upgrading computer,need advice

freshmeatfreshmeat
edited January 2006 in Hardware
this is the first time i ever try to upgrade a computer so im not too sure of some stuff, i want a new video card but i have a AGP slot,so i tought about upgrading to a new motherboard with PCI Express slot,but i dont understand what the sockets are,does it make a difference in what kind of processor it uses?.Heres my system info:
[ EVEREST Home Edition (c) 2003, 2004 Lavalys, Inc. ]

Version EVEREST v1.51.195
Homepage http://www.lavalys.com/
Report Type Report Wizard
Computer
Generator
Operating System Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition 5.1.2600 (WinXP Retail)
Date 2006-01-21
Time 14:50

[ Summary ]

Computer:
Operating System Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition
OS Service Pack Service Pack 2
Internet Explorer 6.0.2900.2180 (IE 6.0 SP2)
DirectX 4.09.00.0904 (DirectX 9.0c)



Motherboard:
CPU Type AMD Athlon 64, 2000 MHz (10 x 200) 3000+
Motherboard Name Asus K8N (5 PCI, 1 AGP, 3 DDR DIMM, Audio, LAN)
Motherboard Chipset nVIDIA nForce3 250, AMD Hammer
System Memory 512 MB (PC3200 DDR SDRAM)
BIOS Type AMI (08/16/04)
Communication Port Communications Port (COM1)
Communication Port ECP Printer Port (LPT1)

Display:
Video Adapter NVIDIA GeForce FX 5500 (128 MB)
3D Accelerator nVIDIA GeForce FX 5500
Monitor HP 56 [15" CRT] (CN13002417)

Multimedia:
Audio Adapter nVIDIA MCP2-S - Audio Codec Interface

Storage:
IDE Controller Standard Dual Channel PCI IDE Controller
IDE Controller Standard Dual Channel PCI IDE Controller
Floppy Drive Floppy disk drive
Disk Drive WDC WD1200JB-00GVA0 (111 GB, IDE)
Optical Drive Memorex DVD+/-DLRWL1 F16
SMART Hard Disks Status OK

Partitions:
C: (NTFS) 114463 MB (7872 MB free)

Input:
Keyboard Standard 101/102-Key or Microsoft Natural PS/2 Keyboard
Mouse Microsoft PS/2 Mouse

Network:
Network Adapter NVIDIA nForce Networking Controller - Packet Scheduler Miniport (192.168.1.100)

Peripherals:
USB1 Controller nVIDIA MCP2-S - OHCI USB 1.1 Controller
USB1 Controller nVIDIA MCP2-S - OHCI USB 1.1 Controller
USB2 Controller nVIDIA MCP2-S - EHCI USB 2.0 Controller


and heres what im thinking of buying:
http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=1644233&Tab=0&NoMapp=0

any suggestions on a diferent video card or motherboar are appreciated
thx in advance

Comments

  • profdlpprofdlp The Holy City Of Westlake, Ohio
    edited January 2006
    You have a fairly nice system there. Unless you are loaded with money my advice would be to stick with what you have now. Since you want a better video card and currently have only an AGP slot, it would seem that Sapphire may have a solution for you.

    That and another 512MB of RAM and I'd think you'd be good for another couple of years. :)
  • QeldromaQeldroma Arid ZoneAh Member
    edited January 2006
    Profdlp's advice here is rock solid as far as I'm concerned.

    If you do go to upgrade your video card, you may need to upgrade your power supply unit as well. A 480W Antec equivalent or better.

    With such a card, you might start to dream about a bigger monitor too.

    :)
  • freshmeatfreshmeat
    edited January 2006
    i tried looking for tha sapphire x1600 in both newegg and tigersdirect but i only found the PCI Express ones, I was wondering if these 2 were good enough (guess i forgot to say this but i just want to play fear,call of duty 2 and when half life 2 when it comes out)

    heres the one i found at tigersdirect:
    http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=1699994&Tab=0&NoMapp=0

    and the one from newegg:
    http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16814102608

    i'm kindda thinking about getting the Sapphire Radeon X800 from newegg because of the price,I dont know a lot about this stuff so im not sure if the ATI Radeon's 16 pipelines makes a big difference, I wouldnt mind paying an extra $70 for the ITA just want to make sure that its worth it.

