Computer Tune Up

HandSandwich

Alright, so every 2 weeks or so someone decides to get a new computer and then everyone else helps them get the killer setup. I'm sure I'll do the same when the time comes. But that time is not now. So I was thinking what about those of us on the broker end of the spectrum? Times is rough and getting rougher. And as I have low funds lately and no computer hardware knowledge, I was wondering what would be the best thing to do to my existing setup to make it a bit better while I wait to upgrade the system.

Here's my current setup:
- AMD Athlon 64 X2 5000+
- 2gb DDR2-SDRAM (expandable to 4gb)
- GeForce 6150
- Vista 32 Bit

So what would be best? Upgrade to Win7? Double the ram? Throughout the day I've got iTunes, Firefox, Photoshop CS, and Max 2010 open. I'm looking for what would be the best thing to drop $200-300 into to see a boost in awesomeness (I'm not expecting rainbows and ninjas to shoot out of the box with this upgrade, just some better performance). Thanks.

arrangemonk

id recomend a cheap ati 5000 series model

boosts 3d perfromence and (i guess) supports direct compute
the rest is sorta up to you

Kwramm

listed by priority:
more ram, new video card, win 7 ...how can you even stand working with vista?

Xoliul

That 6150 will probably still be AGP, so getting a bad-ass recent videocard is impossible since those are PCI...

I don't think you should invest any money in hardware for that thing, unless it's a motherboard, cpu, ram and graphics card switch at the same time, and you'll probably need to change the PSU as well then. Other hardware pieces will just be wasted money since this thing is so old already.

I think the best thing would be Win 7 64bit, that should improve performance AND be usefull for your next computer.

Xenobond

Would really be helpul to know about the mobo. maybe it has support for better cpu/ram and if you have a pci-e slot.

Xoliul

Even then, an Athlon 64 board is old by any standard.

arrangemonk

6150 is usually onboard
so i guess the socket is 939 or am2, and second would still work
and both usually have pci-xpress (maybe not 2.0 but it eats new graphics cards)

EarthQuake

Doubt there are any mobos that support x2 5000, but dont have PCI-E.

Get the extra 2GB of ram, should run you $50 or so. Then upgrade that videocard, for about $80-90 you can get a 9600 GT

http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductList.aspx?Submit=ENE&Description=9600%20gt&bop=And&ActiveSearchResult=True&Order=RATING

$100-120 gets you a 9800 GT

http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductList.aspx?Submit=ENE&Description=9800%20GT&bop=And&ActiveSearchResult=True&Order=RATING

You can go with nvidia 2XX series, or a cheaper ATI card, but i think these two cards are actually a bit nicer in the price range. I'm biased however as i would pay an extra $10 to not have to deal with ATI and get the same performance.

A good thing to do is take a look at something like this:

http://www.tomshardware.com/charts/gaming-graphics-cards-charts-2009-high-quality-update-3/Left4Dead,1683.html

Decide your price range, then find the best card on that chart in the price range. Really anything in the $60+ range should get you a very significant upgrade over that 6150. Keep in mind that some of the cheaper cards, you'll see Zotac cards for $20-30 less than other brands, have a bit slower clock speeds, but are still likely capable on a budget.

[edit] Whoops i jsut read $200-300, in that case you're likely looking at a nvidia GTX 260, 275, ati 4850X2, 5770

5770 Looks like the best value in that bunch, out performing all the other cards i listed and coming in cheaper at the $165-185 price range

http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductList.aspx?Submit=ENE&DEPA=0&Order=BESTMATCH&Description=5770&x=0&y=0

EarthQuake

Xenobond wrote: »

Would really be helpul to know about the mobo. maybe it has support for better cpu/ram and if you have a pci-e slot.

X2 5000+ = AM2 or AM2+ mobo

If AM2, best bet is 6000+ at $55, but may be a marginal upgrade

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103772

If AM2+, could go with X3(tripple core) 8750 for $75, which may make a big difference in max/photoshop

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103295

Or X4 940 for $155 Likely the most significant upgrade as its a quad core.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103471


So lets see,
$50 ram
$155 CPU X4 940
$175 Video 5770

Comes out to about $380, so a bit passed your price range. Tripple core + video + ram puts you at $300, which was the max you wanted to spend. I think it may be a good idea to stick with your current CPU and just get some more/better ram and the better video card, that will make a huge difference. Save the left over cash for drugs and hookers

Joshua Stubbles

Why have a 64bit processor and run a 32bit OS? You're not getting benefits from that. Get Win7 64bit. Buy more ram as well - another 2gb at least. You can get win7 64 home edition for ~$100 and the ram is pretty cheap, too. You might have enough left over to buy a cheap videocard which is still better than your current one.

HandSandwich

Thanks for the info, guys. Here's a bit more info that I've been able to find out about the system:

- http://h10025.www1.hp.com/ewfrf/wc/document?docname=c00821657&cc=us&lc=en&dlc=en&product=3339301

For those who don't wanna check the link

- Socket AM2
- Integrated 6150LE chipset
- 3 PCI slots (1 available) 1 PCI Express x16 Slot(z) (available)

Kwramm: Vista's not so bad. I've never had any issues really but I have heard that it's a memory hog

Earthquake: How hard is it to change out the processor? And since it is an AM2 is it even worth it?

