough*

    :)
     
  15. sammorris

    sammorris Senior member

    Joined:
    Mar 4, 2004
    Messages:
    33,335
    Likes Received:
    7
    Trophy Points:
    118
    no, it's because it's a different architecture.
     
  16. abuzar1

    abuzar1 Senior member

    Joined:
    Jan 5, 2005
    Messages:
    5,818
    Likes Received:
    4
    Trophy Points:
    118
    Sam, they are all the Core 2 architecture. So I don't think that's any different.
     
  17. sammorris

    sammorris Senior member

    Joined:
    Mar 4, 2004
    Messages:
    33,335
    Likes Received:
    7
    Trophy Points:
    118
    "All differences in performance, power consumption, heat dissipation, etc between an E8400 and an E6850 can be attributed to Wolfdale’s enhanced micro-architecture, its 50% larger L2 cache, and the 45nm transistor shrinkage" - from a report from overclockers.com
     
  18. abuzar1

    abuzar1 Senior member

    Joined:
    Jan 5, 2005
    Messages:
    5,818
    Likes Received:
    4
    Trophy Points:
    118
    I'm not buying it, until Intel tells my so. In fact I think I WILL call them now.

    Well maybe not now. I'll take your word for it now...



    I'LL BE BACK! lol
     
  19. sammorris

    sammorris Senior member

    Joined:
    Mar 4, 2004
    Messages:
    33,335
    Likes Received:
    7
    Trophy Points:
    118
    I quite agree, based on the overclocking issues as well, it isn't worth the hassle.
     
  20. jigdish

    jigdish Member

    Joined:
    Feb 15, 2006
    Messages:
    96
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    16
    I'm fairly new to building a machine(meaning i have replaced a few things on my existing computer)... and the more I read these posts from you guys the more I realize I might need to do a little research first... Anyone know of a good basic site I could start reading to learn a little about what I'm gonna do...

    I've been building things all my life so I'm not worried about this part of it... I just wanna know what I'm doing... just slipping tab A into slot A doesn't teach me anything...

    any suggestions Guys?

    Jig
     

Share This Page