# Should I upgrade or start fresh?



## supernewb (Apr 3, 2008)

My current set-up is:
-Gigabyte 7VM40 0M-RZ motherboard http://www.gigabyte.com.tw/Support/Motherboard/Driver_Model.aspx?ClassValue=Motherboard&ProductID=1764&ProductName=7VM400M-RZ
-AMD Sempron 1.67GB Processor
-2 slots for DDR2 333Mhz RAM, one 1GB stick and one 256MB stick
-Unsure of the brand of PSU but it's 500w
-Unsure of the brand HDD too but it's 40GB
-Nvdia G-Force graphics card
-Samsung DVD writer
-LG CD drive
-Floppy drive
-No idea what kind of case
-Running Win XP SP2

I had a friend build this for me roughly 4yrs ago. I mainly use this computer for downloading/storing music and movies (itunes, ect..) and play the occasional game or watch a movie. I'm just looking for a little more speed and HDD space out of this unit. 

I'm thinking of getting:
-500GB HDD
-A Corsair 750w PSU just because its on sale right now, to be honest, and that will allow me room to grow later if I want
-replacing the 256MB RAM with another 1GB for a total of 2GB

Should I replace the motherboard and processor while I'm at it? any other advice/recommendations?


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## 1 g0t 0wn3d (Jan 31, 2007)

I would say its time for an upgrade,, if it is in your budget

what is your budget?


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## supernewb (Apr 3, 2008)

I don't really have a budget in mind. If I could keep it under $500 including the cost of the HDD(not sure yet) and the PSU($100) I would do it. If It would go over that I would be less likely to consider it, but it wouldn't be completely out of the picture... it really depends on what i would get for my money, I guess.


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## 1 g0t 0wn3d (Jan 31, 2007)

the best value to price ration for a build is around 900$ but anything over $600 would easily destroy your current computers proformance


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## supernewb (Apr 3, 2008)

I'm all about looking around to see what I like. I just don't really know how to match things up. So I don't know where to start.
<---noob:grin:


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## 1 g0t 0wn3d (Jan 31, 2007)

oh i see well would you like to answer some questions so we can get started?

Budget: How much money are you willing to spend on the new build?


Brands: Are there any brands of components you want or don't want?


Multitasking: Will you be multitasking with this computer and if so, how much?


Gaming: Will you be gaming and if so, how much and how new are the games?


Calculations: Will you be doing any intense calculations or media encoding?


Overclocking: Do you plan on overclocking and if so, how much?


Storage: How much storage will you need and what will you be storing?


Legacy Support: Will you need support for older hardware like parallel, serial, or PS/2 devices?


Operating System: Do you want Windows XP or Vista, or Linux compatibility?


Case: Do you want help selecting a case and if so, how big do you want it?


Accessories: Do you want a keyboard, mouse, or other items included?


Recycled Components: Will you be reusing any components you already have?


Monitor: If you want a monitor, what size do you want and should it be widescreen?


Stores: Do you have any online stores that you prefer to purchase from?


Location: What country do you live in?


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## supernewb (Apr 3, 2008)

Budget: $500 or so

Brands: Not particular as long as they're reliable

Multitasking: Not too sure what that is... would that be running multiple programs at the same time? if so, then yes. Usually a music player in the background and IExplorer in foreground.

Gaming: I usually play games on emulators like NES and Genesis ect.. I'm not much for games so not much. The newest game I have is Halo and currently my computer plays it no problem.. although I would like to upgrade to vista and get Oblivion.


Calculations: No

Overclocking: I would like to if I could, but at this point, I'm not good enough with computers to do so safely


Storage: I would like 500GB. Storing mstly Movies and Music

Legacy Support: No


Operating System: Would like Vista, but would be content with my current XP.. depends on how much money it would save me


Case: Have the case already


Accessories: Already have all those


Recycled Components: My drives if I do a new build and my graphics card if it will work/be feasible

Monitor: Just ordered a new monitor


Stores: wherever the best price is


Location: U.S.


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## 1 g0t 0wn3d (Jan 31, 2007)

$56 motherboard http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131278R 

$119 cpu http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115052

$31 ram http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231098

$99 hard drive (1tb) http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136151

139.99 video card http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130379

$119.99 power supply http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139006

total $563 without vista
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16832116485
total $662 with vista


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## supernewb (Apr 3, 2008)

1 g0t 0wn3d said:


> $56 motherboard http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131278R


That set-up looks pretty good to me. Would it help if I went with more RAM or would that be overkill? I remember reading that some motherboards can only support so much RAM (other than the physical constraints of the actual RAM itself), is that true? because I wouldn't mind going with 4 or 8 GB if that would help me out.

Thank you, by the way.


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## 1 g0t 0wn3d (Jan 31, 2007)

the os will limit it if you want more ram go with the 64 bit version of vista


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## 1 g0t 0wn3d (Jan 31, 2007)

this is the cpu its the same price but faster
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115132


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## supernewb (Apr 3, 2008)

1 g0t 0wn3d said:


> the os will limit it if you want more ram go with the 64 bit version of vista


What will XP limit it to... 2GB?

