Thinking about upgrade

[PandaBear]

Currently running Athlon XP1600+, 1GB RAM, same machine since around 2001 other than some RAM upgrade.

I'm thinking about getting a new motherboard, CPU, and RAM. I'm usually going for lower cost stuff that can have sufficient upgrade path that I can replace some parts with, like a more recent motherboard with low end CPU and smaller RAM, so I can buy used parts for cheap and upgrade.

I'm an AMD fan and would like to stay with them because of the more consistent upgrade path rather than the variety of sockets that Intel has. I know Intel is currently faster but I'm not going to pay a premium for it.

I'm looking at a socket AM3 board that can support 140W CPU, and buy a Tri core CPU or a single core Sempron that are likely to be able to unlock. Not a gamer so either a low end PCIe card around $25 or integrated graphics if it still comes with a 16x PCIe slot.

Target life of this machine: probably another 6-8 years, so good quality components (power supply, motherboard, etc) rather than fast and unreliable parts. Budget: haven't though about it yet, but prefer to get a motherboard + CPU to be under $200 shipped and taxed. RAM can be added later as needed and I already have enough hard drive capacity / performance.

Or should I wait for AM3+ socket and BullDozer this summer?

 

[Colt45ws]

GIGABYTE GA-880GM-D2H AM3 AMD 880G HDMI Micro ATX AMD Motherboard $79.99

SeaSonic S12II 520 Bronze 520W ATX12V V2.3 / EPS 12V V2.91 80 PLUS BRONZE Certified Active PFC Power Supply $74.99




Kingston HyperX Blu 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model KHX1600C9D3B1K2/4GX $54.99




AMD Athlon II X3 450 Rana 3.2GHz Socket AM3 95W Triple-Core Desktop Processor ADX450WFGMBOX 79.99

~$300 shipped

 

[webfors]

If you wait for something better to come out you'll wait forever

The amount of computing power for the money right now is unreal. Quad core (or dual core with hyperthreading) is common even in entry level machines.

My only advice is, go heavy on the RAM, no less than 4GB.

 

[GEWB]

Here is a possibility...

AMD Phenom II X2 560 Black Edition
Gigabyte GA-MA78LMT-S2 AM3 760G mATX AMD Motherboard
_______________
Combo Price = $100

Micro Center 4GB DDR3-1333 (PC3-10666) (Two 2GB Memory Modules)
_______________
$40

Cooler Master eXtreme Power Plus 500 Watt ATX 12V Power Supply
_______________
$36 (after rebate)

Sapphire Technology 100291DDR3L ATi Radeon HD 5450 512MB DDR3 PCIe 2.0 x16 Video Card
_______________
$42

TOTAL = $218

You provide case, all drives, keyboard, monitor and mouse. With luck you can unlock one or two more cores in the CPU.

All of the above are current prices at Microcenter - there is a B&M store in Silicon Valley.

Regards,
GEWB

 

[greenaccord02]

I remember my old 1600+ box, it was a real workhorse and one of the first machines I built for myself without using scavenged or used parts. Whatever you get, make sure it's something you really like. I like that you're staying with AMD (even though I gave them up long ago). I find that working with computers often takes the fun out of it, and one way to get that back is to build machines that you really enjoy. Think out the whole machine and get a good feel for every component. You're going to live with it for years.

 

[PandaBear]

Good recommendations.

I already have a 420W Thermaltake power supply and for my need it should be sufficient that I can reuse. I already also have some DDR3 RAM (1333, about 4GB) so that is taken care of too.

So now it is a decision of whether to buy a cheap board that does not have ACC (for unlocking cores), and what CPU to buy (Semprom and try unlocking to dual, Tri core trying to unlock to Quad, or Quad trying to unlock to Hex, Athlon vs Phenom, etc).

Coming from such an old platform, even a Semprom will be a huge boost to me. I'm not sure if spending $40 for a CPU now and then another $40 a few years down the road for upgrade would be a better choice than spending $80 now and call it a day. It would certainly be more fun to upgrade later but it is also more effort.

 

[GEWB]

The Gigabyte board can unlock cores.

(Make sure your PS has enough SATA connectors and a PCI-Express connector.)

Downside of board is only one PS/2 connector so you may need a USB mouse or keyboard.

Brings price down to $142 (plus tax). Could beef up the video card, CPU or add a better cooler and still be under $200.

Regards,
GEWB

 

[Colt45ws]

I would like to know the amperage rating of each voltage on that Thermaltake before you reuse it.

 

[Rand]

if you get a higher rated power supply it will save you money over 4-5 years something decent will pay for itself.

most of the older ones are 60-75% efficient
new ones often are in the mid 80%'s
also caps do go bad and thats a mediocre brand.

 

[Colt45ws]

Yes, thats something else I would do, is pop it open and check the caps. You stated you wanted quality components, so...

 

[CivicFan]

Originally Posted By: PandaBear
Good recommendations.

