Pc upgrade.. New pc..

-ADREN-

Need help..

Little Cash.. need better pc.. simple.. well kind of

At the moment I have

P3 500
128Ram
Kyro II 64mb card
13 gb hard drive.

This is what I was thinking..
Is it possible that some place i can build a custom pc with space
for my current dvd and cd-rws.. not get any new drives in the
custom built pc.. get a place for my agp Kyro2 card and put that in it as well and just get a p4 2.4 Ghz 512Ram and a bigger Hard Drive with it.. stuff it all together and end up with

P4 2.5ghz
512Ram
Kyro2 64mb card
30gb hard drive

then just use all my current stuff like mouse and keybored monitor etc?

Would that be a much faster pc even with the gf card or does that drag it down? whats the cheapest option in it all?

Could i even salvage the ram in my current pc as well and stick that into the new machine...?

Just a very good upgrade for around 500 euros maybe would be great if u can?

Thanks

-Coz .

Raz

That's all very possible.
If you don't upgrade the RAM though you may find that you'll want to upgrade in just a short while and then you'll have to get another new motherboard and resit the CPU heatsink and fan and it can be a bit of a risky job.
Have a look on www.Komplett.ie and see what their current bundles are like.
If you go for a P4 like you suggested, then you'll need a new power supply.
What you'll need is probably,

---

Bundle €400

---

A new Motherboard, (MSI, Abit, Gigabyte, Asus, Intel)
A new Processor, (P4 2.4Ghz)
New RAM, (DDR 256MB to 512MB)

---

New Power Supply Unit (PSU), (300W+ at about €60)
New Hard Drive. (40GB is probably the smallest you'll get €80 to €100)

You possibly may need a new case if you have a Gateway 2K. My power supply wouldn't fit into my home Gateway 700XL system. Well at least without getting the hacksaw out!!!
You should check if your PSU is P4 compatable. If it is, it will have a 4 pin SQUARE connector on it. The connectors with 4 pins in a row are called molex connectors.

That estimate may be a bit pricy for you but you might be able to cut back with either the harddirve or the PSU but the bundles on Komplett are very good value.

whosurpaddy

this is probly the best option for you. if you go for an amd (athlon) processor rather than an intel (pentium 4) it will shave some of the price off without compromising on power. also you can pick up a relatively cheap case in maplins in town (presuming your in dub)

phaxx

Moved to tech. You're supposed to read the charter for a board BEFORE you post to it.

-ADREN-

damn it where did I post it originaly??

Sorry bout that me was very tired.. soz again.

Emm Raz that sounds great but a little complicated.. are u telling me to put my own pc together there or what?

Ehh and psu, bleh shem U, all the same to me im afraid

I have a dell XPs T500 tower case..

Would a AMD althlon 2.4Ghz be as powerfull as a P4 2.4ghz?

Raz

I thought from you're post you were willing to put it together yourself. Lord knows I would :cool: It's not too difficult.

It probably sounds complicated cos I just threw a load of info at you all at once
Basically, if you're gonna upgrade your processor then you're gonna have to upgrade your motherboard as well.
If you wanna save an extra motherboard upgrade go for the DDR ram as well.
So three things,

-- Motherboard
-- Processor
-- RAM

Put it together yourself and you'll save a packet on the labour.
If you're nervous get a friend who you think has more of a clue and get their help.
Intel have a pretty good guide for installing their processors.
You can also get guides for installing a motherboard and RAM.
Look it up and see what you think. It's not as difficult as you might think.

As for which is more powerful, AMD or Intel? That's an ongoing debate as far as I'm concerned

Oh and you posted in the HW tweaking/modding forum initially

-ADREN-

heh.. thanks..

Ok so whats the best place to grab them things

and how do I know which motherbored for which cpu etc..

And how do i make sure the motherbored withh fit my 2 cd drives and maybe my old hard drive? also where would i get a case that would fit the mother bored i buy?

thanks for the help btw.

-Coz

Raz

Ok so whats the best place to grab them things

Okay, if you have a credit card and can buy online then your best bet is http://www.komplett.ie (I've never used them personally but my girlfriends brother did and he's pretty happy)
They have a forum here on boards.ie "Komplett.ie forum"

If you've no credit card then you'll probably find it easier to go to a high street shop likes "peats" on Parnell Street, "Maplin Electronics" on Liffey Street (I think) or "IT Direct" on Parliment Street.

and how do I know which motherbored for which cpu etc..

An intel P4 uses a socket called a "socket 478"
An AMD Duron/Athlon uses "socket A"

And how do i make sure the motherbored withh fit my 2 cd drives and maybe my old hard drive? also where would i get a case that would fit the mother bored i buy?

Your cd drives and your hard drives connect to the motherboard using an "IDE" cable. There is usually 2 IDE slots on a motherboard and each slot can manage 2 devices.
That makes 4 devices.
There's stuff about primary and secondary but you can ask about that if you feel the need.

also where would i get a case that would fit the mother bored i buy?

