I'm upgrading (mostly replacing) a computer and need help

[bardyn]

Hello. I’m thinking of upgrading my current computer, as it is getting rather old. Currently it is an Asus motherboard with an AMD Athlon 1.2ghz processor, 512mb ram, and a Geforce graphics card that is about 2 years old. Could anyone please tell me if this build would work, or if not suggest something similar which will work?

1. Motherboard - ASUS P4P800SE Socket 478 Intel 865PE ATX Intel Motherboard - Retail $93.50

2. Processor - Intel Pentium 4 3.0E Prescott 800MHz FSB Socket 478 Processor Model BX80546PG3000E $181.90

3. Video Card - XFX PVT40KNDD3 Geforce 6800 128MB DDR AGP 4X/8X Video Card $179.00

4. System Memory - CORSAIR ValueSelect 1GB (2 x 512MB) 184-Pin DDR SDRAM DDR 400 (PC 3200) Unbuffered Dual Channel Kit System Memory Model VS1GBKIT400 $72.50

5. Power Supply - current case power supply, 450w; or ASPIRE ATX-AS520W BLACK ATX 520W Power Supply $59.99

6. Hard Drive - current 60gb, looking to replace with a Maxtor DiamondMax 10 6B200R0 200GB 7200 RPM IDE Ultra ATA133 Hard Drive $83.01

7. Processor cooling - Arctic Silver 5 Thermal Compound and a ARCTIC COOLING Freezer 4 ACFZ4 80mm Ceramic Cooling Fan

I already have CD/DVD and floppy drives, a case (which will fit everything in it), mouse, keyboard, monitor, and speakers. In this newegg listing (http://secure.newegg.com/NewVersion/...tle=PARTS+LIST), I’m thinking of replacing my mouse and speaker systems. I’m also thinking of getting a sound card, if anyone has any recommendations on those.

Thank you all very much.

[jayb1234]

Aspire power supplies are pretty poor quality, look here for a list of good/bad brands.

Cooling fan: The stock Intel fan should be sufficient, and using the replacement unit will void your processor warranty.

Sound Card: Most of the newer motherboards have pretty good 8 channel sound, you might want to try it out before you buy a card,

[yeoamuca]

you also may want to get an sata hard drive

[bardyn]

Thanks for the advice. I'll drop the cooling fan and sound card, and find a new power supply. Everything else should work well together though, yes?

A SATA hard drive... that reminds me of a slight problem I've had: only SATA device I've ever used (a dvd-rw drive i put into my brother's computer) just stopped working one day. It was still recieving power, drive door would open/close, but the computer stopped recognizing that the drive was connected. My brother hadn't changed any system settings, nor had he opened the computer case at all... Any ideas why this would happen?

[yeoamuca]

are you sure it is a sata dvdrw drive
these arent really all that common
and they are rather expensive

[sgtspector]

Make sure that the case you are using has sufficient cooling. I know from experience that cpu runs hot. It should be ok with the stock cooler as long as your case is sufficienlty ventilated and the computer is not in an usually warm area.
PS Make sure that the motherboard will run a prescott processor before you buy. The original mobo I bought for my daughter was an INtel 865perl and the prescott would not run on it. I think that is the same chipset as in your Asus board. I was abel to reuse it but i had to buy a second one anyway.

[blue60007]

Wait, if this is going to be basically a new computer, why don't you go with the current standards? I don't see why you would want to go with the older technologies.

Like get a LGA775 CPU and board, with PCI-E and DDR2 and SATA. That will actually be cheaper than going with the older technologies. I'll tell you right now that the LGA775 630 (same as the 3.0E, and has 64 bit support) is probably $20 cheaper, and the RAM is probably $15 cheaper.

Make sure you get a good power supply unit. Such as Antec, Enermax, Seasonic, or XClio. Aspire doesn't make very good power supplies.

[Cricket]

Yeah, I think you should go with a LGA775 P4 instead of Socket 478...besides having a better upgrade path, the LGA775 Prescotts run cooler than the Socket 478 Prescotts.

Cricket

[bardyn]

Okay, here's the updated list of parts. How does this look?

1 Maxtor DiamondMax 10 6B200R0 200GB 7200 RPM IDE Ultra ATA133 Hard Drive - OEM
Model #: 6B200R0
Item #: N82E16822140152 $83.01

2 eVGA 256-P2-N517-AX Geforce 7800GT 256MB GDDR3 PCI Express x16 Video Card - Retail
Model #: 256-P2-N517-AX
Item #: N82E16814130249 $309.00

3 Antec SmartPower 2.0 SP-500 ATX12V 500W Power Supply - Retail
Model #: SP-500
Item #: N82E16817103937 $68.99

4 Logitech X-530 70 Watts 5.1 Speaker - Retail
Model #: 970114-0403
Item #: N82E16836121118 $53.99

5 (2) VANTEC ICEBERG DDR-A1C Copper RAM Heat Spreader - Retail
Model #: ICEBERG DDR-A1C
Item #: N82E16835110105 $11.80

6 CORSAIR VALUE SELECT 1GB (2 x 512MB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 667 (PC2 5300) Unbuffered System Memory Model VS1GBKIT667D2 - Retail
Model #: VS1GBKIT667D2
Item #: N82E16820145568 $91.00

7 GIGABYTE GA-8NSLI ROYAL Socket T (LGA 775) Nvidia nForce 4 SLI Intel Edtion ATX Intel Motherboard - Retail
Model #: GA-8NSLI ROYAL
Item #: N82E16813128290 $184.00

8 Intel Pentium 4 630 Prescott 800MHz FSB LGA 775 EM64T Processor Model BX80547PG3000F - Retail
Model #: BX80547PG3000F
Item #: N82E16819116198 $169.50

Total: $971.29

[jayb1234]

You can get the non-sli version of that motherboard and save some cash. You only need an SLI board if you are planning on running two video cards.

RAM heatspreaders can be more hassle than they are worth. They have a tendency to work loose and end up blocking heat rather than diffusing it.

[blue60007]

You should switch to a newer SATA hard drive instead of the old IDE (PATA) drives.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16822144184

I'd take jay's advice and drop the SLI board (you would also have to purchase a more expensive SLI-certified power supply) and take the extra money and upgrade to a Intel P4 640 (~$210).

[bardyn]

Thank you all for the assistance. How does this look? http://secure.newegg.com/NewVersion/...upgrade+list+3

1. Maxtor DiamondMax 10 6L200M0 200GB 7200 RPM Serial ATA150 Hard Drive
Model #: 6L200M0
Item #: N82E16822144184

2. eVGA 256-P2-N517-AX Geforce 7800GT 256MB GDDR3 PCI Express x16
Model #: 256-P2-N517-AX
Item #: N82E16814130249

3. CORSAIR VALUE SELECT 1GB (2 x 512MB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 667 (PC2 5300) Unbuffered System Memory Model VS1GBKIT667D2 - Retail
Model #: VS1GBKIT667D2
Item #: N82E16820145568

4. ASUS P5LD2 Deluxe Socket T (LGA 775) Intel 945P ATX Intel Motherboard
Model #: P5LD2 Deluxe
Item #: N82E16813131539

5. Intel Pentium 4 640 Prescott 800MHz FSB LGA 775 EM64T Processor Model BX80547PG3200F - Retail
Model #: BX80547PG3200F
Item #: N82E16819116197

[blue60007]

What about the power supply? Make sure you get a good brand such as Such as Antec, Enermax, Seasonic, or XClio in the 450-500W range.

[Cricket]

Don't forget Fortron Source, PC Power & Cooling, Sparkle Power or Zippy power supplies.

Cricket