Dell Dimension 9200 upgrade

TheZohanS

Hi there,

My current system is a Dell Dimension 9200

E6400 Intel core2duo 2.13 GHz
Windows Vista Utimate o/s
4 gig RAM
1x spinstar 500gb 7200 HD
ATI Radeon X1950 Pro graphics card

Expansion Slots
PCI: 3 Slots
PCIe x1: 1 Slot
PCIe x16 (Graphics): 1 Slots
PCIe x4/x8: 1 Slot

375 Watt Power Supply

Connected to a 42" 1080i HD ready tv.


I mostly use it for playing .avi files, i.e. backed up copies of my own dvds, and for surfing the net and for some light business use.

It's not a bad system but sometimes the .avi files can be a little bit jittery and it is a bit noisy(think its the huge grphics card)

I'd like to upgrade it, have a budget of €500 approx.


What would you suggest?

Thanks in advance.

Anti

A system of that calibre should not be slowing down watching avi's. It should even be more than enough for HD content to be honest.

To identify the noise, open up the side of the pc and check to see if the noise is from the graphics card, or from the internal fans/psu.

For well under 500€ you can get a nice upgrade:

Q6600 - Quad core cpu
http://www.komplett.ie/k/ki.aspx?sku=330169

9600GT - HDMI out for the TV (so sharper picture)
http://www.komplett.ie/k/ki.aspx?sku=345873

That comes to just under 300€ so with the money left over you could get some external hdds (nas would be nice) or some internal ones.

TheZohanS

Thanks Manties.

Yes the noise is coming from the fan on the graphics card. It's not too bad when I have the surround sound on, but otherwise its quite audible.

Is the Q6600 a better card than the E8400 for my use?

I'm also planning of installing a blu-ray player later this year. Is the 9600GT a good card for that?

I've read a lot of good reports about the 4870, and would prefer to stick with my card for a long long time. I don't want to do complete overkill either.

Anti

Yeah the Q6600 will eb better for multi tasking, but a fast dual core will be just as good if yoru only watching movied/surfing the net. The 4870 from amd/ati is designed to play the latest games, its not really a home cinema card as its a noisy whore. The 9600 i posted above is practicially silent and more then enough for blu-ray. And it has a HDMI out too, so better picture quality then using a dvi/vga cable.

TheZohanS

Ok, done and dusted, goods are on their way.

Thanks Manties.

Spiritine

it wont take a quad core! will it??? i am unsure....... hope you havnt paid for one yet.. wat do you reckon manties


http://support.dell.com/support/edocs/systems/dim9200/en/SM_EN/specs.htm#wp1104326

Anti

Yup, it will take a quad. intel 965chipset, socket lga 775.

Spiritine

Cool.....Do u know if my old 9100 would take one...or whats the best it could take:)

http://support.dell.com/support/edocs/systems/dim9100/en/SM/specs.htm#wp1053343

subway

that graphics you just bought has a huge fan on it.
imo the less fans the better.
my system is simalr to yours and it plays 1080p mkv absolutely fine.
main noise issues for me were the grpahics card and the hard drives.

ive installed 2.5" drives and a passive graphics card and the machine cannot be heard unless you are about a foot away.

Anti

the hard drive on the 9600gt is rated at 17db. almost inaudible.

Murray135, no joy for you mate. intel 945 chipset Some have got quads working, but it depends on the bios and its not 100% stable.