upgrading for the very first time

[diegooo]

Is there anybody out there who can check this list of hardware for me? I'm upgrading my pc for the very first time and I just need to know if the hardwares are compatible. I'm will be working with Photoshop and Illustrator CS2 and a memory consuming music editing program. I'm shopping at newegg.com. Any suggestions?

Thanks!


Qty. Product Description Unit Price Savings Total Price
1 EPoX EP-9NPA+ SLi Socket 939 NVIDIA nForce4 SLI ATX AMD Motherboard - Retail
Model #: EP-9NPA+ SLi
Item #: N82E16813123246

Return Policy: Standard Return Policy

In Stock
$129.99 -$5.00 Instant $124.99
1 MSI RX800-TD128E DDR PCI Express x16 Video Card - Retail
Model #: RX800-TD128E
Item #: N82E16814127176


In Stock
$82.99 $82.99
1 COOLMAX CA-400 ATX v2.01 400W Power Supply - Retail
Model #: CA-400
Item #: N82E16817159043

Return Policy: Standard Return Policy

In Stock
Mail-in Rebate
$29.99 -$10.00 Instant $19.99
1 AMD Athlon 64 3700+ San Diego 2.2GHz Socket 939 Processor Model ADA3700BNBOX - Retail
Model #: ADA3700BNBOX
Item #: N82E16819103539

Return Policy: Processors (CPUs) Return Policy

In Stock
$98.50 $98.50
1 CORSAIR XMS 1GB 184-Pin DDR SDRAM DDR 400 (PC 3200) Desktop Memory Model CMX1024-3200 - Retail
Model #: CMX1024-3200
Item #: N82E16820145488

Return Policy: Standard Return Policy

In Stock
$114.99 $114.99
1 G.SKILL Value Series 1GB 184-Pin DDR SDRAM DDR 400 (PC 3200) System Memory Model F1-3200PHU1-1GBZX - Retail
Model #: F1-3200PHU1-1GBZX
Item #: N82E16820231031

Return Policy: Standard Return Policy

In Stock
$109.99 $109.99
Subtotal: $551.45

[Ob1]

i would get 2gb of either RAM that you picked out above.

Since you are replacing so many things it appears that you will be reinstalling Windows, have you considered the Intel Core 2 Duo processors? they are the fastest processors on the market right now, and they consume less electricity and run cooler as well.

[freakitchen]

Core2Duo would be good if you had at least $800 to work with, but for a budget of $500, socket 939 AMD makes a lot of sense.

First, you don't need an SLI motherboard - they're for high-end gaming systems. Switch to a single video card slot board like the ASUS A8N5X, and you've got yourself a higher quality board in the process.

Second, Coolmax power supplies are of low quality - and you can get a much better quality unit for less money! This Fortron unit would power your system easily.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16817104954

Why have you listed two different types of RAM? I'd stick with the Corsair - get XMS or Value Select, whichever is cheaper, and whether you get 1GB or 2GB, get a dual channel kit of 2x512 or 2x1GB respectively.

Finally, a build for the programs you mention, you should consider spending the extra on a dual core processor like the 3800 X2. Photoshop is a multi-threaded application, so will take advantage of both cores at once, significantly increasing performance. It will also help with multitasking in general. With socket 939 on its way out, your processor and RAM upgrade options will be very limited, so get the very best you can afford now.

FK

Edit: You listed the price of that Coolmax power supply at $82. On Newegg, it's listed at $20, and it's that cheap for a reason.

[jfk]

I'm with Freak on this one. Get the FSP power supply, a 2X1Gb kit of Corsair value ram, the ASUS A8N5X mobo, and a 3800+X2 or 4200+X2 processor. Your editing programs will love the dual core, and it just makes sense at this point in time as more applications will be utilizing dual core processors.

Here's a list:

Mobo

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16813131569

CPU (NOTE- the Egg didn't have 3800+X2's in stock...they would be a bit cheaper)

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16819103547

RAM (2Gb kit...again, you video programs will appreciate the extra ram)

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16820145579

PSU (same one Freak linked)

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16817104954

Do you already have a PCIE video card? If not, you will need one, but the total of the products I listed is ~$520 exclusive of shipping, but will make a very nice upgrade.

[flanzig1]

If you are reusing a case from one of the big guys(Dell,HP), they may not be of standard ATX layout. Also, if the OS(XP) is from a prebuilt, you will need to get a copy of XP since XP on prebuilds are tied to the BIOS of that particular machine.