Upgrade to what?

Zaxbys · Apr 26, 2008, 07:42 AM

I want to upgrade my system but mostly my graphics card. I currently have a ATI 9600 Atlantis Pro (AGP CARD) and a 2.0 Ghz Athlon XP with Giab nforce 2 motherboard and I think that its time I upgrades to something a little better. I see that I will have to upgrade my motherboard and processor as well seeing as I do not have any PCIe slots. My question is... what components would be the best for me to get and to keep the budget as low as possible but still maintain the ability to play the better games. I was thinking the XFX 8600GT XXX Alpha Dog Edition, the Palit 9600GT, or the XFX 9600GT XXX Alpha Dog Edition, and have no idea what motherboard/processorto get but I was tyhinkign about the Intel E2160 DUal Core with a Gigabyle GA- P35- DS3L

What do you guys think?

IvanV · Apr 26, 2008, 10:54 AM

That's a nice, well balanced set of components. The motherboard has received many praises for it's functionality and overclockability (especially considering the price), and the CPU also has very nice value for money ratio. As for the graphics card, skip the 8600GT, as it really won't do, and pick any of the 9600GTs, it'll be just fine for modern games in reasonable resolutions.

Zaxbys · Apr 26, 2008, 06:01 PM

Thanks for the reply!

But which 9600GT should I get?

I was looking at the Palit Sonic

Newegg.com - PALiT NE/960TSX0252 GeForce 9600GT SONIC 512MB 256-bit GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Supported Video Card - Desktop Graphics / Video Cards

or the XFX 9600 GT XXX

Newegg.com - XFX PVT94PYDDU GeForce 9600GT XXX 512MB 256-bit GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Supported Video Card - Desktop Graphics / Video Cards

More so liked the palit but I dont know... Any suggestions on which 9600 to get?

kris23 · Apr 26, 2008, 06:03 PM

EVGA get it....

so you want the cheapest gaming rig possible huh? ill see what i can rip out

Zaxbys · Apr 26, 2008, 06:17 PM

Yes kris that is my goal. Thisis my first tiem building my own gaming rig and I want to keep the price low ($400-600). What is so special about the EVGA that makes it better than the Palit and or XFX?

kris23 · Apr 26, 2008, 06:30 PM

its cheaper or same priced. and they have better support and warranty, advanced RMA is worth it.

Zaxbys · Apr 26, 2008, 06:32 PM

kris23 · Apr 26, 2008, 06:38 PM

its impossible to do a decent job if you wanna pay for the OS.....

either you go higher or you download the OS and use it. 600 bucks is too little for a system equipped with a 9600GT

kris23 · Apr 26, 2008, 06:39 PM

RMA, just in case the card dies, they will send you a new card before you return your old one

then they got the 90 day step up policy where you can get a bigger model within 90 days if you gain the extra cash. and i believe they allow the use of 3rd party coolers with no warranty voiding.

kris23 · Apr 26, 2008, 06:49 PM

this is the lowest level of performance id go:

Newegg.com - COOLER MASTER Centurion 590 RC-590-KKN1-GP Black SECC / ABS ATX Mid Tower Computer Case - Computer Cases
Newegg.com - Seagate Barracuda ES.2 ST3250310NS 250GB 7200 RPM 32MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive - Internal Hard Drives
Newegg.com - EVGA 512-P3-N861-AR GeForce 9600GT 512MB 256-bit GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Supported Video Card - Desktop Graphics / Video Cards
Newegg.com - CORSAIR CMPSU-450VX ATX12V V2.2 450W Power Supply 90 - 264 V UL, CUL, CE, CB, FCC Class B, TUV, CCC, C-tick - Power Supplies
Newegg.com - A-DATA Vitesta 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory - Desktop Memory
Newegg.com - GIGABYTE GA-P35-S3G LGA 775 Intel P35 ATX Intel Motherboard - Intel Motherboards
Newegg.com - Intel Pentium E2220 Allendale 2.4GHz 1MB L2 Cache LGA 775 65W Dual-Core Processor - CPUs / Processors

Zaxbys · Apr 26, 2008, 08:34 PM

I already have hardrive as well as an OS. Here is what I came up with for arounds my budget... lemme know what ya think...

Just to correct myself I meant to say 700 max...

