Upgradin' my comp in Bosnia - help appreciated

helicon1984helicon1984 Sovici, Bosna i Hercegovina
edited June 2009 in Hardware
So, I was thinking of upgrading my computer in the next few weeks for the first time ever and some help would be very appreciated. I didn't build my current comp, it was pre-built by a friend. With that said, I wanna upgrade my motherboard, processor, RAM, hard drive, graphics card and also buy a new monitor. My config is:

processor - Intel Celeron 3.06GHz
mobo - ASUS P5GDC Pro
1GB of RAM
WD 160GB hard drive
ATI Radeon x1600/1650 Series
monitor - Samsung SyncMaster 710n 17'' (1280*1024 display).

I use my comp primarily for downloading music, movies, occasionally gaming, and my options are quite limited when buying new hardware where I live. The limit concerning money would be somewhere around 800$ without the monitor. So I was thinking the following:

processor - INTEL Core2Duo E8400 3.0GHz 6MB L2, 1333FSB LGA775
mobo - ASUS P5Q SE, S775 Int-P45 FSB-1600 DDR2-1200 PCIeX+SB+GLAN or maybe
blank.gifASUS P5QL PRO, S775 Int-P43 FSB-1600 DDR2-1066 PCIeX+SB+GLAN or Gigabyte GA-EP45-DS3L
RAM - G.SKILL 4GB DDR2-1066 Dual channel kit 8500CL5D-4GBPI
hard drive - HDD 500 GB,WD5000AAKS, SATA-2, 16 MB/7200rpm
graphics - blank.gifBFG GeForce 9800 GTX PLUS OC 512MB DDR3 760/2250Mhz or blank.gifSapphire ATI HD4850 1GB DDR3 2xDVI/TVO LITE 11132-17-20R

I'm not sure about the monitor, 22'' is my limit and 22" LCD SAMSUNG SM2233BW 20000:1 5ms 300cd VGA+DVI would be in my price range. I've read that the stand is wobbly etc., so I don't really know. That's it. I know its nothing special but it would obviously be an improvement on what I currently have.
Also, the Windows XP SP3 that I have is pirated (got it without the CD) and I was thinking of maybe installing Windows 7 RC 64bit version until it officially comes out. Should I do that or stick with WinXP? Will the 64bit version be compatible with the new hardware? So many questions.
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Comments

  • BuddyJBuddyJ Dept. of Propaganda OKC Icrontian
    edited May 2009
    Looks good. I'd probably pick the EP45 Gigabyte board for the sake of stability and go from there. The Samsung monitor should be good for you, and I'd definitely install Windows 7.
  • helicon1984helicon1984 Sovici, Bosna i Hercegovina
    edited May 2009
    So I'll go with the Gigabyte board, what about the graphics cards? What are the main differences? Any other suggestions? You sure about the Win 7 RC 64bit? I mean compatibility wise etc.
    Also, I have this problem with my 17'' LCD Samsung monitor. Its about 3 years old and whenever I turn on Cleartype the text is kind of 'redish' and blurry around the edges. Will that problem be fixed with the new monitor or is it a case by case thing?
  • edited May 2009
    So I'll go with the Gigabyte board, what about the graphics cards? What are the main differences? Any other suggestions? You sure about the Win 7 RC 64bit? I mean compatibility wise etc.
    Also, I have this problem with my 17'' LCD Samsung monitor. Its about 3 years old and whenever I turn on Cleartype the text is kind of 'redish' and blurry around the edges. Will that problem be fixed with the new monitor or is it a case by case thing?

    You can fix the cleartype problems here. You can also get the stand alone version here. Windows 7 should not have any problems with the hardware in your list.

