I Need advice on Upgrading Loaded P3

[greggf]

Hi,
I'm looking to upgrade my Dell XPS T500 to a faster system for multimedia and gaming. I have added several USB 2 peripherals and a high end nVidia graphics card as well as a SCSI cd-burner, zip drive and a broadband internet/wireless router setup to my existing system that I'd like to keep.

From what I have read, I think I need to buy a case, motherboard, power supply, CPU, RAM and a new OS (I use Windows XP). Can anyone steer me in the right direction regarding how and where I should look into getting this stuff and also, if its not too much to ask, what problems I might encounter while performing the upgrade.

Thanks in advance,
Gregg

[Cricket]

What's your budget?

Do you want to stick with Intel or go with AMD?

The upgrade parts you've listed are what you would need for the upgrade, everything else can be moved over from the Dell.

How big is your current hard drive?

What kinds of things do you use the computer for?

Cricket

[greggf]

I'd like to stick with Intel.

My original (main) drive is a 9gig. I have since added a 20gb internal (7200rpm) and a 120gb USB 2 external drive.

I do a lot of multimedia (DV editing, DVD authoring, CD burning, Photoshop)and some gaming.

I am curious how I will transfer my drives to the new motherboard/PCU. The 9 gig drive is where the OS currently resides (Wondows XP upgrade from Win 98 SE). WIll I have to reload most of the software, for example?

Gregg

[glc]

XP can sometimes handle being moved to a new motherboard - worst case you will have to do a repair reinstall of XP, you shouldn't have to reinstall any apps.

For solid, stable, tried and proven components that are the best for the money and are an easy build - I'd look at the following, all prices are from newegg.com:

Intel D845PESVL motherboard: $106 retail box
Enlight 7250 case w/300 watt power supply: $58
Intel 2.66 GHz P4 processor: $192 retail box
Corsair Value Select 512mb PC2700 DDR ram: $52, I'd get 2 for a gig for what you are using the system for.

[Cricket]

I agree with glc...those parts he listed are very good upgrade parts for your particular system.

Cricket

[greggf]

Thanks, this is encouraging.
And for a lot less money than I'd thought it would be.

Cheers,
Gregg

[greggf]

Hi Cricket and glc!

I found a local mom and pop PC shop because I thought I'd might need a bit of support with the upgrade project. It turned out I only needed some help with assembling some of the case. The hardware mounting and connections took my just over an hour.

I ended up getting the Intel D845PESV motherboard, a P4 2.4 GHz CPU, 512 MB Kingston PC2700 DDR Ram and a case with a 300w power supply. The cost was $470 which was about $30-$40 more than newegg.com but I got a lot of friendly advice.

The OS repair install did not go well, however. I was upgrading from a Dell P3 500MHz that originally had Windows 98 SE and had been upgraded to XP by me. The OS went in fine but I had a lot of trouble with my apps. So, I bit the bullet and bought a fresh copy of Windows XP. The clean install made all the difference and I now have a hopping system compared to my previous one for under $700 total.

I want to thank you folks for your essential advice. It made thing s a whole lot easier for me.

Cheers,
Gregg