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Dimension 9200 general upgrade
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Mobo should be fine so long as you can source the old 65nm Core2s. Once it stops being okay you're talking New Build Time
Those Dimensions are BTX units, normal PCs are ATX so if you toss the mobo you need a new case and PSU as well 
I'm not 100% sure about if you should even go for a dual-core nowadays because if you have the money to hunt down a Q6*00 its a much better choice for futureproofing; more and more apps are multithreaded. If you're strapped for cash just stick any 65nm C2D you can get your hands on (45nm Core2s won't work!).
You'll need at least 2x1GB DDR2-6400 (2x2GB is better!). Graphics card depends more on your monitor resolution; if its sub-1080p then get a cheap HD5750 or if you can source one cheap somewhere a HD4770. If you have a decent Full HD monitor or intend to go that way in the near future the HD5770 is about the minimum you can shoot for. Be wary of old cards aside from the HD4770 (which is 40nm) as gaming-grade 65/55nm GPUs were infamously hot and thirsty.0 -
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Damn, I thought that a new mobo would at least let me keep my case, what happened to standardising these things?!
They were standarised. At least until Intel went and had one of their megalomanical moments and Dell elected to be the Pinky to their Brain.
They faceplanted, spectacularly.
And are cursed by every owner of a BTX-box with all its lovely built-in obsolescence... and that's a lot of people to be cursing your nameSo basically if I can source the right processor (ie not the one I linked to!) I should be okay?
Yep. They're a couple of generations behind now but the better models can still hold their own most of the time
And that CPU you linked isn't even the right socket! :P Not that its much cop anyway - the i5-750 is usually a touch cheaper and utterly destroys it at most things If you want to hold off a new build as long as possible try to dig up a Q6600/6700. At least then most programs that find two 2.4GHz+ cores insufficient will most likely be multithreaded and can feast upon the other two cores! 
Also guessing I'll need a highed rated PSU?
We've discussed this already, read the thread if you want to hijack it! :P Summary: If you don't go mad with high-TDP graphics cards and eleventy-seven 3.5" HDDs you'll be fine. Just try to steer clear of any tempting offers of cheap second-hand HD4890s! So tempting... but so thirsty! :eek: 0 -
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Don't expect any mercy from me - I'm still using an old 19" Fujitsu!! :P
Why is HDMI so important?
ANd if that's an old install you might have to uninstall and reinstall U2 because I'm pretty sure it shouldn't be doing that... all UEngine games have a tendency to crash out occasionally, but not exactly on a Morrowindian frequency! :eek:0 -
19" I didn't think anyone still used those!!!
Its a new install of U2, haven't played it in a week or two now though, stuck into the life sapping Neverwinter Nights 2. Gawd, its addictive.
The system is performing well overall, but it gets mighty hot after a 10 hour session!!! Some graphics get a pixelly and it has crashed a couple of times (the game). So I switch off and go to bed. Probably just as well.
Oh, HDMI isn't vital I suppose, but the new card has HDMI so wouldn't a HD monitor just pop?0 -
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It really shouldn't be doing that...
Keep an eye on CCC - you might need to tweak the fan behaviour a bit in that poorly ventilated case!
I'm one of those people that tends to leave the pc on all day, and I felt the side of the case after a game-a-thon and it was well, warm.
So I popped off the case panel and left it off.
What should I do to increase the fan activity?0 -
You're in a bit of a fix IIRC as the only fan on those BTX-boxes was actually the CPU cooler fan disguised as a case fan! It was one of the reasons those cheap-ass ***s in Intel dreamed up that form factor
The problem is that's all the air in the system IIRC and its nicely pre-heated by the CPU (even if your new one is kicking out less heat than the naff old P4!) before even reaching the GPU and PSU. Those Intel techs are good at CPUs but really have rocks for brains when it comes to air cooling dynamics!
If it comes to it you might be able to use SpeedFan to hijack the CPU fan speed control and wedge it at maximum, but that's going to be noisy! (at least the CPU will be cooler!) Otherwise you'll have to leave the side off until you Dremel Time the side panel and get some ventilation cut into it (around where the graphics card would be, "above" the PCB relative to the fan as it points up rather than down in a BTX system, no point putting vents below the card with its PCB blocking off the fan!).
Also remember to dig into Catalyst Control Centre and tweak the fan speeds up on the OCing tab to try and shift more air through it until you see a difference in stability. The card could just be dodgy from the outset; if you can't even get it stable with the side panel off the case you'll need to RMA it and shout loudly at the doorknobs who shipped you a duff card! :mad:0 -
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Thanks. Haven't been playing inside the guts of a Dimension 9*00 for quite a while
Do you know what size the case fan is? Can it be replaced by an aftermarket model or does the mobo have a proprietary fan header?
And as for you Didihno, check that the fan hasn't gone kaput. If its working properly and the fan on the graphics card itself isn't freezing up then you might have a bad card after all... 0 -
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