# Upgrading Computer



## VividSynergy (Jul 22, 2008)

Hello everyone, let me start off by saying that I am not very experienced with hardware components in a computer, and that I need some help upgrading my computer. I am just a gamer that wants better quality and higher FPS. I want the best hardware possible that will fill a budget of $400. My main game right now is Battlefield 2. I want to be able to run it on the highest quality I can get with my budget. If that means getting a new operating system, I'm fine with that too. I live in the United States, specifically Northern Illinois. Here is my current computer (I have not overclocked anything):

CPU: AMD, Athlon 64 3000+, I don't know how to find the socket type, 2.01 GHz
Motherboard: Nvidia, nForce-CK8S, I don't know how to find out the socket type
Graphics Card: NVIDIA, GeForce 6200, AGP, 512 MegaBytes, I don't know if mine is SLI/Crossfire
Sound Card: SoundBlaster Live! 24-bit
RAM: 2x Liberty, SDRAM DDR, PC3200 (200MHz) - 1x Turbo, SDRAM DDR, PC3200 (200MHz), I don't know how to find out the socket types
Hard Drives: 1x Seagate, ATA, 200 GigaBytes - 1x Maxtor, ATA, 81 GigaBytes
DVD Drive: Sony DVD RW DRU-500A
Power Supply: Ultra Computer Products, ULT-400P, 400W, I don't know how to find out the number of amps on +12V rails
Operating System: Windows XP Professional Service Pack 3
I have all of the latest drivers as well. 

Please help. ray: Thanks in advance.


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## linderman (May 20, 2005)

sorry to say but $400.00 isn't going to help you much ....... and your system is outdated far enough back that I would not advise spending money on it 

nurture your budget up to $800.00 and you will get some real value


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## VividSynergy (Jul 22, 2008)

Hmm. Me and my dad were thinking of replacing the CPU, motherboad, power supply, and RAM. We don't have enough money to do that?


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## Tumbleweed36 (May 14, 2005)

What you need to make a difference in real performance will simply cost more than you have allocated. You can change those things (not top of the line and up-to-date hardware for that amount), but to get real performance gain, it will simply cost more than that.

When we build or suggest, one must consider the cost/vs/efficiency ratio or to make the build worth the money you spend by giving a higher performance gain. While you might see some gain with a cheaper (the amount you listed) upgrade, it would be almost a waste of money. A CPU alone will take a chunk of that amount to upgrade to something that is worth the money you spend. In addition, a good power supply will set you back 100 bucks.....after the CPU and power supply, not much left for anything else. I would not advise you to do this for cost efficiency and no other reason. Just wait until you get a few more bucks, then come back and let us help you build a great computer. That is my opinion.


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## VividSynergy (Jul 22, 2008)

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817341012

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115052

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128334

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814150252

This is just something I put together randomly, but this is $390 after the mail in rebates, and wouldn't this help out a lot?


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## Tumbleweed36 (May 14, 2005)

First of all, that power supply while a good one, will not pull that video card. You need to be looking for a 650 watt supply for you to have sufficient power. Second, I would expect that you are under the impression that this will make a huge difference. Don't misunderstand, it will make some difference,but the performance gain won't be as much as you hope for. You also did not address the memory issue in this price and cost.

That is my opinion. Hope someone else will chime in, so you get more viewpoints before you jump in and spend $400 expecting something you won't get.


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## linderman (May 20, 2005)

*Tumbleweed is 100% correct* and is trying to be of service to you

We strive to give REAL value when we make reccommendations; most other sites all just preach the latest and greatest overpriced fresh release components. WE DONT

our site has a higher than normal number of system builders and system vendors as staff


we are trying to offer you a realistic evaluation of what would happen if you spent $400.00 upgrading parts 

A) they would have to be 2nd tier manufs

B) they would have to be 1-1/2 year old spec stuff or low performance stuff

C) you need ram, cpu, motherboard, video card, power supply ....... hell; man! .......... thats a new computer !!

you would certainly see improvement over what you have if you spent $400.00 but you would not achieve much of a ratio of bang for the buck....... in other words you would be spending more money than the value of what you bought


for $600.00 you could get things done by purchasing some "open box" parts


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## linderman (May 20, 2005)

i suggest you can start watching the mwave.com / click on refurb stuff over the course of a few weeks you could watch and pick up some good stuff at a real value ....... then buy parts one at a time until you are complete !

ask questions BEFORE you buy 

if you want to PM me with your email address, I can email you with good part links as they become available on mwave


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## VividSynergy (Jul 22, 2008)

I don't know too much about this mwave.com thing. It seems a high risk to lose money from shipping and handling and defective products and stuff. Does it happen often that someone gets a defective product?


