New motherboard/cpu/graphic card question

McGreed

So, I'm looking at some new parts for my computer, and since I don't know much about hardware anymore, I would like to get some input on if these choices are any good (either way, they WILL be better then my current set) and keep it cheap. My last purchase ended me up with a motherboard I didn't know could only have 4 gb ram max on. :P Never knew there actually was a hardware limit, only an OS limit.

So I'm looking at this motherboard/CPU (which also includes 8 gb ram), an Intel Dual Core E5700 3.0GHz - Gigabyte G41MT-S2P Motherboard - 8GB DDR3 1333Mhz Bundle BU091
[ame="http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B004MADBT6/ref=ox_sc_act_title_1?ie=UTF8&m=A17AS5ETPMZ9A1"]Intel Dual Core E5700 3.0GHz - Gigabyte G41MT-S2P Motherboard - 8GB DDR3 1333Mhz Bundle BU091: Amazon.co.uk: Computers & Accessories[/ame]


And graphic card is a Palit GeForce GTS 450 Graphics Card with Nvidia 3D Vision Ready (1 GB, GDDR5, PCI-E 2.0):
[ame="http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B0042RWQIG/ref=ox_sc_act_title_2?ie=UTF8&m=A2OAJ7377F756P"]Palit GeForce GTS 450 Graphics Card with Nvidia 3D Vision Ready (1 GB, GDDR5, PCI-E 2.0): Amazon.co.uk: Amazon Warehouse Deals[/ame]

So are these any good or is there some traps I have to look out for with these? (for example currently I got a heatsink on my CPU there totally blocks my other graphiccard (which is very blocky). I know it might not be fully up to date, but kinda working from a limited budget.:shifty:

EmAr

Try to make sure the graphics card works properly with the mobo. There were some issues with 400/500 series cards which could not be fixed with drivers:

http://forums.nvidia.com/index.php?showtopic=187401

I hope you can make it with that budget. I'm in the same boat, I'll just keep saving for some months to buy newer stuff without going into debt again. Posting your current specs can help you get more responses too.

McGreed

Uh, yeah it's that kind of information I kind of need, it sounds bad, but 400/500 is a large range of cards. Gonna limit my options.

I was looking at this graphic card as well, which is around the same price range:
Sapphire 11168-30-20G HD 5670 1GB GDDR5 Graphics Card
[ame="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Sapphire-11168-30-20G-5670-GDDR5-Graphics/dp/B004L2K8ZA/ref=sr_1_1?s=computers&ie=UTF8&qid=1321803263&sr=1-1"]Sapphire 11168-30-20G HD 5670 1GB GDDR5 Graphics Card: Amazon.co.uk: Computers & Accessories[/ame]

I actually looked at it first, since I was just looking for a graphic card at first, and since its not as big as the others I looked at, it might fit into my current computer (so I can buy that card now, and then the rest later, spread the expenses...its christmas time after all).

My current machine is a Dell, which these specs (from PC Wizard 2010 )

Mainboard : Dell 0WG864
Chipset : Intel P965
Processor : Intel Pentium XE 915 @ 2800 MHz
Physical Memory : Corsair XMS2 4096 MB (2 x 2048 DDR2-SDRAM )
Video Card : NVIDIA GeForce 7600 GT
Network Card : 82562V 10/100 Network Connection
Network Card : RT2561/RT61 802.11g PCI
Operating System : Windows 7 Home Premium Home Edition 6.01.7601 Service Pack 1
DirectX : Version 11.00

greevar

McGreed wrote: »

... but kinda working from a limited budget.:shifty:

Exactly how limited is it?

McGreed

greevar wrote: »

Exactly how limited is it?

Well, trying to keep it below £250 if I buy Motherboard/CPU/Graphic Card in one go, if I just get the graphic card first, I think I can put it a bit higher. Too low?

MM

important question is, are you just upgrading to get more ram ?

if not, what other performance gains you are asking for, if any ?


that motherboard you listed above is limited to 8gb.
so once again you will buy something that is maxed out already.

instead try to invest on something that will last you more than a year at least. you can do well with 8gb now but try to have the option to upgrade later when u can and want to.

McGreed

Well, my current bottleneck is the graphic card I think, I just 'upgraded' to whole 4 gb ram! :P But I know I will need more, so I guess I should get one that can have more then 8.

MM

where are you planning to put this upgrade parts in ?

your old dell system might not work out. what is the power supply spec on that?

either way, upgrading a old dell machine with such limited budget seems like a waste to me to be honest.

save up some more money and invest in a better system that will last longer. you dont need to get the top of the line but with that budget you probably will get the absolute cheapest parts and most likely not notice big difference.

McGreed

If I just get the graphic card, it just goes straight in my current configuration, replacing the my current crappy graphic card. And as far as I can tell, the power supply is 305 watt, I have a 450 watt but its stuck in storage in the UK (currently in Irland).

MM

well your new card might need a minimum of 400W PSU and also might need a 6pin power connector which i dont know if the dell PSU has.

check the power req here(scroll down):

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814261078

McGreed

hm, darn, another expense. Ah well, guess I might wait a bit then, until I got a bit more money.

Cheers for the advises.