    Regarding the graphics card, I would get the HD4850 1GB.
  • helicon1984helicon1984 Sovici, Bosna i Hercegovina
    edited May 2009
    I've tried the tuner before, and it doesn't work but I've read that certain monitors have that problem also. Hopefully the new one will have much crisper Cleartype text.
    Also about the RAM, should I go with what I chose earlier or this:
    G.SKILL 4GB DDR3-1600 Dual channel kit F3-12800CL9D-4GBNQ
    since the price is the same? I've read somewhere that RAM voltage could be a problem for some mobo's. Any thoughts on that?
  • edited May 2009
    I suspect you are connecting your LCD using a VGA (analog connection) instead of DVI (digital connection) cable. If it is VGA cable, the followings can help.

    - Download Eizo monitor test
    - You don't need to install, just unzip the executable somewhere and run the test.
    - Go to Moire test patterns, there are three of them
    - While the patterns are on the screen, pop up the monitor control interface using the control buttons on the screen and go to image adjustments - fine tuning options, this can be different for different monitors.
    - Playing with those adjustments try to make all three Moire patterns as uniforms as possible
    - Do not use auto detect feature again on the screen, otherwise you will need to readjust.

    This should improve your image considerably and also help with the colored fringes around letters.
  • helicon1984helicon1984 Sovici, Bosna i Hercegovina
    edited May 2009
    mirage wrote:
    I suspect you are connecting your LCD using a VGA (analog connection) instead of DVI (digital connection) cable. If it is VGA cable, the followings can help.

    - Download Eizo monitor test
    - You don't need to install, just unzip the executable somewhere and run the test.
    - Go to Moire test patterns, there are three of them
    - While the patterns are on the screen, pop up the monitor control interface using the control buttons on the screen and go to image adjustments - fine tuning options, this can be different for different monitors.
    - Playing with those adjustments try to make all three Moire patterns as uniforms as possible
    - Do not use auto detect feature again on the screen, otherwise you will need to readjust.

    This should improve your image considerably and also help with the colored fringes around letters.

    Thanks for the advice. I'm getting rid of this one anyway so it doesn't really matter. The text is a little bit better but still kind of blurry. I'll stick with standard font rendering for now.
  • Mt_GoatMt_Goat Head Cheezy Knob Pflugerville (north of Austin) Icrontian
    edited May 2009
    I had the same problem on my old system. When I went to new hardware and kept the same monitor it all went away. This was with a Samsung monitor as well. I think it was the older ATI X series vid card that caused the issue.
  • helicon1984helicon1984 Sovici, Bosna i Hercegovina
    edited May 2009
    Mt_Goat wrote:
    I had the same problem on my old system. When I went to new hardware and kept the same monitor it all went away. This was with a Samsung monitor as well. I think it was the older ATI X series vid card that caused the issue.

    Could be. I'll try the new hardware on my old monitor and see what happens.
    Any advice on the graphics and RAM front? Should I go with GeForce 9800GTX+ 512MB or ATI Radeon HD 4850 1GB, and this - G.SKILL 4GB DDR2-1066 Dual channel kit 8500CL5D-4GBPI or this - G.SKILL 4GB DDR3-1600 Dual channel kit F3-12800CL9D-4GBNQ?
  • helicon1984helicon1984 Sovici, Bosna i Hercegovina
    edited May 2009
    Also, its about the same price, should I go with blank.gifCPU INTEL Core 2 Quad Q8200 2.33GHz FSB 1333MHz LGA775 BOX or INTEL Core2Duo E8400 3.0GHz 6MB L2, 1333FSB LGA775?
  • Mt_GoatMt_Goat Head Cheezy Knob Pflugerville (north of Austin) Icrontian
    edited May 2009
    Definitely go with the G.SKILL 4GB DDR2-1066 Dual channel kit 8500CL5D-4GBPI and the 9800GTX+. As far as the CPU, I would go with the C2D E8400 if you are mostly gaming, surfing etc. But if you do a lot of multitasking I would go with the Q8200. From what I saw in your original post I would say the E8400.
  • helicon1984helicon1984 Sovici, Bosna i Hercegovina
    edited May 2009
    Mt_Goat wrote:
    Definitely go with the G.SKILL 4GB DDR2-1066 Dual channel kit 8500CL5D-4GBPI and the 9800GTX+. As far as the CPU, I would go with the C2D E8400 if you are mostly gaming, surfing etc. But if you do a lot of multitasking I would go with the Q8200. From what I saw in your original post I would say the E8400.