I've heard that you need 2BG RAM to operate Vista properly in the first place and XP's "sweet spot" is 512MB.. is that correct? If so wouldn't it be almost counter-productive to buy Vista and 4 or 8 GB RAM when 2GB RAM would run almost as fast on XP, or is my logic flawed here?

I would like to run Vista, but at the same time, I want my computer to run as quickly as possible, as efficiently as possible. I've heard nothing but bad things about Vista and am leaning toward keeping XP. Any reason I should go with Vista aside from looks?


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## 1 g0t 0wn3d (Jan 31, 2007)

something like 3.5 gb 

and i dont see a limitation to it but the proformance gain from going over 2 gb is marginal ive never seen a healthy computer no matter what your doing use over 3 gb of ram


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## grimx133 (Jan 15, 2008)

For a real interesting article on the E7200, there's an overclocking review at Tom's Hardware. http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/overclocking-core-2-E7200,2072-2.html


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## supernewb (Apr 3, 2008)

1 g0t 0wn3d said:


> something like 3.5 gb
> 
> and i dont see a limitation to it but the proformance gain from going over 2 gb is marginal ive never seen a healthy computer no matter what your doing use over 3 gb of ram


Good info to know. Thanks again for your help



grimx133 said:


> For a real interesting article on the E7200, there's an overclocking review at Tom's Hardware. http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/overclocking-core-2-E7200,2072-2.html


Also good info, seems that is the chip to go with on a budget. I think I'm going to have to head over to overclocking and learn how to overclock safely, haha.


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## 1 g0t 0wn3d (Jan 31, 2007)

Your welcome


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## Wrench97 (May 10, 2008)

To use one of Lindermans sayings you don't need a 10 gallon bucket to hold 4 gallons of water.
Ram goes not make the computer run faster unless it is using all the installed ram and writing to the hard drive, Vista and XP 32 will see around 3.2Gig but can address upper memory areas for system devices. With XP or Vista32 you will not see the OS actually use 3Gig no matter what you have open. So why put more in or move to an OS that can address more when even 64 bit while using more will still not use more then 4Gig. I have 4 user work stations set up that don't use more then 2.4Gig with all 4 users on and multiple apps open.
Vista gives you DX10 which does make games look better, and the way it uses memory is a little different, it will prefetch and load commonly used programs into memory to speed up opening times which is why Vista needs more Ram then XP.


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## supernewb (Apr 3, 2008)

Ok, so anything over 3GB with XP is just a waste then.

How would I find out what kind and what size HDD my current motherboard is capable of supporting? Would the one 1 g0t 0wn3d listed work?


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## Wrench97 (May 10, 2008)

For the 7VM400M-RZ It's supports IDE drives any size as long as you have XP SP1 or newer. But when you replace it the new board is only going to have 1 IDE controller and multiple Sata ports so watch what you buy now with the idea of moving to the new setup.


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## 1 g0t 0wn3d (Jan 31, 2007)

in short no, your current board does not have a sata port


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## supernewb (Apr 3, 2008)

Ok, I'll be ordering what 1 g0t 0wn3d has listed shortly. I just have a couple of questions about the video card situation. I currently have an Nvidia Ge Force 4 MX 440 with AGP8X card. Will this work with the new motherboard? I would like to keep this for a little while if possible and then upgrade later.

The next question is when I do upgrade to the new card, what to get. Here's what I'm looking for (which I forgot to mention before, so let me know if this changes the rest of the set-up): I just bought a new monitor with a dvi-d input. I would like to use this if possible, I'm currently using the VGA because thats all I have. I would also like to have a hi-def output for my TV too because I'm thinking of getting a blu ray player for the computer a little later on and would like to be able to watch them on my tv as well. I would also need a dolby output for that, I'm guessing that I would need a seperate sound card for that?

Also a couple side questions. Will I notice a difference when switching from the VGA to the dvi-d input for the monitor? .. and I would like, if possible, to get a video card that has both the dvi-d and the HD outputs (component, HDMI, whatever), like I said before, but one that can play them both at the same time. I currently have the VGA to the monitor and the S-video going to my TV on the card I have now. The problem is, I have to boot the computer with the cable plugged in that I want to use. So if I want to play a game on my computer on my TV, I have to unplug the monitor, plug in the S-video, and reboot.. Its a pain in the ***.


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## supernewb (Apr 3, 2008)

Sorry to be impatient... but I don't want to order the parts yet until I know about the video card.


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## supernewb (Apr 3, 2008)

1 g0t 0wn3d said:


> $56 motherboard http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131278R
> 
> $119 cpu http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115052
> 
> ...


Also, apparently I waited too long. The CPU, Motherboard and Videocard are out of stock/discontinued already.. so I'll be needing some more help with that. For now I'm going to order the power supply and the HDD and I'll be waiting for some more advice on the rest of the build, Thanks again.


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## Wrench97 (May 10, 2008)

The AGP video card will not work in a PCIe motherboard.

