Need some advice please.

[Battaglia]

So im thinking about upgrading my current computer. The one i want to upgrade I built about 4 years ago. Recently my bfg 6800gt died on me, so that kinda spurred me on to look into upgrading across the board. I want a new motherboard, cpu, video card, and ram. I want to keep my current hard drive and case. The case i bought orignally has its own power supply built in. My problem is back when i built my computer it was for gaming, so i was up to date on all the latest technology and had lots of advice from other gamers and people who know more than me. So many years later im out of the computer hardware loop, so I need some tips on whats the best stuff out right now. Im not a full time gamer, but id like to upgrade to a point where i can play the new upcoming games smoothly, like starcraft 2. Any advice on the directions I should go would be great, also id like any tips on what type of issues i'll run into, if any now that im upgrading the brains of my computer but not the hard drive. Any help would be great.

[Barrister73]

You should probably say what the Power Supply Unit you have is. Unless it was really top of the line four years ago, chances are, with prices today, you will be better off getting a new case and PSU too.

When I built my computer, I thought I would be able to reuse an old case and PSU. My foolish ideas were quickly corrected.

MRR

[Battaglia]

You should probably say what the Power Supply Unit you have is. Unless it was really top of the line four years ago, chances are, with prices today, you will be better off getting a new case and PSU too.

When I built my computer, I thought I would be able to reuse an old case and PSU. My foolish ideas were quickly corrected.

MRR

Then what cases/psu's would you guys recommend. The case i bought orginally had a built in power supply, and it wasnt top of the line, so i think i may need a new one.

[Barrister73]

I'd start by looking at these for ideas about everything in your computer;

http://forums.mysuperpc.com/showthread.php?t=1642
http://forums.mysuperpc.com/showthread.php?t=1645
http://forums.mysuperpc.com/showthread.php?t=1644

I personally went with Antec 900 and Corsair 520HX. They work flawlessly and run cold and almost silent. But, that's about $200 for both of them. I felt it was worth the money because I'm sure I'll be upgrading in the future. From what others have said, that particular Corsair is about as low a price as you can pay for that kind of quality.

MRR

[RickyTick]

The Antec Sonata III with the 500 watt psu is really good deal. Case is very nice and functional, and the psu is of very high quality.

I have the Antec 900 with the Corsair 620HX, but that's more than $200 typically. Sometimes you can find specials and rebates that could get the price down.

At the moment, it seems the TX model of the Corsair psu's are the way to go, since they can support the newest video cards.

[Battaglia]

Well ive been doing some searching and I really like the Antec 1200 full tower with the antec true power quattro 1000w. Ive done some research on cpus and it seems that Intel may be the way to go so ive found the Intel core2duo e8500 with an asus p5q pro mobo. So far what do you guys think, specifically about the processor. I heard alot of good things.

[Damlite]

Post a complete setup (cpu, cpu cooler, motherboard, video card, memory, case, power supply, OS and whatever else is relevant) and we'll be able to comment on your choices, give you alternatives and point you in the right direction.

[RickyTick]

Well ive been doing some searching and I really like the Antec 1200 full tower with the antec true power quattro 1000w. Ive done some research on cpus and it seems that Intel may be the way to go so ive found the Intel core2duo e8500 with an asus p5q pro mobo. So far what do you guys think, specifically about the processor. I heard alot of good things.


That 1200 is HUGE
:D

http://www.3dgameman.com/content/view/13491/103/

[Battaglia]

That video on the Antec 1200 was really helpful. I personally like large cases and have plenty of room so what the hell. So heres my setup as of right now, of course things may change but it will give a good idea of the direction im leaning.

Antec 1200 full tower
WD VelociRaptor 150gb 10krpm
Asus P5Q Pro (something in that area, still a bit up in the air)
E8500 Wolfdale Intel
Im looking at a vid card in the 9800 GtX area, not top top of the line but a step lower.
Looking at DDR2 800 ram maybe 2Gb or more

The power supply is something i have questions on. Looking at my current setup what type of wattage would be best. I was thinking like something around 750w. Ive built a computer before but it had a stock power supply, so im a little hazy about the best direction in that area. Also is it worth to step up to DDR3 memory at this point or stick with DDR2 800 which is what my plan was. Thanks for the input so far, would appreciate some more.

[RickyTick]

I don't have time to check right now, but I believe that motherboard only accepts DDR2. A 750 watt sounds about right too.

[Battaglia]

I don't have time to check right now, but I believe that motherboard only accepts DDR2. A 750 watt sounds about right too.

Yea Im pretty sure it doesn't. Question is would it be worth getting ram and a mobo that supports it?

[RickyTick]

Hey, check this out. Newegg has a combo special on the 1200 with a 1000 watt psu.

http://promotions.newegg.com/Antec/Combo091508/index.html?nm_mc=EMC-IGNEFL092308&cm_mmc=EMC-IGNEFL092308-_-MECH-_-EB3A-_-Antecbanner

[RickyTick]

Sorry I didn't answer your question. At this point it would seem that the DDR3 is not worth it. The small gain in performance doesn't justify the large gain in price. However, the DDR3 prices have dropped, so if you can spare the extra cash, go for it. I'm sure at some point the DDR3 will be normal everyday ram. jmo

Guess I kind of contradicted myself there. :)

[Battaglia]

Yea i was looking at that deal, is a 1000w power supply really necessary, if im not planning on running sli cards? My only thought is it would probaly be handy down the road as power becomes more and more necessary as things get faster. Other than that though wouldnt 750w or so be sufficent to run a system with the hardware ive looked at?

[RickyTick]

Oh yeah, actually the 750 is overkill for your system, but like you said it could be perfect for the system you're going to build in a couple of years. ;)