    Thanks for the tips. I've found a couple of mobo's in my price range. Buddy J recommended the Gigabyte board mentioned above and I was thinking going with that but what about these:
    DFI LanParty Dark DKP45-T2RS Turbo 775 P45 DDR2 1066 2xPCIeX

    MSI P45-PLATINUM P45 775 FSB-1600 4xDDR2-1200 2PCIeX GLAN+SB?
  • ThraxThrax 🐌 Austin, TX Icrontian
    edited May 2009
    The DK P45-T2RS is an AMAZING motherboard. You definitely can't go wrong with it.
  • helicon1984helicon1984 Sovici, Bosna i Hercegovina
    edited May 2009
    Thrax wrote:
    The DK P45-T2RS is an AMAZING motherboard. You definitely can't go wrong with it.

    Thanks. So many optons. :eek3: Anyone else?
  • Mt_GoatMt_Goat Head Cheezy Knob Pflugerville (north of Austin) Icrontian
    edited May 2009
    Thrax wrote:
    The DK P45-T2RS is an AMAZING motherboard. You definitely can't go wrong with it.

    Funny I didn't see that in his list of hard to get hardware????:rolleyes2
  • edited May 2009
    I don't want to confuse you even more but I would recommend you to get a quad-core processor instead of a dual-core even if it might be slower on per core basis. I would recommend Phenom II X4 810 or 940 instead of E8400. They are $170 and $190 in US, a little more than E8400. Just my 2c :)
  • helicon1984helicon1984 Sovici, Bosna i Hercegovina
    edited June 2009
    Hi again! I've made up my mind on the majority of stuff except the graphics and the mobo.
    I'm going with the C2D E8400 processor, G.Skill 4GB RAM, and because the difference in price is minimal WD 640GB hard drive which became available at my shop yesterday. I'll install Win 7 RC 64bit version and hope it works out. I'm dual-booting it (32bit ver.) with XP right now and its great except for the sound (drivers not available).
    So, which mobo to choose: DFI LanParty DK P45 T2RS Turbo or the Gigabyte EP45 DS3L? Price is the same. Same goes for Sapphire ATI HD4850 1GB (a little cheaper) or BFG GeForce 9800 GTX PLUS OC 512MB?
  • helicon1984helicon1984 Sovici, Bosna i Hercegovina
    edited June 2009
    Hi again. I know I've gotten good advice in this thread but if someone could shed some more light on my dilemma just above, it would be greatly appreciated. Thanks. :confused2
  • edited June 2009
    Hi again. I know I've gotten good advice in this thread but if someone could shed some more light on my dilemma just above, it would be greatly appreciated. Thanks. :confused2

    Regarding the motherboard, I recommend DFI, due to better VRM cooling, second PCIEx16, and simply being a DFI LP :)

    As for the graphics card, I recommend ATI HD4850 because of 1GB memory and the very good experience with my HD4850.
  • helicon1984helicon1984 Sovici, Bosna i Hercegovina
    edited June 2009
    mirage wrote:
    Regarding the motherboard, I recommend DFI, due to better VRM cooling, second PCIEx16, and simply being a DFI LP :)

    As for the graphics card, I recommend ATI HD4850 because of 1GB memory and the very good experience with my HD4850.

    Thanks mirage. (wink) Anyone else?
  • Mt_GoatMt_Goat Head Cheezy Knob Pflugerville (north of Austin) Icrontian
    edited June 2009
    DFI mobo and either GPU will be good. I have found that the 1 GB cards don't really do much better than the 512 MB versions of the same.

    This should help with your GPU decision!
  • helicon1984helicon1984 Sovici, Bosna i Hercegovina
    edited June 2009
    Thanks to everyone. It was very helpful as always. :respect:
  • Cliff_ForsterCliff_Forster Icrontian
    edited June 2009
    Mt_Goat wrote:
    DFI mobo and either GPU will be good. I have found that the 1 GB cards don't really do much better than the 512 MB versions of the same.

