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Here is what I have currently. My budget is very very low.
AMD 6000+ X2 3 GHZ
4 Gigs DDR2 Ram (Midrange Ram)
GTS450 Video Card
A couple low end slow harddrives
22" 1920X1080 Monitor
Corsair HX520 Power supply
Im getting to the point I am having a hard time pushing the new games.
I was looking at options here.
http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/category/category_slc.asp?Recs=10&Nav=|c:332|&Sort=4
I want to keep whatever I do under $200. The wife just wont let me go over that.
I was planning on keeping the Video card, harddrives, Power Supply and monitor.
Opinions on best bang to upgrade me for $200 or less?
Thanks for any help that is offered I built this machine in 2007, the only thing changed since then is the video card because my original card went out and thats what EVGA sent me as a replacement.
Thanks!
Comments
If you absolutely cannot go over $200, then you're probably stuck with what you've got. To get a modern processor, you'll need a modern socket, and that means a new motherboard. The new motherboard will take DDR3 memory, so you'll need new memory. It will also mean that you need a new OS license, and that eats up half of your budget right there. The processor will take the other half of your budget, the motherboard the third half, and... well, you see the problem. And you'd still need new memory after that.
Six year old hard drives probably shouldn't be relied upon much longer, either.
Depending on what motherboard you have, you may be able to upgrade just the CPU and nothing else:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103727
But that still leaves the question of, do you really want a "new" processor that released in 2009?
Take the operating system out of the process. Basically what I am looking for is Motherboard/Processor and Memory.
Im thinking I should be able to upgrade those three items at min for $200.
I would think even the AMD Athlon X2 450 barebones that are listed in the link I posted would be an upgrade? Am I wrong?
I was thinking something along these lines which would allow me to upgrade my harddrive as well once(if) the rebate comes back.
http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=7636101&CatId=332
Another option I was considering.
http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=7358191&CatId=7250
http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=1418809&csid=_61
I can piece together other items as I go. But $200 is what I have to work with right now.
I have a copy of windows 8 I was planning on putting on this CPU but I decided to wait and figure out what i wanted to do first.
Unfortunately I dont remember what my current motherboard is without tearing open my system which I would rather not do at the moment. Asus something or other. ( Big help I know )
Unless you bought a full retail version of Windows last time (which is unlikely), then if you effectively replace the computer without a new OS license, either you're running Linux or you're pirating Windows. If you want to do the latter, you're on your own on that part.
An Athlon X2 is what you have now. An Athlon II X2 would be slightly faster, but not really enough to justify the upgrade. And it might be able to drop into your old motherboard, too. What motherboard do you have, anyway?
Only Phenom II X4 965 Black Edition makes sense
http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=5692033&CatId=4431
You can choose from plethora of AM3 motherboards and DDR3 and get under $200.
Here's how it looks compared to your old CPU:
http://www.anandtech.com/bench/Product/28?vs=88
NEW IDEAS that can refresh the STALE state of MMORPGs
Actually, i would reccomend an FX 6300 on that $200 budget if you live near a microcenter. Check out the link below
http://www.microcenter.com/site/products/amd_bundles.aspx
I would say that an fx 6300 combined with the msi 970A G46 board would leave you plenty to pick up 4gb of DDR3 1600 memory and would be a great upgrade. Better longevity than the 965BE.
Thanks for all the help all. Unfortunately I dont have a Microcenter near by. I will keep an eye on Frys adds, they arent to far away.
The reason he mentioned Micro Center is that they sell their processors at cost rather than marking them up, but only to people who buy them in person. The idea is to get you in the store in hopes you'll buy something else that they do mark up.
But again, what motherboard do you have?
what about an a6 trinity build? i am not sure how viable they are for high end gaming, but it should handle midrange graphics fairly easily.
something like this?
CPU: AMD A6-5400K 3.6GHz Dual-Core Processor
Motherboard: ASRock FM2A75 Pro4-M Micro ATX FM2 Motherboard
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory
Total: $190 ish
(i didnt research it much....just through together some compatible parts to get an idea)
This way he saves some money without having to get a video card now...and if he gets another amd card, he can crossfire the on-die video if he likes. should make a decent machine,.
reuse your hard drives for now, your old case, and the power supply, since the above build i linked needs about 134w, you have plenty for now.
again...not recommending these parts, just threw together somehting quick...i am sure quizzy has better ideas.