Project Destiny Island: Namine's Desktop Upgrade

[Namine]

This is going to be an ongoing project. Since this year I (hopefully) will be getting a larger tax refund plus with a new job on the horizon, I plan on refurbishing the six year old Desktop that has been a trooper through all the porn/viruses/explosions(yes it exploded). Of course I'll be asking everyone I can for help. I have knowledge, but as I always said: two heads are better than one, or in this case a bunch of heads. My friend has offered to help me for a fee as well(the fee was suggested by me btw), so I'm going to start by posting what I got thanks to DXDIAG, and see what you guys suggest.

Currently the computer is:

Time of this report: 1/18/2010, 14:35:37
       Machine name: DESTINYISLANDS
   Operating System: Windows XP Professional (5.1, Build 2600) Service Pack 3 (2600.xpsp_sp3_gdr.080814-1236)
           Language: English (Regional Setting: English)
System Manufacturer: Dell Inc.                
       System Model: Dimension XPS                
               BIOS: Phoenix ROM BIOS PLUS Version 1.10 A03
          Processor: Intel(R) Pentium(R) 4 CPU 3.60GHz
             Memory: 2046MB RAM
    DirectX Version: DirectX 9.0c (4.09.0000.0904)
Card name: RADEON X800 XT
        Chip type: ATI Radeon Graphics Processor (0x5D57)
   Display Memory: 256.0 MB
     Current Mode: 1920 x 1080 (32 bit) (60Hz)
 Drive: C:
 Free Space: 82.5 GB
Total Space: 376.8 GB
File System: NTFS
      Model: HDS724040KLSA80
      Drive: F:
 Free Space: 121.7 GB
Total Space: 381.6 GB
File System: NTFS
      Model: HDS724040KLSA80
      Drive: D:
      Model: SAMSUNG CD-R/RW SW-252S
     Driver: c:\windows\system32\drivers\cdrom.sys, 5.01.2600.5512 (English), 4/13/2008 23:10:48, 62976 bytes
      Drive: E:
      Model: _NEC DVD+-RW ND-3450A
     Driver: c:\windows\system32\drivers\cdrom.sys, 5.01.2600.5512 (English), 4/13/2008 23:10:48, 62976 bytes

I'm going to need a new motherboard, new chip(Quad-Core or better if money suffices), new ram, new video card at the very least. Everything else I'll probably keep if I can. Maybe a new sound board too. The monitor was recently replaced(a 23" TV/Monitor).

My friend suggested an i7 if I can afford it but he also said an i5 would be good as well. Any suggestions as to where to shop, what parts I should be getting etc would be helpful. This is going to be a project I hope to complete by the end of the year, but if I don't it's not a big deal.

If there's any other info you guys want I'll share it but I think I got the important stuff here.


Yes...all my computers that I own are named after Kingdom Hearts worlds.

[Speedy]

How much money d'ya have?

If anything, you might want to look into the newer Nvidia video cards.. There's a bunch out there that are really good and not even that expensive.

[Namine]

$1500ish but I don't wanna go crazy.

I also plan on getting a nVidia type card since they are the best on the market atm.

[Speedy]

You also gave thought to simply buying a new machine?

I think you can get a very nice rig with $1500.

[Alex]

You would name your computers after Kingdom Hearts... I name mine after mythological figures.

You also gave thought to simply buying a new machine?

I think you can get a very nice rig with $1500.

You can definitely build a machine that will demolish any game you throw at it at 1080p at 60fps on high or max settings for that price. And if you're upgrading, shit, that's just more money to spend on the parts.

Personally I would go with an AMD Phenom II X4 because that's the way I roll, but as far as Intel goes, an i5 750 is probably the best bang for your buck processor at the moment. For video card an ATI 5850 would be great, or a 5770 if you want to save some cash. I don't know much about what Nvidia is doing these days so I can't suggest an alternative, sorry. Motherboard and RAM is easy, just get one that fits the parts and you should probably get 6GB of DDR3 RAM.

