Upgrade or New Build? Which path?

[Cardinalduke]

Long post, but I'd rather you have more info to start with than less.

I am looking for advice on whether I should upgrade my current system or start with a fresh new build. Either way, this will be my first build. When selecting components, I want to do my best to avoid logistical problems and create an upgrade/build that doesn't present too many quirky challenges. I definitely want to build with future consideration in mind. Whatever I do, I would like it to be upgradeable as needed. I normally put a premium on components that are reliable and well reviewed. Preferred buying source = Newegg based on price and fast service.

Questions:

1. My current MOBO seems to be locked down by Dell (was originally an Inspiron 530). Can I just get a new MOBO and better power supply (good Corsair 650W or higher for example), then try to overclock and use my Q6600? If so, what would you recommend and how would you go about doing it?

2. Am I better off with a new build entirely?

3. Note that I have 8 GB of decent DDR2 RAM already installed. Would it make sense to try and use some or all of that in the new system as opposed to dropping $200+ to make a build with good DDR3? DDR3 would be more future proof I take it, but costly now (and possibly of marginal extra benefit given my needs).

4. My monitor resolution is 1920x1080. I am not completely satisfied with my current graphics card. It works but gets a little laggy when I play multiple videos and do HD work.

Goals:

1. Smooth HD video playback on 1920x1080 resolution dual monitors. I play a lot of HD movies and tend to have multiple applications, both text and video, open concomitantly.

2. MOBO that supports crossfire/sli. To achieve item 1, I am thinking of buying a decent graphics card now (example being HD 5770), then running two in CF or sli as the need arises later on.

3. Would be nice to get a CPU, or to overclock current so that it can keep pace with my newly ordered SSD and also so that I can run analysis when needed. Good example of analysis that bogs current machine down is my Chessbase and related Chess engine analysis.

4. Assume very little hardcore gaming. Gaming lower priority overall.

5. Overall, if I play my cards right, I think I can get a system that I will be happy with for a long time to come (and upgradable to an extent if I so desire a couple of years down the road).

Current System:

OS: Windows 7 Professional 64 bit
CPU: Intel Q6600 2.4 GHz
RAM: 4x2 GB Corsair 240 Pin DDR2 = 8GB total
Hard Drive:WD 500GB SATA (7200 RPM)
MOBO: Foxconn DG33M03
PSU: Liteon 350W
Graphics:EVGA GeForce 9600 GT, 256 bit, 512 MB
Monitor: Dual Monitors 2 x Acer X233H 23" 1900x1080

Already Have/Ordered:

Intel X25-M 80GB SSD
Plan to use this as a system drive either in a new build/upgrade or on my current laptop.

Extra 500 GB HD with docking station and external drive enclosure. Currently used for drive imaging and extra storage space.
Plenty of peripherals (good keyboard, mice, sound system, mic etc).

Budget $800. Give or take.

What I don't need: Monitors, peripherals including keyboard, mouse, speakers. SSD, have extra hard drive. OS. Have purchased copy of Windows 7.

Thanks in advance for all help,

Cardinal

[glc]

1. Yes, but you can't use the Dell case. See below.
2. Not necessarily.
3. Buy a DDR2 motherboard to replace the Dell board. See below.
4. See below.

ASUS P5Q Pro Turbo LGA 775 Intel P45 ATX Intel Motherboard
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16813131377

CORSAIR CMPSU-650TX 650W ATX12V / EPS12V SLI Ready CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS Certified Active PFC Compatible with Core i7 Power Supply
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16817139005

Crossfire or SLI does absolutely nothing for you in anything except gaming. It will not help your video playback one bit. I think a 5770 will do what you need fine.

[Cardinalduke]

glc,

Thank you for the quick feedback! Let's see if I have this correct.

Upgrade option:

MOBO ASUS P5Q Pro Turbo LGA 775 Intel P45 $124.99

PSU: CORSAIR CMPSU-650TX 650W $89.99

Case: COOLER MASTER RC-692-KKN3 CM690 II Basic BS Mid Tower $79.99

GPU: MSI R5770 Hawk Radeon HD 5770 1GB 128-bit $179.99+ $7.56 Shipping

Cost: $482.52 including shipping (excluding MIR)
MIR total $30

Notes:

A. That is very useful information on the graphics card. I was definitely under the impression that Crossfire or sli would make an impact on multi-video playback (HD, etc). That will save me some money by going with just one GPU. Would a 5750 accomplish roughly the same thing or is there enough of a performance difference that I would notice? I believe I could save $20-40 by going with the 5770. Just an idea.

