Extending system life upgrade????

adarryl

I would like some advice/recommendations regarding upgrading a system I built to extend its working life for gaming and general purpose use. First of all, I have already built myself a new AMD X2 5600 system so the one in question is now a spare. Problem is, I like a number of its system components and realize that if I sold or parted out the thing, I would not get what they are really worth individually or in sum. What I am thinking of doing is replacing the mobo with this:

GIGABYTE GA-8I865GME-775-RH-AS LGA 775 Intel 865G Micro ATX Intel Motherboard
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128051

which would let me go to one of these processors:

Core Duos and Core2 Duos: (both 800 fsb and 1066 fsb)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductList.aspx?Submit=ENE&N=50001157+40000343+1389627502+1050722265+1302820275&Configurator=&Subcategory=343&description=&Ntk=&srchInDesc=
(I would trash the Intel hsf and replace with Zalman CNPS 7700-ALCU unit).

This would allow me to re-use everything including RAM and video card.

Would this be a worthy upgrade keeping in mind my current RAM is DDR 434, PC3500 and the processors in question vary from 800 fsb to 1066 fsb? I don't want to throttle a 1066 fsb cpu with slower RAM nor to I want to grab an 800 fsb cpu if it won't be a real improvement over what is currently installed. Looking for opinions; appreciate your thoughts. Here are the current specs on the system in question:

Skyhawk 2.4C system data:

Power Supply:
FSP Group (Fortron Source) AX400-PN, RoHS, 12cm FAN, version 2.2, 2 SATA, 20+ 4 pin, PCI Express, 400W Power Supply - Retail

Video Card:
ATI All-In-Wonder X800 XT 100-714200 256MB GDDR3 AGP 4X/8X Video Card – Retail

Sound Card:
CHAINTECH AV-710 7.1 Channels 24-bit 192KHz PCI Interface Sound Card - Retail

Case:
Eagle Tech Matrix PSR5601W-BK-DR Silver/Black 1.0 mm anodized Aluminum Alloy ATX Mid Tower Case With side window – Retail

Floppy Drive:
SAMSUNG Black 1.44MB 3.5" Internal Floppy Drive Model SFD321B/LBL1 - OEM

CDRW:
LITE-ON Black 52X CD-R 32X CD-RW 52X CD-ROM 1.5MB Cache IDE CD Burner - Retail

DVD ROM:
LITE-ON Black ATAPI/E-IDE DVD-ROM Drive Model SOHD-16P9SBLK – Retail

Hard Drive:
Western Digital Caviar SE WD800JB 80GB 7200 RPM 8MB Cache IDE Ultra ATA100 Hard Drive - OEM

RAM:
1024 MB Corsair XMS (2X512MB) CMX512-3500C2PT (DDR @ 434mhz)

Motherboard:
Asus P4P800-E DLX non-wireless edition

Processor:
Intel P4 2.4C SL6WF 800fsb retail running at 2.88 Ghz with stock hsf

adarryl

Helloooooooooooooooooooooooooo!!! Surely someone has "a thought"?

Leonardo

It all depends upon what the intended use of the computer will be. If it's just for general use - internet, office applications, and so forth, I wouldn't bother upgrading it. If your primary intention is gaming, a motherboard and CPU upgrade wouldn't make as much impact as a video card upgrade; but then, your system would be limited by the AGP slot on the Gigabyte board.

The only justification - were it my computer, for a motherboard and CPU upgrade to dual core would be if the system is used for a lot of heavy multi-tasking, video rendering, Folding@Home in SMP mode.

To me, your proposal would bring performance improvement, but not a great amount unless unless the system were employed as I mentioned above. With the proposed motherboard (AGP video) and your legacy memory, you would just be upgrading from old tech to newer-old tech. Were it me, I'd sell the system for what I could get, give it to a family member, or just continue using for general purposes, for which it should work quite well.

adarryl

Thanks for your reply! I like your thought: "upgrading from old tech to newer-old tech." Since I have already replaced this PC with a new build, it is probably time to just put a "for sale" sign on it.

Leonardo

Although I think my advice is sound, don't rely on it exclusively. There are others here at Icrontic with better hardware knowledge.

It appears you've already got your computer posted for sale at Deal Depot and Trading Post. If you have problems moving it, you should consider parting it out. At enthusiasts forums, such as Icrontic, traders can be very picky and not very interested in buying complete systems. So many of us build our own or just upgrade parts one or two at a time.

You should also consider selling on Craigslist. The market for used computers on Craigslist is much more generalized than at computer forums. Many of the potential buyers there are looking for complete systems. It's also easier that way because you could meet someone locally and take cash. Also no shipping charges.

adarryl

Not to worry, your advice won't be the deciding factor. And NO this system is not for sale in the Deal Depot; that is a different system I have listed. (you see I built my wife a new E6600 sys and myself a new X2 5600 sys to replace the one that is for sale in the Deal Depot and this one which is not yet listed for sale) Confusing isn't it. Anyway, this particular system points out the sometimes confusing aspect of when to stop upgrading and just let go. While this P4 2.4C sys is no slouch (and is the 2.4C most sought by overclockers), I thought I could perhaps help it along with a C2D upgrade. However, I think I would be restricted to an 800 fsb processor with that Gigabyte board, such as the Allendales, because of my RAM. And that simply may not be enough of an upgrade to be justified. When to say when............tough call sometimes. Thanks for your input!!

Leonardo

sometimes confusing aspect of when to stop upgrading and just let go

Yup, it's not a clear science at all. It's a mix of budget, hardware engineering, guesswork, and emotions.

Zuntar

Leonardo wrote:

Yup, it's not a clear science at all. It's a mix of budget, hardware engineering, guesswork, and emotions.

Well put!!

muddocktor

Sorry I didn't see your thread earlier, adarryl. I have done such an upgrade not too long ago myself with an Asrock 775i65G mobo instead of the Gigabyte you are planning to use, but it's also based on the i865G chipset and is mATX sized too. Like has been said before, it all depends on your purpose whether it's worth doing as an upgrade. In my case, it was to upgrade a dedicated number crunching machine cheaply, since I could reuse my ram and vid card. And I'm using the E4400 in this computer so that I could have the 10 multiplier to help with overclocking, since the Asrock has a 300 fsb ceiling on it. As far as performance is concerned, there is world's difference between this E4400 and the P4 2.4 it replaced. If you want to do the upgrade to have a secondary machine that can still game pretty good, then I think it's money well spent, as you won't be out a large chunk of cash if you want to upgrade to a better board and ram later, since the board only costs around $50. And if you don't want to upgrade later, you still aren't investing a whole lot more money into this machine and you should be able to squeeze another couple of years of decent performance out of it with the cpu/mobo upgrade.

BTW, don't buy your processor until the end of this month if you do decide to upgrade. Intel has a price cut coming up around July 22. That will drop the E4300 to below $100 and the E4400 to what the E4300's are presently selling for.

adarryl

Thanks Muddocktor, that is plenty good information!