From the sound of things, it seems I need to double up the memory and switch to Win7 64bit. So here's my new questions. Is it better to buy 2 gb more or get 4 new sticks of ram? Also, I've never switched to a new os before on the same machine. Does it wipe your system or is my stuff fine where it is? Thanks again.

EDIT: Btw, if I do decide to grab a video card, do I need to worry about power supply issues? The one in there right now is 300W.

StJoris

Changing a processor is super-easy:
- remove cooler
- turn the handle, take out proc
- insert new proc
- turn the handle back
- apply thermal pasta (if not already)
- attach cooler
- celebrate with cake!

AM2 accepts AM3 stuff fine after BIOS update i think, although there is a catch somewhere, something with limited bus.

EarthQuake

CPU switch is easy, i would say that the 6000+ wouldn't be worth it, but the x3 or x4 that i linked to above may, tripple/quad cores are great for things like baking in xnormal, and general multitasking.

As far as a 300w PSU, your options may be limited a bit there for video cards, you should look for something that doesnt require an extra power addaptor(higher end cards), a 8600, 9600, nvidia 240 would all likely work just fine in that system, i'm not sure how ATI is as far as power usage.

http://www.antec.outervision.com/PSUEngine

Here is a power-supply calculator, it thinks your current system is about 152W
with extra ram, and;
9600 GT = 219w
240 = 194w
250 = 238w
275 = 291w - EEEEK

ATI
5770 = 220w - WOW, that is impressive

Looks like the 5770 is cheapest, fastest with the best memory use in that price range!
Switching out CPUs isn't that bad on your PSU, with the X3 being 5w and hte X4 being 29w or;
5770 + X3 = 225w
5770 + X4 = 249w

Now in theory this should be fine on that PSU, but 250w may be cutting it a little close, i'm going to go ahead and say i think it will be fine, but i'm sure someone will say you need better. It sort of depends on how good your PSU is.

A better PSU isnt going to be that expensive, since you dont need anything massive, you can use my time-tested method of looking for one that has (1)free shipping (2)80+ efficiency (3) Lowest price without poor ratings, which gives us this today!

COOLMAX ZP-480B http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817159074

Newegg's free shipping changes often tho, so you'll likely have to look again, and may find a better one than this for the same-ish price. You should be able to find a decent PSU in the 450-650w range, 80+ for about $50 shipped any day of the week

For ram, if your motherboard supports a faster set of ram than you current have, it may be smart to buy 4gb instead of 2 gb, because the price difference makes 4gb a better value. Tho, its probably best just to get the extra 2GB instead especially on a tight budget. Unless of course you are limited to 2 slots on your motherboard, and they are already filled. If you've got 4 with 2 free, get a 2x1 GB kit, if you've got 2 with 1 slot free, just get a 2GB stick, if both are full go and get the 2x2GB kit.

arrangemonk

and for 64 bit: just download a vista x64 image and register with you key, vista and win 7 keys work with both 32 and 64 bit versions

and it depends on cpu if its supported by am2, for example phenom II = am3 and supported by am2+ dunno if am2 too

StJoris

the catch I was talking about

*If you use AM3 / AM2+ CPU on AM2 chipset motherboard, the system bus speed will downgrade from HT3.0 (5200 MT/s) to HT1.0 (2000 MT/s), but the CPU frequency will not be influenced.

Rurouni Strife

The only real processor upgrade for your mobo is a Phenom I or an AM2+ only model Phenom II. And the Phenom I processors aren't exactly great. Plus, you don't know what TDP your mobo can support. I'm assuming it can handle up to 95 W, which isn't bad. It's what my cheapo mobo can do. But that's a guess based on what the highest 5000+ TDP is.

Anywho, my suggestion is to pick up a cheap 8800 card or HD3K series card from ebay and just deal with it for a little while. You should be able to find those for cheap. Save your pennies and then when you can afford it, either go for a lower cost AMD rig (high end AMD would be fairly cost effective) or splurge for a Core i7 rig that will last you forever. Lol.

Edit: actually, after a quick check you might be better off with this unless your an Ebay ninja. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814127452

HandSandwich

Thanks for the help everyone. So this is what I'm going with:

- PNY Verto GeForce 9600GT Video Card (512MB 256-bit GDDR3, PCI Express 2.0 x16, HDCP Ready SLI Supported)
- 2GB DDR2 PC4200 (533MHz), 128M x 64 Non-ECC 4-4-4 Unbuffered Kit (2x1GB) 240-Pin, Kingston ValueRam KVR533D2K2/2GR (Which kicks the system up to 4gb ram altogether)
- Windows 7 Home Premium full

Once I get it delivered and hooked up I'll let you know what kind of difference I get out of it.
Thanks again!