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## VividSynergy (Jul 22, 2008)

Ok, my dad is wondering what makes a motherboard a good motherboard. Same thing for all the other hardware. Like, what seperates a bad motherboard from a good motherboard, and for every other type of hardware. At the moment, we just want to upgrade the CPU, but then we need a new Motherboard, then we need new RAM, and then we need a new Power Supply, and then if we still have some money left over, we'll also buy a graphics card. So, we don't want to build a whole new computer, but one at a time get new parts until our computer is up to date. So, we'll basically be building a whole new computer, but over a period of time. Also, I want to know what components right now have the best 'bang for the buck.' So, what components would make the biggest performance gains for the least amount of money spent.


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## linderman (May 20, 2005)

I buy alot of products from mwave refurbished and have NEVER got a dud yet!

I have received parts that were brand new in sealed retail celopphane wrapped boxes to just plain open box parts ...... never anything that looked used or had any signs of use whatsoever !

your call


as for a good bang for the buck spec 


Gigabyte GA-EP35-DS3R motherboard (there is one in mwave refurb right now for $71.00 they are usually $130.00 ish

CPU = Intel E8200
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115038

Ram = Corsair XMS DDR2-800 / PC2-6400 2 x one gig sticks with timings of 4-4-4-12 they sell for about $60.00 per pair with a rebate coupone too !

power supply = Corsair TX-750 watt right now at provantage.com for $106.00

sometimes you can watch mwave refurb and get a thermaltake toughpower 700 watt for $80.00 thats a smoking deal

video card = EVGA 9600 GT should be around $125.00


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## VividSynergy (Jul 22, 2008)

linderman said:


> I buy alot of products from mwave refurbished and have NEVER got a dud yet!
> 
> I have received parts that were brand new in sealed retail celopphane wrapped boxes to just plain open box parts ...... never anything that looked used or had any signs of use whatsoever !
> 
> ...


Thank you for the help, this costs just over $600. Lets see if my dad lets the budget go up by $200.


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## VividSynergy (Jul 22, 2008)

VividSynergy said:


> Thank you for the help, this costs around $500. Lets see if my dad lets the budget go up by $200.


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## VividSynergy (Jul 22, 2008)

My dad agreed. :grin: Thank you very much. I'll make another post if something goes wrong. Thanks again! ray:


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## linderman (May 20, 2005)

*your dad is a smart fella* ................... you other plan was a REAL dud that would have you back at the upgrade dream within 2-3 months !!!!!!


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## VividSynergy (Jul 22, 2008)

linderman said:


> *your dad is a smart fella* ................... you other plan was a REAL dud that would have you back at the upgrade dream within 2-3 months !!!!!!


Hi. It's almost a month now, and my birthday just passed, so I think I have enough money. I'm just wondering, have there been any price cuts on better products that I could buy for the better 'bang for the buck'?

EDIT: One more thing, is it worth the money to get a Creative Soundblaster X-Fi? I could maximize my Battlefield 2 sound quality by getting one of these.


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## linderman (May 20, 2005)

I would try the onboard motherboard sound before you spend on a sound card


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## VividSynergy (Jul 22, 2008)

linderman said:


> I would try the onboard motherboard sound before you spend on a sound card


I already have SoundBlaster Live! 24-bit, which I'm assuming is already better than the onboard sound card. I'm just asking, because there's probably still going to be a year before BF3 is released, and I would like to maximize the quality of BF2 for however long that I play it.

Also, I'm assuming that the prices have stayed the same for a month?


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## linderman (May 20, 2005)

yeah the prices are still the same


and yes ........ I would expect that sound card to be better in quality than the onboard sound


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## VividSynergy (Jul 22, 2008)

linderman said:


> yeah the prices are still the same
> 
> 
> and yes ........ I would expect that sound card to be better in quality than the onboard sound


Ok thank you so much for your help.


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## VividSynergy (Jul 22, 2008)

Which pair of RAM should I get?

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820145177

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820145034

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820145038

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820145168

They are all the kind that you specified.

And which graphics card should I get?

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130334

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130371

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130363

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130358

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130328


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## wayliff (Mar 24, 2002)

and btw - you can always recover some money by selling your old system!


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## VividSynergy (Jul 22, 2008)

wayliff said:


> and btw - you can always recover some money by selling your old system!


