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Most cost effective way of upgrading my PC?
slingblade9
Member Posts: 21
in Hardware
I have around 300 to spend.
Haven't gamed on it for awhile and I'm looking to start playing games again.
Current Setup...
Computer:
Computer Type ACPI Uniprocessor PC
Operating System Microsoft Windows XP Professional
OS Service Pack Service Pack 3
Motherboard:
CPU Type AMD Athlon 64, 2000 MHz (10 x 200) 3200+
Motherboard Name MSI K8N Neo4 Series (MS-7125) (4 PCI, 1 PCI-E x1, 1 PCI-E x4, 1 PCI-E x16, 4 DDR DIMM, Audio, Gigabit LAN)
Motherboard Chipset nVIDIA nForce4, AMD Hammer
System Memory 2048 MB (DDR SDRAM)(4 Sticks of 512mb)
Display:
Video Adapter GeForce 6800 (256 MB) PCI-E
Comments
It is a really hard call. You REALLY need a new CPU. And your MB only takes DDR1, and for a new CPU, odds are oyu would need a new MB anyway. So, you would need a new MB, new CPU, and a new graphics card. More ram would be good too, or at least an upgrade to DDR2, but that can wait compared to the other stuff...
My advice? Find a 70 dollar motherboard, 100 dollar CPU, 100 dollar GPU, and scrape up an additional 20 bucks, and spend 50 on some new DDR2 RAM. That would be my advice.
Here we go:
Motherboard: 75bucks http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128376
CPU: 63 bucks: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103210
GPU: 100 bucks: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130518
RAM: 49 bucks: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820148163
That is just slightly under your budget. Gives you a dual core processor, although not an AMAZING one, but at least something, 2 gigs of DDR2 800 RAM (And for like, 30 dollars more, you could get 4 gigs), and a 9800GT. Nothing cutting edge, but WAY better than what you have now.
About how much would I have to spend to get a pretty nice setup?
What is your definition of "pretty nice"? Compared to your old comp, this is pretty damn good, heh. However, some people would be disgusted by it as being a few years out on date. Do you mean to be able to play most/all modern games easily? Do you mean that be using all current tech? (not meaning the best, just from this generation of tech) Or do you mean just better than what I listed?
Doesn't have to be top of the line, just enough to play the current FPS and RPG games at above average graphics and speed.
I would say that you need to spend at least 500 bucks. It really depends on how much of your old system that you can cannabalize, but around 500-600. Obviously, if you spent a bit more than that, you could get better and better, but to play well on current age FPS's, 500 minimum I would say.
Yea this would run everything out there just fine. But for your CPU I would get the Athlon II X2 245 $66 instead of the Athlon X2 5200+, the Athlon II X2 245 is a lot faster than the 5200+. Other than that this is the best way to go right now on a $300 budget as long as you reuse your PSU, HD, case and DVD drive.
Yea this would run everything out there just fine. But for your CPU I would get the Athlon II X2 245 $66 instead of the Athlon X2 5200+, the Athlon II X2 245 is a lot faster than the 5200+. Other than that this is the best way to go right now on a $300 budget as long as you reuse your PSU, HD, case and DVD drive.
I am pretty sure that the Athlon II X2 245 takes an AM3 board though. So that ups the cost unless you get a micro board, and who wants that. Then, many of those are limited to DDR3, which is going to add costs again. I stuck with an AM2 board for cost effectiveness.
You need three things to build a really cost effective rig:
1. a brick
2. your local computer store after midnight
3. a fast yet indescript vehicle.
I started this thread a few months ago for this very purpose, click hope it helps.
"Of all tyrannies, a tyranny sincerely exercised for the good of its victims may be the most oppressive. It would be better to live under robber barons than under omnipotent moral busybodies. The robber baron's cruelty may sometimes sleep, his cupidity may at some point be satiated; but those who torment us for our own good will torment us without end for they do so with the approval of their own conscience"
CS Lewis
AM3 CPU's work in AM2+ mobo's, they are backward compatible - you just can't use DDR3 in an AM2+ board. AM3 boards are for AM3 CPU + DDR3.