Coolermaster CM690 Case
Newegg.com - COOLER MASTER RC-690-KKN1-GP Black SECC/ ABS ATX Mid Tower Computer Case - Computer Cases
ASUS 20X CD/DVDR Combo with Lightscribe
Newegg.com - ASUS Black 20X DVD+R 8X DVD+RW 8X DVD+R DL 20X DVD-R 6X DVD-RW 14X DVD-RAM 16X DVD-ROM 48X CD-R 32X CD-RW 48X CD-ROM 2MB Cache SATA 20X DVD±R DVD Burner with LightScribe - CD / DVD Burners
Zalman ZM MFC-1 Case Fan Controller
Newegg.com - ZALMAN ZM-MFC1 Fan Controller Panel - Controller Panels
Palit 9600 Sonic
Newegg.com - PALiT NE/960TSX0252 GeForce 9600GT SONIC 512MB 256-bit GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Supported Video Card - Desktop Graphics / Video Cards
BFG 650Watt PSU
Newegg.com - BFG Tech BFGR650PSU ATX 12v 2.0 / EPS 12V 650W Power Supply 115/ 230 V UL, CE, FCC CLASS B - Power Supplies
Media Reader
Newegg.com - SUPER TALENT INT-AIN1-C All-in-one USB 2.0 Card Reader - Card Readers
OCZ Gold Series 2GB DDR2 RAM
Newegg.com - OCZ Gold Series 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 667 (PC2 5400) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory - Desktop Memory
GIGABYTE GA-P35-DS3L Motherboard
Newegg.com - GIGABYTE GA-P35-DS3L LGA 775 Intel P35 ATX All Solid Capacitor Intel Motherboard - Intel Motherboards
Intel E2160 Dual Core Processor
Newegg.com - Intel Pentium E2160 Allendale 1.8GHz 1MB L2 Cache LGA 775 65W Dual-Core Processor - CPUs / Processors
Zalman 9700 CPU Cooler
Newegg.com - ZALMAN CNPS9700 LED 110mm 2 Ball CPU Cooler - CPU Fans & Heatsinks
Coolermaster 120mm Case Fans
Newegg.com - COOLER MASTER R4-L2S-122B-GP 120mm 4 BLUE LED LED Case Fan - Case Fans

Whatcha think? Any ideas on better products etc?

kris23 · Apr 26, 2008, 08:48 PM

firstly, what are those items you have exactly? HDD and OS

id get rid of the 690 case, and get the 590 case emppty cost for slightly better looks and worse performance.
get rid of the BFG PSU and go for the seasonic
just plain get rid of the 9700
get a faster CPU than the 2160
get rid of the OCZ gold and get the 4GB sticks
get rid of the fan controller, mobo handles that fine

the system i posted is faster than this....

it is also balanced alot better

Zaxbys · Apr 26, 2008, 09:03 PM

Haha I must suck at planning systems then...

I like the looks of the 690... But the 590 performs better????
Seasonics are VERY expensive and I dont want to spend that much on a PSU even though I know they are important...
I have heard good things on the Zalman 9700 so I am wondering what your take on it is exactly?
and my buddy overclocks his E2160 to 3.0Ghz... so I was thinking I might do the same.. unless the E2220 can as well...
Whats wrong with the fan controller?

I dont mean to sound like a stuck up guy on this I am just wondering your reasoning of why your opionion on these components is different than my own...

EDIT: I have a 2 Wester Digital Cavier 160GB Hardrives and XP Home OS

kris23 · Apr 26, 2008, 09:35 PM

well the 590 has more fan ports and is more flexible so i personally would get it.

seasonics are good but my REAL concern is that the BFG PSU is not 80 plus certified, it doesnt even have Active PFC so it may have an efficacy of less than 70% not good if you see the power bill going up because of a high load.......

i make a habit to recommend 80 plus PSUs exclusively

the zalman 9700 is a good cooler but not for the price, go with Scythe or Tuniq or Thermalright, theyre all better. for a good deal cheaper too... even OCZ is a better deal for your application

the E2220 has a much higher multiplier so you are going to exceed your friend by FAR with a good cooler.

theres really nothing wrong with the fan controller but it is rather useless for you, just plug them into the mobo and use software to monitor them, less clutter....

those controllers are for guys that used all the ports on their board and need more fans, or have more fans and dont have enough ports on the board.....

what type of drives are those WD Caviar drives? SATA or IDE? if theyre SATA, use them together in RAID 0 with an ICH9R board and double your performance.

if theyre IDE drives, sell them...... simple as that.

i really recommend just getting rid of the XP Home disk as you are missing too much in the gaming world with it. dont believe everyone that says Vista sucks, i use it and DX10 is so awesome on it. games take up a whole new level of experience for the gamer.....

Zaxbys · Apr 26, 2008, 09:50 PM

How about this PSU?

Newegg.com - OCZ StealthXStream OCZ600SXS ATX12V / EPS12V 600W Power Supply 100 - 240 V CB, CE, CSA, UL, FCC - Power Supplies

and I will probably go with the E2220 now...

How about this CPU Cooler? or the Thermaltake Blue OrbII

Newegg.com - ARCTIC COOLING Freezer 7 Pro 92mm CPU Cooler - CPU Fans & Heatsinks

What kind of connection do i use for the fans to the mobo and where do I get software to regulate them?

What is Raid 0 and what is a ICH9R board ?and the HDs are both SATA.

And ive heard WAAAY to many bad things on vista...