In general motherboards and cases come in "ATX form factor".
Just check the description of the case for a phrase like
"suitable for intel pentium 4/AMD Duron/Athlon processors"
If in doubt you can try looking at the specifications for the "Form Factor" the board and case use.

Where would you get one of these? Why http://www.Komplett.ie or one of the high street shops I mentioned

thanks for the help btw

You're most welcome

Just a note, for navigating through the Komplett site click the relevant link on the left. It then opens up a sublist at the top of the menu. Just in case you're having any trouble

-ADREN-

thanks again...

But im real lost now


I took a trip to komplett.ie

Looked up the CPUs foun a nice P4 2.4Ghz for 200 roughly so then i went to mother boards whent to Socket A then a whole range of them came up.. how do i knowif they are tower or not.. or is there a difference. Also the prices range a good bit what I look for, I really am on a budget here. I then went to the RAM section to find there is equaly as many types a Memory thingies as the types of sockets and such. What type memory am I looking for to go with it all?

For under €500 could u find a motherbored and say 512 Ram in there to go with that P4 2.4ghz? Is that a good choice of CPU also.. the AMD seem not to go as fast and just for the same ?

Thanks again for help.

-Coz

-ADREN-

ok sorry that must sound really newbish when i said I saw a P4 then went to socket A.. heh i went to Socket 478 :P

-Coz

kmb

you would be better off getting someone to build it for you perphaps a board member?what locality are you in because the way your going your not getting anywhere and you can rebuild your new system easily for your cash using a xp processor,case,motherboard and ram,still using your"old cdrom.floppy,modem ,harddrive,graphics card etc and you could decide to get a abit nf7 with graphics and sound onboard from komplett,256mb ddr 3200,case,xp2000 and this would give you decent graphics ability and a reliable system......

-ADREN-

Im in limerick..

Ok that nf7 graphics thing.. does that then make my Kyro2 64mb card obsolete? Is that XP thing a AMD CPU? that fast? and is 256mb fast enough to keep me going for a couple of years yea?

Thanks again btw..

-Coz

Thorbar

Personally I think ram is the best upgrade value you can get so I'd go for twice the ram and maybe a slower cpu. Also if you're planning on using this machine for gaming then I'd defo consider getting a top of the range graphics card but failing that have a look at the likes of geforce 4 MX range their fairly decent value at around 80 squids.

conZ

tear into pc superstore (beside jury's) in limerick ADREN.

They got a few nice cases w/ PSU's for about €50-70 and some decent fans too (nice copper ones).

If you buy a case from komplett it'll cost you €40 extra for delivery at least, on top of your €20 for the mobo, cpu, ram. That'll be about €70 for the case, and another 40 for delivery, when you could get a better cpu or more ram.

I would have gone for AMD chip myself.

512mb would be best if you could go for it, DDR aswell.
Maybe a GF4MX upgrade from the kyro 2 (gf4mx = about €70 on for sale boards)

stereo_steve

Tis a shame you live in Limerick! I'm sitting here bored, college is over till exams and I have nothing to do. Would have built it for you!

If you come up to Dublin for the day i'll do it and charge you the high price of a packet of jaffa cakes. mmm!

I'm so sad, need to find something to do...

stereo_steve

Sorry adren, I had a quick skim over the post so sorry if its been mentioned before.


Komplett do "upgrade kits" everything will work with each other. Take a look at http://www.komplett.ie/k/kl.asp?AvdID=1&CatID=44&GrpID=1&t=1397&l=2

Woden

stereo i may have a packet of jaffa cakes some time in the autumn that i may give you for you services if the offer is still open then, don't feel confident about installing a m/b, processor, hsf unit.

stereo_steve

Sure no problem. Just pm me


I have an interview for a job tomorrow, so hopefully that will lift the boredom!

By the way if anyone has their own business and is looking for someone for the summer to cook,clean, fix things,make things,paint,drive, file,answer phones etc. please give me a call!!!

Woden

thanking you

aidan_dunne

Marx Computers (www.marx-computers.com) can build custom machines using whatever bits you want from your old machine. They're pretty good on prices as well. Unfortunately, they're based in Dublin so seeing as you're in Limerick you're kind of out of luck, I guess.

Why not do what some of the others here have suggested and at least try to build it yourself? It's not all that difficult and it would be a good experience for you. You'll get to find out what goes where and learn how to troubleshoot any problems that arise. Or get a Boards member who lives near you who knows what he's doing to come around to your house and build it for you so you can see how to go about it and ask any questions. We all had to learn somewhere!

G

Make sure you get a new case when you upgrade. Dell (in particular the XPS) make it as difficult as possible to upgrade their boxes. There's a cheap case brand available on komplett, QTec I think, who do a decent case and 350W PSU for around 60 euro.