I already have a 420W Thermaltake power supply and for my need it should be sufficient that I can reuse. I already also have some DDR3 RAM (1333, about 4GB) so that is taken care of too.

So now it is a decision of whether to buy a cheap board that does not have ACC (for unlocking cores), and what CPU to buy (Semprom and try unlocking to dual, Tri core trying to unlock to Quad, or Quad trying to unlock to Hex, Athlon vs Phenom, etc).

Coming from such an old platform, even a Semprom will be a huge boost to me. I'm not sure if spending $40 for a CPU now and then another $40 a few years down the road for upgrade would be a better choice than spending $80 now and call it a day. It would certainly be more fun to upgrade later but it is also more effort.


You work for Apple - why not buy a Mac? I'm sure they have preferential pricing for employees.

 

[PandaBear]

Originally Posted By: CivicFan
You work for Apple - why not buy a Mac? I'm sure they have preferential pricing for employees.


I "think" frugally rather than differently.

Anyhow, what's the point of buying a system that I already know is going to annoy the heck out of me with non standard everything? I am already using 2 every day when I go to work.

 

[CivicFan]

Originally Posted By: PandaBear
Originally Posted By: CivicFan
You work for Apple - why not buy a Mac? I'm sure they have preferential pricing for employees.


I "think" frugally rather than differently.

Anyhow, what's the point of buying a system that I already know is going to annoy the heck out of me with non standard everything? I am already using 2 every day when I go to work.

It depends what you mean by "non-standard" everything. The guys I work with all use Macs while I use Windows 7. They think that the way I work is non-standard.

 

[lebrimal]

I upgraded one of my systems to PhenomII 545 I was looking to unlock the other cores, X4 but I can't, the other two cores are disable with my Asrock 870icafe with unlock bios. I think in June the price for the Black Edition 965 will go down since AMD is introducing Bulldozer chips.

 

[pzev]

Whatever you end up doing, I suggest getting as much memory as you can and if possible, getting a dedicated video card that supports either Cuda (Nvidia standard), or OpenCL (works on AMD and Nvidia).
Software that can make use of GPU processing power is becoming more and more prevalent...perhaps the most common are for video encoding/decoding. Your modern graphics card offers performance for certain tasks that a CPU could only dream of, and as more and more software gets developed, these features will certainly be a boon to anyone with hardware that can support it. Now honestly, I'd normally say not to worry about it, as widespread availability of such software is still a few years away. But with the expected life of this PC, you will undoubtedly still be using it when GPU accelerated software is available on store shelves...so it might be a decent idea of get capable hardware now, as it will probably give you a nice performance boost later on...especially since it appears you'll be going with a lower end CPU.
These features are available now if you do any video work on your PC. Even if you simply watch an HD movie, GPU decoding is a feature of most any modern video player (VLC, MPC, WMP, etc etc).

AMD has recently said that Bulldozer with work with AM3+ motherboards...so if you get a slower chip now, Bulldozer will be an option in the near future...assuming you stick with an AM3 board.

Also, what are the power ratings on that thermaltake PSU? From the sounds of it, its probably an older 5v oriented unit. Modern setups are 12v dependent, with the 3.3v and 5v rails being relegated to mild duty. So if possible, get a more modern PSU. The efficiency increases over the last few years add extra incentive to getting a new power supply. Most any decent unit now is at least 80% efficient at common load points. Look for something branded 80+...with 80+ Copper and higher being preferred. These units are typically quieter too...which is also nice.

Lastly, if you are using a hard drive form 2001, please upgrade it. Not only are you risking failure (and data loss) by using a unit that old, but modern hard drives are orders of magnitude faster. Data density has increased drastically since 2001...with modern hard drives reaching over 667Gb per platter. This data density increases speed, as the seeker head doesn't have to travel as far to access associated data blocks, and the amount of data it reads on any individual pass is also greater. Additionally modern drives offer increased cache capacities, improved motor technology, etc etc. They are quieter, use less power, and faster....its a win win win situation. You can pick up an inexpensive 500gb drive that uses a single data platter. This improves reliability and makes for a fast drive.
To quantify this for you...a hard drive from 2001 would probably have a data transfer rate approaching 40MB/s. A modern 7200rpm drive will reach well over 130MB/s. My 2tb Samsung 5400rpm storage drives have transfer speeds over 133MB/s...and they are virtually inaudible at rest.
Why does this matter? Well, it makes a drastic difference in daily computing tasks, as the hard drive is by far the slowest part of any PC system. If you wanted to spend more, you could also look at an SSD...though for your uses it sounds like solid state would be complete overkill.

Anyways, good luck. I stopped short of recommending specific parts as sales and limited time offers make picking parts a realy [censored] shoot. My best advice is to decide on your general preferences (chipset, chip model, etc), and wait for a deal to come along. If you use Newegg, look for combo discounts...they are plentiful and can make a huge difference if you pick the right combos.