B. Some of the reviews on the MOBO in this upgrade give me cause for concern. I have seen some DOA and quite a few odd looking reviews/problems on Newegg. As a first time computer builder, I am more than willing to learn how to build properly. However, I don't feel I am fully prepared to deal with an odd assortment of MOBO issues. Is there another MOBO option that would yield a statistically higher probability of success (easier installation, fewer possible trouble shoots)? Or am I off base looking at reviews mainly?

C. Total cost is around $480. I think a new builid based off of AMD processor (using my old DDR2 8GB of RAM and not purchasing new RAM) would run me circa $700. Want to get the current upgrade more solidified in my mind and post new build option for comparison purposes later. Bear in mind that I would have an almost complete CPU (minus RAM) to sell if I simply divested my old unit. Could make up some of the $200-250 difference.

Thoughts and comments?

[glc]

I haven't had any issues with P5Q boards. Can't give you an honest opinion on an AMD build as I don't do them, I'm exclusively Intel. From what I understand, all you need is a good aftermarket cooler and your Q6600 will run at 3 GHz.

If you don't care about DirectX 11 compatibility, get a 4850. Even cheaper than a 5750, and it has full 256 bit memory bandwidth. Get one with 1gb ram.

GIGABYTE GV-R485OC-1GH Radeon HD 4850 1GB 256-bit GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFireX Support Video Card
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814125236

VERY nice case choice, by the way - the Coolermaster 690 cases are one of my favorites.

[Cardinalduke]

Thank you for the idea on the less expensive HD 4850. Right now I am leaning toward spending more on the 5770, but it sure is nice to have the other option at hand. Found an acceptable 5770 for $160 on Newegg.

Here is what I have for a brand new build using an AMD processor. The incremental price difference appears to be $177.97. That basically amounts to the cost of the 1055T processor less about $20 (the little $15 gift cert is same as cash for me). Neither the upgrade nor the new build is considering the aftermarket cooler cost which would be an add on expense. My current pick is to go with the AMD processor because I think it may overclock better (given reviews) and should outperform the Q6600 overall, at least by a little. Might get more life out of the unit also. Either way, I would buy the same GPU, PSU, and case.

Processor: AMD Phenom II X6 1055T Thuban 2.8GHz $199.99
Motherboard: MSI 790XT-G45 AM3/AM2+/AM2 AMD $89.99 + $4.99 shipping = $94.98
Power: CORSAIR CMPSU-650TX 650W $79.99
Graphics: MSI R5770 Hawk Radeon HD 5770 1GB 128-bit GDDR5 $179.99 + $7.56 Shipping
CD Drive: ASUS Black CD/DVD $22.99
Case: COOLER MASTER RC-692-KKN3 CM690 II Basic BS Mid Tower $79.99

Total cost including shipping (excluding MIR): $665.49
Less $15 Newegg gift card.

[glc]

Look at Asus instead of MSI, and make sure the board supports both DDR2 and the processor you want.

[Cardinalduke]

Do you mean look at Asus for both the GPU and MOBO? Board I have selected definitely supports the processor and DDR2.

[David M]

Without going into hardware specifics, whether or not it is better to upgrade or buy new depends on what software you are running now, how fast it runs, what software you plan on running in the future and how fast you need to that software to run. A computer is really not much more than a box for running software.

[Cardinalduke]

David,

Thanks for the feedback.

I have been a little frustrated not having a MOBO and PSU strong enough to support whatever GPU I want. For processing, Chessbase analysis seems like it would tax the resources right out of most CPU's that I have looked at. I would expect that the future use of said software would require even more and not fewer resources to work with the most powerful engines. I think they wrote that program to suck the life out of computers lol. My video playback issues seem to be correctable by just upgrading the GPU appropriately. More efficient SSD won't hurt much of anything either I suppose.

