Help With Upgrading

Forums › Desktop computing › Help With Upgrading

whitefoxxx

91 posts

Master Geek

#13274 1-May-2007 15:53

I want to upgrade my motherboard, cpu and gfx card

i want to find the cheapest but avg of these both,

i don't mind if the graphics card is built in as long as it can still run pc games

but i want the motherboard to be amd and the cpu to be athlon

i know about price spy but i don't know what specs i should be looking for.

im short on money and don't have a job thats why im looking at cheep items,

all help/suggestions are great

bradstewart

4338 posts

Uber Geek
+1 received by user: 166

Retired Mod

Trusted

Lifetime subscriber

#69101 1-May-2007 17:46

I would suggest a Gigabyte M55SLI-S4 or GA-M61VME Motherboard, an Athlon X2 4200+ AM2 and a Gigabyte or Legend Geforce 7600GS

lurker

838 posts

Ultimate Geek
+1 received by user: 223

Lifetime subscriber

#69305 2-May-2007 21:02

Pretty good suggestion right there. Do you plan on using existing RAM, are you aware you'll be needing DDR2? You might want to consider waiting for the 8500GT graphics card over the 7600GS, I'm not sure if it's available in NZ yet but performance wise I wouldn't imagine it to be much worse than the 7600GS and it's pretty much the same price.

rscole86

4999 posts

Uber Geek
+1 received by user: 462

Moderator

Trusted

Lifetime subscriber

#69308 2-May-2007 21:12

I have a Gigabyte M55SLI-S4 with an AMD Athlon X2 3800+ with a 7600GT.

I am very happy with it, i can play C&C3 no problems, so is good enough for me :) i have two 512mb chips of ram running in dual channel.

The only problem i had was forgetting to update the bios, and then the pc died, easy enough fix though thanks to fellow geeks.

bradstewart

4338 posts

Uber Geek
+1 received by user: 166

Retired Mod

Trusted

Lifetime subscriber

#69313 2-May-2007 21:30

I have a M55SLI-S4 with Athlon X2 4600, ASUS GeForce 7900GS and 2x PQI 1GB DDR2

For what is considered a low-mid range motherboard I have to say it is excellent value for money.

I would recommend the 7600GS over the 8500GT (good luck finding one in the next month or so).

I have a couple of graphics cards for sale that I no longer want, an EVGA 7600GS and an Albatron 8600GTS (not available here yet). Both are brand new, I'll sell them for $230ish and $400ish respectively if anyone is interested.

paradoxsm

3000 posts

Uber Geek

Trusted

#69319 2-May-2007 21:49

Who HASN"T got this motherboard LOL!

I have the GAM55SLI-M4 with 3800+ and 2GB dual-channel ram and a 7600 GT Videocard
It runs supreme commander and C&C III full speed.

Just don't exoect it to run old DOS games as NTVDM just crashes.

Fossie

1240 posts

Uber Geek

Trusted

#69322 2-May-2007 21:54

Before starting your upgrade and opening your case, you are going to need to make your workstation OSH compliant.
You will need:
* A hard hat
* Fluro Safety vest
* A Harness
* Safety glasses
* Capped shoes
* No running, only walking
* Protective gloves
* No loose items of clothing

Once this is done, you may begin your upgrade.

Lego

Shop now for Lego sets and other gifts (affiliate link).

pando

235 posts

Master Geek

#69361 3-May-2007 09:05

How very funny, I have considered upgrading to the Gigabyte M55SLI-S4 also with a ~5200+ and a 7900GS card, any opinions???

bradstewart

4338 posts

Uber Geek
+1 received by user: 166

Retired Mod

Trusted

Lifetime subscriber

#69366 3-May-2007 09:26

It's not a stupid idea. At work the M55SLI-S4 outsells other boards 10-1. You can't go wrong with that setup