GetAtMe
07-31-2011, 07:17 PM
Hi all,
Thanks in advance for the helpful replies! A friend of mine just gave me his old Alienware system (hold off on the alienware bashing lol... I wasn't the one that blew all that money) and I'm interested in upgrading it. It's a few yr old (I think 2008) model Aurora 7500-R4. The current specs are as follows:
Processor-Type: AMD Athlon 64 X2 4600+ / 2.4 GHz
Mainboard-Chipset type: NVIDIA nForce 590 SLI
RAM-Installed Size: 4 GB
RAM-Technology: DDR II SDRAM
RAM-Memory speed: 800 MHz
RAM-RAM form factor: DIMM 240-pin
Storage-Hard Drive: 250 GB - Standard - Serial ATA-300 - 7200 rpm
Graphics Controller-Type: PCI Express x16 - Plug-in card
Graphics Controller-Graphics Processor / Vendor: NVIDIA GeForce 8600 GTS
Graphics Controller-Video Memory: GDDR3 SDRAM
Graphics Controller-Installed Size: 256 MB / 256 MB (max)
Power supply: 700 Watt
Here's a link with more information: http://computers.toptenreviews.com/gaming/zoom-telephonics/zoom-telephonics-pc-aurora-7500-r4-cpsku-defaul-t-details-19239.htm
My friend also installed Windows 7 Ultimate 32-bit. Besides that, it is still stock though. I recently started using this computer to backup and compress my Blu-Ray collection (albeit small) onto an external HD. However, ALL of the programs I've tried max out my CPU in seconds and take 20+ hours to compress the files. I have friends that are doing the same things (but with much newer computers) and it's only taking them a fraction of that time.
So I figured I should upgrade my CPU, Motherboard, and memory. I was thinking:
CPU: AMD Phenom II X6 1100T Black Edition Thuban 3.3GHz, 3.7GHz Turbo
Link: http://www.newegg.com/ProductComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.679668
Motherboard: MSI 890GXM-G65 AM3 AMD 890GX
Memory: CORSAIR XMS3 4GB 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600
Link: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820145327
My questions are:
1. Are these three components compatible with each other AND my current setup?
2. Will the 700W PS I currently have be enough to support these at stock speeds? At OC speeds?
3. I know I only have a 32-bit version of Win7... will that work with this new setup? And how difficult would it be to upgrade to 64-bit down the road (allowing 2x the memory)?
4. Is there anything else vital you recommend I upgrade to increase system performance?
Thanks a LOT for your help.
v/r,
Matt
Thanks in advance for the helpful replies! A friend of mine just gave me his old Alienware system (hold off on the alienware bashing lol... I wasn't the one that blew all that money) and I'm interested in upgrading it. It's a few yr old (I think 2008) model Aurora 7500-R4. The current specs are as follows:
Processor-Type: AMD Athlon 64 X2 4600+ / 2.4 GHz
Mainboard-Chipset type: NVIDIA nForce 590 SLI
RAM-Installed Size: 4 GB
RAM-Technology: DDR II SDRAM
RAM-Memory speed: 800 MHz
RAM-RAM form factor: DIMM 240-pin
Storage-Hard Drive: 250 GB - Standard - Serial ATA-300 - 7200 rpm
Graphics Controller-Type: PCI Express x16 - Plug-in card
Graphics Controller-Graphics Processor / Vendor: NVIDIA GeForce 8600 GTS
Graphics Controller-Video Memory: GDDR3 SDRAM
Graphics Controller-Installed Size: 256 MB / 256 MB (max)
Power supply: 700 Watt
Here's a link with more information: http://computers.toptenreviews.com/gaming/zoom-telephonics/zoom-telephonics-pc-aurora-7500-r4-cpsku-defaul-t-details-19239.htm
My friend also installed Windows 7 Ultimate 32-bit. Besides that, it is still stock though. I recently started using this computer to backup and compress my Blu-Ray collection (albeit small) onto an external HD. However, ALL of the programs I've tried max out my CPU in seconds and take 20+ hours to compress the files. I have friends that are doing the same things (but with much newer computers) and it's only taking them a fraction of that time.
So I figured I should upgrade my CPU, Motherboard, and memory. I was thinking:
CPU: AMD Phenom II X6 1100T Black Edition Thuban 3.3GHz, 3.7GHz Turbo
Link: http://www.newegg.com/ProductComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.679668
Motherboard: MSI 890GXM-G65 AM3 AMD 890GX
Memory: CORSAIR XMS3 4GB 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600
Link: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820145327
My questions are:
1. Are these three components compatible with each other AND my current setup?
2. Will the 700W PS I currently have be enough to support these at stock speeds? At OC speeds?
3. I know I only have a 32-bit version of Win7... will that work with this new setup? And how difficult would it be to upgrade to 64-bit down the road (allowing 2x the memory)?
4. Is there anything else vital you recommend I upgrade to increase system performance?
Thanks a LOT for your help.
v/r,
Matt