Try this for a MB > http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131335


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## supernewb (Apr 3, 2008)

Ok I checked out that motherboard and it looks good, however, I noticed that the pro version is better with overclocking as far as options go. For only a few more bucks I can have that so that if I want to overclock at some point down the road, I will be able to. That being said, here's what I have come up with so far:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139006
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820104062
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131299
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115132

Please have a look and tell me if those will work together with no issues. I also still need to know what Video Card to get.

Also I have noticed that the HDD is a 5400 RPM HDD and quite a few reviews have stated that it is a good data storage device but not a great HDD for an o/s.. anyone have any thoughts on that?

Here's a link to it:http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136151


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## Wrench97 (May 10, 2008)

For the hard drive you want a 7200 RPM drive like one of these > http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...mpareItemList=N82E16822136284,N82E16822148373

That Ram has very high timings on it you should go with one of these for 1066> http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...2E16820145214,N82E16820227362,N82E16820104038

Personally I would use DDR2 800 you won't overrun it especially with the E7300> http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820148212

The P5Q Pro is a very good board as is the Gigabyte GA EP45 UD3R.

What Kind of budget do you have left for a Video Card?


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## supernewb (Apr 3, 2008)

wrench97 said:


> For the hard drive you want a 7200 RPM drive like one of these > http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...mpareItemList=N82E16822136284,N82E16822148373
> 
> That Ram has very high timings on it you should go with one of these for 1066> http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...2E16820145214,N82E16820227362,N82E16820104038
> 
> ...


..and on with the questions..:grin:

I seem to like the Gigabyte even better than the PQ5... if it was you, which would you choose?

The difference in price from the corsair 1066 to the 800mhz RAM you linked is literally $1 after rebates, so I might as well go for the 1066 right?

I seem to have thrown my budget out the window, so probably roughly 200 or less for a video card?:4-dontkno

Also, as far as a difference in processing speed, would this be worth the extra $60-$70? http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115036


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## Wrench97 (May 10, 2008)

I have done 4 builds now with the GA EP45 UD3R or P and the E8500 it is an amazing setup I'm partial to EVGA and the 9800GTX+ it's a good solid card with a lifetime warranty if you registrar it with great support. The HD4850 is also a great card with better HDMI capabilities and equal or better frame rates in most games the warranty is the sticking point there are some manufacturers offering lifetime some not.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130416
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814161243
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102802

On the memory it's the timings that make me want to change it more then the cost. 
For DDR2 800 4-4-4-12 is the best you'll find and for DDR21066 5-5-5-15.


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## supernewb (Apr 3, 2008)

*Sold*

I'm going to go with the Gigabyte MB and the e8500, the rest of the set-up I listed and the Sapphire card you linked.. only because it has the DVI to HDMI adapter included so I can run my TV too.

The one last thing then is the RAM.. The corsair 1066 is 5-5-5-15-2T.. whats the 2T? is it worse than 5-5-5-15?


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## Wrench97 (May 10, 2008)

No most if not all DDR2 with tight timings are 2T.


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## supernewb (Apr 3, 2008)

Ordered.

Thanks for all the help guys, I appreciate it. I'm sure I'll have some questions when it all gets here and I assemble it. If you have any other tips on the build itself, feel free to shoot 'em my way. Thanks again!


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## Wrench97 (May 10, 2008)

Set it up outside the case to start, It makes it easier to assemble the heat sink and fan as well as lets you test for post before it goes into the case> http://www.techsupportforum.com/f255/how-to-bench-test-your-system-171424.html


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## supernewb (Apr 3, 2008)

One last question before I assemble the computer later tonight. Is there anything I have to do to my current HDD to make it work with this new setup? drivers or anything? I made a mistake and ordered my RAM twice instead or getting my new HDD(made 2 seperate orders and thought I got the HDD on the first one), so it will be coming late and I will have to rely on my current HDD for a couple days. I'm sure the Motherboard manual will tell me this but I just want to put this question out there before I go to work this morning, so when I get home I know what to do right away.

Also, now that I have the RAM, I'm thinking of just putting it in because it was so cheap and almost pointless to pay postage for the return. I bought 2 kits of Corsair Dominator 2x2GB DDR2 1066Mhz 5-5-5-15-2t dual channel.. so I have 8GB in total. If I install it, will Vista recognize it all? will it all operate @ 1066 even though it's 2 dual channel kits? I know it's overkill on the RAM (I remember what you guys said about only needing a max of 4GB in vista), but like I said, I have it so I might as well throw it in, as long as it will not make the computer perform worse.


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## Wrench97 (May 10, 2008)

If it's 64bit vista yes 32bit no.
Have a look here it depends on which disk you have> http://www.vistax64.com/tutorials/88236-repair-install-vista.html

And here
http://vistasupport.mvps.org/repair...using_the_upgrade_option_of_the_vista_dvd.htm


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## supernewb (Apr 3, 2008)

Just wanted to say thanks to grimx133, 1 g0t 0wn3d, and wrench97 for the help in choosing my parts. The build works great and I couldn't be happier with it. You're time and knowledge is much appreciated!


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## Wrench97 (May 10, 2008)

That is good to hear for sure, Good luck with it.


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