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Suggestions on Updating/Upgrading system?
veratutazz
Member UncommonPosts: 136
I am looking to update/upgrade a home system my family uses for gaming. Here is the relevant hardware/software stats that I know of:
Operating System
MS Windows XP Home 32-bit SP3
CPU
Intel Pentium 4 530 (Intel(R) Pentium(R) 4 CPU 3.00GHz )
Prescott 90nm Technology
RAM
4.00 GB Dual-Channel DDR2 @ 400MHz (6-6-6-18) (2-2GB cards, 2 more slots available)
Motherboard
ASUSTeK Computer INC. P5N32-SLI PREMIUM (Socket 775)
Graphics
L226W (1680x1050@60Hz)
512MB GeForce 7950 GT
Hard Drives
156GB Western Digital WDC WD1600JD-75HBB0 (ATA)
Optical Drives
HL-DT-ST DVD-ROM GDR8163B
Audio
SoundMAX Integrated Digital HD Audio
Personally, I am thinking I need to upgrade to Win 7 64-bit and fill the RAM to 8GB......
Bu the 'automated' system upgrade advisors seem to be telling me I need to move to a dual or quad core system? Is there a way to do that without tossing large portions of the hardware out the window or......?
Sorry, I am not a "hardware person", and do not know much about what would be best when upgrading this system.
Any advice would be great :-) Thanks for your input & have a great holiday :-)
Comments
I hate to break it to you, but I think everything is on the table for replacement. RAM, Motherboard, CPU, hard drive, optical drive, video card. OS are all pretty long in tooth and it would be tough to do partial upgrades around them.
I could be wrong but Im sure you can get a dual core for that mainboard, more memory never hurts either however, 8gb of ddr2 is not going to be cheap.
Im thinking you need a new graphics card also tbh, that card is really going to hold you back imho.
I agree, I'm not an expert in any sense of the word, but all of it looks kind of dated. I'm sure Quizzical will give you some good advice. However, In my non expert opinion, you needz a new KOMputer.
I self identify as a monkey.
you are correct in what you say but I guess it all comes down to how much money you have lying around. If you have a cash flow problem then a new cpu (dual core) and a newer graphics card will make all the difference to his system.
8G of ram will do him no good with a 32-bit OS. He'd need to upgrade to Win7 to really get the use out of it.
In all honestly, you can maby keep the tower (depending on what type it is) the rest could use upgrading.
Would be helpful if you gave a budget for people to work with and give you advice.
There is not a whole lot in the way of better video cards he can upgrade to. It's an AGP interface and unfortunately, there just isn't a whole lot out there.
ah ....... I didn't know that board was agp only. Oh well, looks like a new system then.
Actually I was mistaken, it seems the Mobo is PCI-E, so he does have some upgrade options. I got it into my head that it was AGP. My mistake.
You should be thinking replace, not upgrade. The LGA 775 processor socket can take a Wolfdale Pentium dual core processor, but Asus says that the motherboard doesn't have the necessary BIOS update for that, but only the older (and discontinued) Conroe processors.
http://support.asus.com/cpusupport/list.aspx?SLanguage=en&m=P5N32-SLI%20Premium&p=1
You might be able to pick up a Conroe Core 2 Duo used, but apart from that, being stuck with a Pentium 4 is very bad.
The good news is that gaming computers are cheaper than they used to be. If you don't need new peripherals, you can get something passable for $600. Obviously you can get something better by spending more, and you can get something really nice for around $1500.
Thanks for the feedback everyone, I really appreciate it.
Sounds like my best option is probably just to upgradte the system to Win 7 64 bit to get use out of the 5Gig of RAM i already have, and then just retire the system in favor of just getting a new gaming rig. That one is @ 5-7 years old, so... *shrug*
Any advice on a new rig?
Im looking at probably $500-1000 to spend, but would prefer to get a rig that focused on upgradeability in the future. From what I understand the quads are better for that role?
--also don't mind saving-planning for more if needed-- just want a good rig for a reasonable price (like anyone) any good deals out there worth mentioning?
- Have a great weekend!
todays staple build for gaming of a I5 2500K, mobo, psu etc and a ATI 6950 or Nvidia 560 will put you right within your budget and the K is overclcokable for the future and it can be upgraded.
I'm sure someone will be along shortly with a list of parts on newegg or such like I just cant be bothered right now sorry.
First and foremost, the cheapest possible option is to keep that motherboard and only upgrade the CPU, RAM, and GPU (and potentially the PSU). Otherwise, if you get a new motherboard, you will more than likely need to replace everything.
Your options are limited if you want to keep that motherboard. You'll need to find a processor which fits the LGA 775 socket. NewEgg has these which should be decent enough:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115056 - $131.99 - may not work with your motherboard's BIOS
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115059 - $149.99 - may not work with your motherboard's BIOS
That motherboard supports a maximum of 8GB of DDR2-800 RAM. NewEgg has these:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231151 - $149.99 4x2GB sticks
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231122 - $54.99 2x2GB sticks. Buy two sets of these for 8GB, $109.98
You are not as limited when it comes to buying a GPU. Does your power supply have the correct power connector for a newer GPU? (if not, you will either need a new PSU, or an adapter from molex) What's your budget?
--Like others mentioned earlier, you will need to upgrade to a 64-bit OS to utilize more than ~3.5GB of RAM. Consider getting 64-bit Windows 7 Home Premium.
That will physically fit in the socket, but won't work without BIOS support.
Good catch. I saw "LGA 775" and assumed those would work.