I admit that my desire here is more a want than a need, justified loosely by saving time and working more efficiently on my computer (which I use for multiple hours each day for both work and fun).

[glc]

MSI mobos have a high percentage of DOA's and early failures. Haven't had much luck with their video cards either, but they do have decent customer service. If available, my first choice for a video card would be a Diamond.

[Cardinalduke]

I appreciate all the help you guys have given me. After careful consideration, I ended up going with the following:

Processor: AMD Phenom II X6 1055T Thuban 2.8GHz $199.99
Motherboard: MSI 790XT-G45 AM3/AM2+/AM2 AMD $89.99 + $4.99 shipping = $94.98
Power: CORSAIR CMPSU-650TX 650W $79.99
Graphics: SAPPHIRE 100283L Radeon HD 5770 (Juniper XT) 1GB 128-bit GDDR5 Current Price = $159.99
CD Drive: ASUS Black CD/DVD $22.99
Case: COOLER MASTER RC-692-KKN3 CM690 II Basic BS Mid Tower $79.99

Total cost including shipping (excluding MIR): $637.93

Looked at the Diamond video card, but that particular card did not seem to rate well enough based on user experience.

[orbrit]

I have 2 of the Sapphire 100283-3L HD 5770s in Crossfire and have been 100% satisfied with mine - absolutely no issues whatsoever.

[glc]

Diamond cards are Sapphires - the only difference is Diamond supports the end user where Sapphire doesn't.

I still feel a MSI motherboard could be a mistake. Khalil has had a very high failure rate with them and he's a professional builder.

[Cardinalduke]

Didn't know that about Sapphire/Diamond.

I may have my work cut out for me on the MSI board.

In the end, I couldn't shake that out of 55 reviews on the board, there were only four rated at or below 3 eggs. I had some difficulty finding another board reporting fewer issues.

In hindsight, this might have been a cheaper and better option (~$25 cheaper) assuming it is compatible.

ASUS M4A785-M AM3/AM2+/AM2 AMD 785G

[Cardinalduke]

Update:

System is up and running with one hitch so far. I am getting two short beeps right after post. Indicates possible parity error based on beep code chart. Maybe I can start by swapping RAM (use 1 stick) to see if it still generates the error. May be due to something else though.

I ended up having to purchase a second processor (cheap single core) to update the BIOS with before it would post. Then reinstalled new processor with new thermal paste. System appears stable upon analysis with Prime 95 and reading temperatures with core temp and speedfan programs. Currently running memtest at startup. Windows 7 professional installed without a hitch. SSD really speeds up boot time, but I have a lot of work ahead of me to get the system in optimally fast working order.

[David M]

Originally Posted by Cardinalduke In the end, I couldn't shake that out of 55 reviews on the board, there were only four rated at or below 3 eggs. I had some difficulty finding another board reporting fewer issues. ASUS M4A785-M AM3/AM2+/AM2 AMD 785G

The Newegg reviews are not impartial reviews done by professionals who have built hundreds or thousands of computers, who bottom line, know what they are taking about. The Newegg reviews are mostly done by people who just purchased the item, who are still excited about the product and whose situation is that there has not been enough time for the part to fail if it is going to fail.

Who is going to have a better handle on failure rates than the people who put together hundreds of systems who then have to deal with a system they sold when a part fails?

I don't put much credibility in Newegg reviews. I read that at one time Newegg was manipulating or deleting really bad reviews. Hopefully those days are behind them.

[Cardinalduke]

Good point on the reviews. I do like to look at some of the more critical reviews just so that I am not as likely to be surprised and that I know what I am purchasing. I would like to see more options on ownership length. It is good that newegg posts that most are only owned one day to one week. There should be a more specific option than one month to one year however.

I suspect the reviews are still manipulated pretty heavily. They can only get by with a certain degree of manipulation though before everyone catches on.

On another note, installed an H50 cooler in my system a few minutes ago. Core temps have dropped by 20-25 C. If that holds up, that will be quite nice going forward regardless of how much I decide to O/C.

[David M]

The bottom line is that the most impartial reviews are not going to come from the merchants who are selling the parts.