Upgrading PC from XP

[fognlx]

So with XP support ending my mom wants me to find us a new desktop PC. I built the one we have now in 2009, I believe, so it's fairly old. I was wondering if anyone had some suggestions. I would like to get a new mobo and CPU.

Here are the current specs:

GIGABYTE GA-MA770-UD3 AM2+/AM2 AMD 770 ATX AMD Motherboard
GIGABYTE GA-MA770-UD3 ATX AMD Motherboard - Newegg.com

AMD Athlon II X2 240 Regor 2.8GHz Socket AM3 65W Dual-Core Processor ADX240OCGQBOX
AMD Athlon II X2 240 Regor 2.8GHz Socket AM3 65W Dual-Core Processor ADX240OCGQBOX - Newegg.com

Crucial 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model CT2KIT12864AA800
Crucial 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model CT2KIT12864AA800 - Newegg.com

SAPPHIRE Radeon HD 6450 1GB 64-bit DDR3 PCI Express 2.1 x16 HDCP Ready Video Card ( 100322L)
SAPPHIRE Radeon HD 6450 1GB PCI Express Video Card (100322L) - Newegg.com

Not sure what power supply we have(I'm away at school right now so i can't check either), but I know it's a pretty good one. The original went a few years ago and my brother was doing a lot of DVD burning so we got a good one.

Two 1TB SATA HDDs.


What I'm looking for...

I'm unsure of a price range so I'll say around $400
I would like to get Win8 and the machine to be able to run that well. I'm not a huge gamer, but I do play Diablo 3(the current machine runs it smoothly). And I'm sure I'll play some games in the near future. And graphics are not a big deal to me, I just want to be able to run the games smoothly. So I'm trying to keep the vid card that's currently installed unless it won't be compatible with the new mobo.

Thanks for any help.

[David M]

So all that is being replaced for sure is the mobo, CPU and RAM?

[fognlx]

Yes that's what I would like to do.

[glc]

Hate to tell you this, but today's onboard video is better than a 6450.

We would really prefer if you can get the PSU, optical, and hard drive brands/models.

Why don't you just upgrade the CPU and ram? Your mobo supports modern processors.

AMD Athlon II X4 640 Propus 3.0GHz Socket AM3 95W Quad-Core Desktop Processor ADX640WFGMBOX - Newegg.com

Crucial 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model CT2KIT25664AA800 - Newegg.com

[fognlx]

Haha really? Like I said I'm not huge on graphics. As long as it runs it at low settings I'm fine with that.

I guess I didn't think of just upgrading the CPU and ram lol.

I can't find my order history for the PSU, so I'll have to get back to you on that. But here's the HDDs

WD Green WD10EARS 1TB Desktop Hard Drive - 3.5", SATA, 64MB Cache
WD Green WD10EARS 1TB Desktop Hard Drive - 3.5, SATA, 64MB Cache at TigerDirect.com

Seagate ST31000333AS Barracuda 7200.11 Hard Drive - 1TB, 7200RPM, 32MB, SATA-300 (OEM)
Seagate ST31000333AS Barracuda 7200.11 Hard Drive - 1TB, 7200RPM, 32MB, SATA-300 (OEM) at TigerDirect.com

[fognlx]

I'm a newbie to building kind of, but the socket type for that CPU says "Socket AM3" but my mobo says it only supports "CPU Socket Type AM2+/AM2"

Would it still work with my mobo?

[glc]

150 bucks will get you a quad core and bump you up to 6 gigs ram - pretty cost-effective in my opinion.

Are you SURE you want Win 8? At least wait for Blue (8.1).

[fognlx]

Haha I'd say so, could use the extra money for a better vid card lol

I haven't played with 8 yet so I'm not sure, but I've heard some good things so far. I just figured why not get the latest OS.

Thanks for the input so far.

[glc]

If you plan on upgrading the video card, the PSU brand/model would be helpful.

To support that CPU, you do need to update to the latest motherboard bios. It also supports the Phenom X4 965 CPU.

GIGABYTE TECHNOLOGY Socket AM2 - AMD 770

[David M]

I would read peoples good and bad experiences with Windows 8 first, especially on a non-touchscreen, non-portable device.