    This should help with your GPU decision!

    I want to add another endorsement for DFI boards. Past few years I have been using Gigabyte boards pretty exclusively on builds, and while they have been very serviceable, and have not failed me I did not know what I was missing in terms of overclocking flexibility with DFI. (I will credit Robert (thrax) for turning me onto DFI)

    The new DFI AMD 790fx board I have been using is without a doubt the most fully featured board I have ever used. Overclocking everything, My CPU, my RAM, and my Video has all been easier on the DFI board. The bios is fuller featured, and despite what some say, I don't think its that intimidating, you just have to do a little research to start tweaking. DFI gets my vote on any system that plans on a good overclock. If your not as serious about overclocking, the Gigabyte durable series boards that sport the dual bios are also a very viable option.
  • MidnightFlairMidnightFlair Washington
    edited June 2009
    Mt_Goat wrote:
    DFI mobo and either GPU will be good. I have found that the 1 GB cards don't really do much better than the 512 MB versions of the same.

    This should help with your GPU decision!


    The GPU or GPU's are so fast on these new video card they use the full potential of the VRAM and sub-systems I would go with the 1GB HD4850 they are great cards and can out perform the 512 Nvidia.
  • helicon1984helicon1984 Sovici, Bosna i Hercegovina
    edited June 2009
    Hey again. The title of the thread should now be 'Building a new comp' because that's what I'm actually doing. It's supposed to look something like this:

    mobo - DFI LanParty Dark DKP45-T2RS Turbo 775 P45 DDR2 1066 2xPCIeX
    processor - CPU INTEL Core2Duo E8400 3.0GHz 6MB L2, 1333FSB LGA775
    RAM - G.SKILL 4GB DDR2-1066 Dual channel kit 8500CL5D-4GBPI
    HDD - WD 640GB 6400AAKS 7200rpm 16MB
    optical - DVD RW Pioneer DVR-216D-BK 20X SATA
    graphics - Sapphire ATI HD4850 1GB DDR3 2xDVI/TVO LITE 11132-17-20R, Dual Slot Active Cooler
    case/power - Antec III Sonata, EarthWatts 500W

    Any comments are welcome.
    A few questions. It says (on G.Skill's site) the test voltage of the RAM is 2.0 - 2.1 volts. I've read about comp crashes because of voltage problems etc. On the other hand, it says on DFI's site that the RAM I've chosen is supported. I'm not experienced (obviously) so can someone explain are there gonna be problems?
    Also, I've decided to stick with my old Samsung SyncMaster 710N monitor for now so, hopefully, with new graphics, cleartype font rendering will improve.
  • Cliff_ForsterCliff_Forster Icrontian
    edited June 2009
    Hey again. The title of the thread should now be 'Building a new comp' because that's what I'm actually doing. It's supposed to look something like this:

    mobo - DFI LanParty Dark DKP45-T2RS Turbo 775 P45 DDR2 1066 2xPCIeX
    processor - CPU INTEL Core2Duo E8400 3.0GHz 6MB L2, 1333FSB LGA775
    RAM - G.SKILL 4GB DDR2-1066 Dual channel kit 8500CL5D-4GBPI
    HDD - WD 640GB 6400AAKS 7200rpm 16MB
    optical - DVD RW Pioneer DVR-216D-BK 20X SATA
    graphics - Sapphire ATI HD4850 1GB DDR3 2xDVI/TVO LITE 11132-17-20R, Dual Slot Active Cooler
    case/power - Antec III Sonata, EarthWatts 500W

    Any comments are welcome.
    A few questions. It says (on G.Skill's site) the test voltage of the RAM is 2.0 - 2.1 volts. I've read about comp crashes because of voltage problems etc. On the other hand, it says on DFI's site that the RAM I've chosen is supported. I'm not experienced (obviously) so can someone explain are there gonna be problems?
    Also, I've decided to stick with my old Samsung SyncMaster 710N monitor for now so, hopefully, with new graphics, cleartype font rendering will improve.