The paragraph above is basically the rough build I'm considering for the middle of this year, although by that time prices should (hopefully) have gone down or new tech has come out (I think ATI has something in store) and I can bump up a few things.

Also, I buy all my parts off Newegg. There's no better place.

[Namine]

I hear prices are going up this year since people aren't buying much due to the economy, but that could just be rumors. Right now I'm thinking of just trying to get the money to buy the parts all at once, giving me some time to see what the market throws at it. I'll look into the AMD Phenom II tomorrow and do some comparison. As for video cards, I've been hearing more good things about nVidia than ATI, but I will look into the ATI 5850 as well. The price definately seems right up my alley.

@Speedy: Why would I buy one if I got a perfectly stable desktop that just needs a few new parts? Besides 1500 is the budget, but if I can go cheaper and save some money for other things, then building one myself is the best option.

[Marc]

Shit changes so far I'm not even sure anymore. Alex is right though, the i5 720 is pretty good. Given your budget though you could probably get an i7 series model. Go for 8gb of ram though. It shouldn't be particularly more expensive up from 6.

Sound card I didn't bother even getting in my last build. The on-board seems fine these days.

[Alex]

Sound card I didn't bother even getting in my last build. The on-board seems fine these days.

Yeah, a card is still better but on-board is really good these days. If I didn't already have a high-end one to carry over from this PC to my next I wouldn't even bother.

[Marc]

Yeah, the only reason I didn't carry my remote controlled one over was I'm not sure yet which board failed on my last build. So I never bothered to put it in another yet.

[Namine]

Yeah I'm not gonna bother with a sound card atm. I'm also thinking 6-8GB of RAM is gonna hold me over for a while. As for the 3D card again I need to get in contact with my friend about that new nVidia one, but chances are I'm gonna go with something less since I desperately need a new one on this machine.

Also I'm gonna go for an i5 720. While the more expensive route is better, if I can pay less for an awesome machine that'll last me a few years then I'll go that route and save up for more important things. AMD is nice and all, but I've heard more positive things about intel, plus this is already an intel based machine atm and it hasn't really failed me too much back when it was new.

Any recommendations on mother boards?

[Namine]

Getting ready to make the order, now that I know I have the funds...

I'm not sure if I should worry about a fan...I'm hoping the one I have in there already will suffice, but I'll probably go for a combo deal and then get whatever I need later to upgrade:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboBundleDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.354210 <-- That's with an i5 Core. Seems pretty decent. I still need a 3D card, poking around for something good. If anyone wants to link to something better by all means please do.  Even with my experience I still get nervous ordering these things because I always seem to screw at least ONE thing up in my planning.

[azgard]

Video Card Options: ATI

5970>5870>>5850>5770>5750>5570 that's about the order you can go in buying a Radeon from most powerful to least. 5750 is the card that probably has the most value your looking for though could even crossfire it if you wanted to.

Video Card Options: Nvidia

None, waste of money. No DX11 card's and it sound's like your going to be keeping this rig for a while so don't bother. Fermi will be coming out soon, but they are going to most likely be outrageously expensive, and be space heaters. Anyone familiar with the FX5000 launch can already see where Fermi is going.

[Marc]

Azgard is the one who helped me assemble my build. He knows what hes talking about.

[Namine]

Gonna go with the 5750 then. Seems right up my alley. Once my refund check comes in I'll be ordering it. Thanks for the help, I'll be keeping you guys updated as to the progress.

[Namine]

Thinking of http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814121356&cm_re=ati_5750-_-14-121-356-_-Product for the 3-D card. Some feedback please? I'm looking for a video card that won't break my wallet(700-900 for a 3d Card seems a bit steep for me).

May also go with a pre-built rig and just slap my current HD's inside just to save money. Seems my tower will need to be modified a lot to fit the new parts, and I don't feel like messing with that(unless I use that tower they give me in the combo pack).