I would, but I need to pass it down.


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## Wrench97 (May 10, 2008)

VividSynergy said:


> Which pair of RAM should I get?
> 
> http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820145177
> 
> ...


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## linderman (May 20, 2005)

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820145034


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## linderman (May 20, 2005)

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130328





the price of the 8800 GTS 512mb has dropped Alot ............ see if you can squeze into that one ....... hellva great card....... head and shoulders above the 9600 ...... but the 9600 will serve you well als0


*if you live in the U.S.* then go to mwave.com / click on refurbished / then go to video card catagory and power supply catagory

right now they have thermaltake toughpower 650 watt for $71.00 thats a STEAL ..... but they wont last long ...... they sell like kisses from a prom queen !


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## VividSynergy (Jul 22, 2008)

linderman said:


> http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130328
> 
> 
> 
> ...


I think the power supply is gone. So, right now I have all of this in my shopping cart. 










The only thing left is the graphics card. These are all of the 8800 GTS 512 RAMs on Newegg. Which one should I get?

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...48 106791921 1067924922 1068310557&name=512MB


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## Wrench97 (May 10, 2008)

Change the E8200 out to a E8400 $169.xx it's well worth the $5.


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## linderman (May 20, 2005)

I would get this one 

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814125079


WRENCH is right ..... for $5.00 more bucks the E8400 is awesome ........ I paid $300.00 for mine


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## VividSynergy (Jul 22, 2008)

Ok, this is what's in my cart.










After the rebates, it's $540.32. So I have $59.68 left. We also need a case that could fit all of this. I also really would like a Soundblaster with an X-Fi chip so I can run BF2 on Ultra High Quality with EAX enabled, but I have no idea what to pick. Also, BF2 does not detect the X-Fi Extreme Audio/Music cards as X-Fi cards, so I can't pick those.


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## linderman (May 20, 2005)

you cart looks very good ! 


for case I would suggest / Coolermaster centurion med ATX for $50.00


as for game card ...... The Creative Gamer sereis but they are around $90.00 you might have to wait on that one ?????


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## VividSynergy (Jul 22, 2008)

Alright, I found these Centurion cases, but I don't know which one. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...bStoreType=&Order=PRICED&srchInDesc=centurion

One of the products lost it's rebates or something so my total cart at the moment is $560.32. I have $190 of my own, so I still have $129.68 left without the case or sound card. I also want to maximize the things I'm buying to my budget of $690, so if you still have something else I could spend more money on to improve my rig, I'll buy it.


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## linderman (May 20, 2005)

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811119047


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## VividSynergy (Jul 22, 2008)

Dang my shipping went up by a lot with that. That makes my cost $694.30. In your opinion, should I get a better X-Fi sound card or not?


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## linderman (May 20, 2005)

this is the sound card I would get for gaming ...... bit it will bust your budget i think ???


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## linderman (May 20, 2005)

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16829102006


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## linderman (May 20, 2005)

I wouldnt for now

you could always add the sound card later ........ you may not even want to !!


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## VividSynergy (Jul 22, 2008)

It's $723.51 after rebates with the sound card.









And it's $629.30 without the sound card. If I wanted a hard drive, would it be worth it and what would you recommend to fit my budget?


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## grassi (Dec 7, 2005)

Just wanted to say, since ive been studying a lot lately, on building a cpu. This may have been a little more then what you wanted to spend, but your right up there with the BIG BOYS, with Linderman's set up. This set up is going to last you, plus give you awesome performance... 
Much better then what you started with...
Its Frag time.. :smile:


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## VividSynergy (Jul 22, 2008)

Hm, I just read a little more about the Sound Blaster Xtreme Audio and it said that it is supported on BF2, you just need to activate the game mode on the sound card when you want to play games. Do you know anything about the Xtreme Audio and Xtreme Music not being supported in BF2 for the Ultra-High setting and X-Fi mode?


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## linderman (May 20, 2005)

I must apoligize; I dont play BF2 you could make a new thread in our games forum for that info ????


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## VividSynergy (Jul 22, 2008)

I confirmed that Xtreme Audio does not work for BF2 because it's not really an X-Fi card. So, this is a good final cart?









For $723.51?


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## VividSynergy (Jul 22, 2008)

Alright, I went ahead and bought this. Thank you so much for your help. I'll make a new thread or post again if I have any trouble. Thanks again.:smile:


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## linderman (May 20, 2005)

enjoy and keep us posted


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