-ADREN-

Suppose none of ye know a place like that marx computers inside in limerick do ye?

Suppose i went for one of those upgrade kits.. given my current equipment.. which one looks the sweatest buy for power and proformance under the €500 mark?

Thanks again.

and thanks to those who have replied

-Coz

kmb

pity your not in cork i would do it for you but as i said nf7 has graphics on board ie gf4 mx and this will play any recent games...nf7m ithink around 146 euro in komplett,also you can get a good case in cork at www.e-stock.ie and they are retail as well as trade.

maxheadroom

Originally posted by -ADREN-

Suppose i went for one of those upgrade kits.. given my current equipment.. which one looks the sweatest buy for power and proformance under the €500 mark?

-Coz

how about this - has an upgrade kit, extra 256 RAM bringing you to 512, and a 40GB 7200RPM (=Fast) Hard Drive. Cost including shipping is about €415, leaving you €85 to get the case + power supply somewhere.

Woden

i like this one as it has an excellent motherboard and half a gig of ram

http://www.komplett.ie/k/ki.asp?action=info&p=30550&t=1397&l=2&AvdID=1&CatID=44&GrpID=1&s=pl

its one of the dearer ones though, you'd still need a case, p.s.u and a graphics card.

maxheadroom

I had a look at that one, but it doesn't seem to have the onboard graphics either, so he'd need to buy a new graphics card immediately...

Woden

yeah i don't think it has onboard graphics i think its a fairly high end board and they be thinking you'd be wanting to put a decent one in it, i think the onboard graphics that comes with the nforce2 chipset is only about equivalent to a geforce 4mx IIRC.

kmb

whatever you make sure the fsb ie bus speed is 333 otherwise your wasting your upgrade potential as all new xp processors are 333.if you get 266 bfsb you will be very limited ,just look at the list of cpus in komplett and you will see what i mean!!!!go nforce its the best way!!with 400mhz ddr which is dirt cheap!!

-ADREN-

ehh ook.. damn this is head wrecking just a few little questions

they way ye are talking about this on bored graphics thing.. if i got one of those on the motherbored.. does this make my Kyro2 Gfx card obsolete? As in is it just trash if i bought a mobo with a built in gfx card? Why would I need to get a new gfx card immediatly if I bought a Mobo with out a built in gf card.. whats rong with sloting in my Kyro 2 into a AGP slot?

Thanks again.

-Coz

Woden

If I understand this correctly, if a motherboard has onboard graphics it the motherboard has a graphics chip which can perform the functions of a graphics card for you, similar to motherboards which have onboard sound, they have a sound chip which means that a soundcard is not required. As a general guide onboard sound and graphics chips are not as good as dedicated sound and graphics cards. However in the case of a number of recent motherboards the onboard sound chips are quite respectable delivering good quality 5.1 surround sound.

Also if i understand this correctly motherboards have a chipset that they are based on, currently the best chipset for an amd motherboard is the nforce2 (i think its from nvidia) also if i'm correct the chipset controls the sound and graphics onboard chips if they are present, in the case of some nforce2 motherboards, there is quite respectable onboard graphics present equivalent as i mentioned to about a geforce 4mx graphics card. This standard of onboard graphics would be much better then your current Kyro agp card, but could easily be surpassed by a graphics card for under €200.

However if you have a motherboard with onboard graphics you can still install a graphics card which then thanks precedence over the chip (by some means i know not how).

So if you get a motherboard with no onboard graphics you can use the kyro but it means that your system will be limited by your graphics card as it will be the slowest part of your system. However if you get a motherboard with decent onboard graphics (and you will have to look into it) it will probably make your Kyro obsolete.

The Asus board present in the package above does not provide onboard graphics with a view that a user would want a better graphics ability then the onboard graphics would provide as i know i would however it is meant to be an excellent motherboard

In summary if you are on a budget onboard is probably the best and undoubtably cheapest option, hope this helps

kmb

okay..you need Abit NF7-M mainboard for Socket A
- nForce2-IGP/MCP, ATX,VGA, USB2.0, LAN In stock: 50-99 167.93 147.78 and AMD Athlon XP2200+ 1.8 GHz 266 MHz bus
- Socket A (Thoroughbred) Processor (OEM) In stock:
100+ 115.61 101.73 and cooler Cooler Master CPU-Fan Socket A/7/FCPGA
- DP5-7JD1B-0L, For 1,4GHz, upto XP2600+ In stock:
100+ 19.27 16.96and TwinMOS PC2700 DDR-DIMM 256MB CL2
- Memory 184-P (for DDR-PC333MHz) In stock:
100+ 52.85 46.51 add just a case and your flying..NBthe processor above is 266 bus but it will do the job for a long time until price of barton 333 falls and then your at max fsb which is where u need to be!!!cyas