    Your DFI board will support that Dimm voltage just fine.

    You know, you could Possibly consider going going with a DFI AM3 board on sale right now, get a less expensive triple core AMD unlocked CPU and DDR3, perform better and actualy save a little on the build.

    You would have a new AMD AM3 based system, which is not a dead end platform like the LGA775.

    You should consider it. Less money for the board and CPU, perhaps a tiny bit more for the extra RAM bandwidth to balance it, but still, this should outperform and come in about $30 less total if my math is good.

    http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813136067
    http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103649&Tpk=AMD%20720
    http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820148262
  • helicon1984helicon1984 Sovici, Bosna i Hercegovina
    edited June 2009
    Your DFI board will support that Dimm voltage just fine.

    You know, you could Possibly consider going going with a DFI AM3 board on sale right now, get a less expensive triple core AMD unlocked CPU and DDR3, perform better and actualy save a little on the build.

    You would have a new AMD AM3 based system, which is not a dead end platform like the LGA775.

    You should consider it. Less money for the board and CPU, perhaps a tiny bit more for the extra RAM bandwidth to balance it, but still, this should outperform and come in about $30 less total if my math is good.

    http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813136067
    http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103649&Tpk=AMD%20720
    http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820148262

    I would strongly consider it IF I had a credit card and could order online. I couldn't find that DFI board or a Gigabyte AM3 board anywhere in Bosnia. The best I could do was this below so maybe I should stick with what I chose first? Also, what I listed above will set me back about 1.150$.

    - DFI LanParty Dark DK 790FXB-M2RSH AM2+ 790FX DDR2 3xPCIeX
    -
    AMD PHENOM II X4 920 2.8GHz L2+L3=8MB FSB-1800M AM2+
  • helicon1984helicon1984 Sovici, Bosna i Hercegovina
    edited June 2009
    Well, the closest I could find is this:

    mobo - GIGABYTE MA790FXT-UD5P, 790FX/SB750, DDR3
    processor - AMD Phenom II X3 720 BOX Black Edition, s. AM3, 2.8GHz, 7.5MB c.
    RAM - 2 of these - PC-10600, 2GB, CRUCIAL, DDR3, 1333 MHz

    I could save around 50$ but the only problem is this is in Croatia, in this shop, about 3 hours drive from my house. Is it worth it? Anyone? :confused:
  • Cliff_ForsterCliff_Forster Icrontian
    edited June 2009
    Well, the closest I could find is this:

    mobo - GIGABYTE MA790FXT-UD5P, 790FX/SB750, DDR3
    processor - AMD Phenom II X3 720 BOX Black Edition, s. AM3, 2.8GHz, 7.5MB c.
    RAM - 2 of these - PC-10600, 2GB, CRUCIAL, DDR3, 1333 MHz

    I could save around 50$ but the only problem is this is in Croatia, in this shop, about 3 hours drive from my house. Is it worth it? Anyone? :confused:

    I don't know that I would drive 3 hrs. for it.

    The origional AM2+ board you paired with the 920 is going to be a good platform because the AM2+ board will support future AM3 offerings with a bios flash.

    I just think its a better platform than the LGA775 which Intel is going to move away from in favor of the i7 line over the next year or so.
  • BuddyJBuddyJ Dept. of Propaganda OKC Icrontian
    edited June 2009
    Either system will be good. If you're planning on overclocking, I'd probably stick with the E8400 Intel system. My E8400-based Intel rig runs 4GHz without breaking a sweat and absolutely rocks for gaming and the other activities you'll be doing.
  • helicon1984helicon1984 Sovici, Bosna i Hercegovina
    edited June 2009
    Thanks to both of you and everyone else who posted on this thread. I'll probably mull over this a bit more and then make my decision. All the best to everyone. (wink)
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