    And im not too sure about the AGP slot if its 2.0 or 3.0, how can i tell what kind it is i only know how the tell the difference from a PCI slot, and how do i figure out what kind of ram to get? I think its ddr sdram but then theres like 184 pins and 240pin so im not sure what to get ( I dont know a lot about this kindda stuff sorry)
    thx in advance
  • QeldromaQeldroma Arid ZoneAh Member
    edited January 2006
    I know- it's hard for me to steer someone outside of the Egg and Monarcrh because some of these other companies (buy.com- GRRRR!!!) can be real spam-meisters, but it IS out there-

    X1600 AGP at Allstar.com

    -and I've not done business with Allstar. Maybe someone else here has.

    That said, the X800 is a fine series- though the GTO is clocked down quite a bit. I would suggest the X8xxXT (I've got one) series, but then it gets more pricey. If you go there- the All-In-Wonderful card is quite a good deal if you like to tinker and play with video. However, the latest stuff is in the X1000 series.

    As a note they have a 300USD ATI 512MB X1600 AGP version coming out soon. But I question it's overall comparative value.
  • profdlpprofdlp The Holy City Of Westlake, Ohio
    edited January 2006
    Looks like Qeldroma has you covered on the video card stuff. :)
    freshmeat wrote:
    ...And im not too sure about the AGP slot if its 2.0 or 3.0...
    This should answer your question. Your current MB handles 8X AGP which is really all you need to worry about.
    ...how do i figure out what kind of ram to get? I think its ddr sdram but then theres like 184 pins and 240pin so im not sure what to get...
    You want 184-Pin RAM. The 240-Pin stuff is DDR2 and is not supported by your board.

    What RAM do you have now? (Number of sticks, size of each, brand, model#, etc.) It's a good idea to try and match the new memory to the old as closely as possible. If all your slots are filled you may end up having to replace your current sticks. Ram is cheap these days, so it's a good time to act. :)
  • freshmeatfreshmeat
    edited January 2006
    k thx for the advice i'm going to get the card u suggested, as for memory i have 1 stick 512MB and still have 2 slots left,thx for the website i learned a lot from it
  • profdlpprofdlp The Holy City Of Westlake, Ohio
    edited January 2006
    Good luck with your new hardware. :)
  • freshmeatfreshmeat
    edited January 2006
    thx ill let u guys know how it turns out :smiles: im goin to put my current vid card on another computer so ill probably need some help again :-/

    again thx for all your help
    btw is there like a tutorial or any books i could buy on how to build/upgrade a pc,i would just like to learn a lil bit more thx again :wave:
  • lemonlimelemonlime Canada Member
    edited January 2006
    MediaMan wrote a great article that covers PC building from hardware right to the OS installation. It's a little dated, but still pertinent.

    http://www.short-media.com/review.php?r=151
  • edcentricedcentric near Milwaukee, Wisconsin Icrontian
    edited January 2006
    Fresh, You could go all out on a system re-build, but I don't think that you would really notice the improvement in speed. Your NF3 mobo is a good one.

    You might look at NVidia cards also, there is a AGP 6800GS out there that will out run the X800s.

    On your memory, it is time to shut off the machine, unplug the cord, remove the side of the case, and actually pull the memory and see what it is marked. Unless you have the original package, you are stuck looking.

    Are you running at stock speeds? Do you have CPUZ installed to tell you what settings you are using?

    Keep asking questions. We'll be here to help you out.
  • freshmeatfreshmeat
    edited January 2006
    thx man, its just that i feel kindda stupid askin so many questions ><, but im not really planing on rebulding this computer i have a much older computer like 3-4 years old,the only thing for this computer is the card and the memory :wave:
  • LeonardoLeonardo Wake up and smell the glaciers Eagle River, Alaska Icrontian
    edited January 2006
    its just that i feel kindda stupid askin so many questions
    Sometimes you can look things up and find the answer. Sometimes when you look things up it directs you to sites and people like us! :bigggrin: We're here to help. If you don't ask questions, how are you going to learn? Fire away!
  • freshmeatfreshmeat
    edited January 2006
    thx :D i'm counting on you guys for the nextime
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