Need some help evaluating this newly acquired custom computer

dantheman1001

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Jan 3, 2009
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My friend just built a brand new computer and gave me his old one (yeah he's rich), and I was wondering if I might be able to get some help in upgrading it to today's standards. It's only about a year and a half old, so it should run games okay, but I want to be able to play Supreme Commander at 1650 x 1080 with above average graphics, PLUS be able to do the same with Empire Total War when that comes out. Here's what's in the box as of now:

EVGA 122-CK-NF66-T1 LGA 775 NVIDIA nForce 650i Ultra ATX Intel Motherboard

Intel Core 2 Duo E6550 2.33 GHz

Geforce 8800 GTS (the old one with 320 MB DDR3)

Antec Sonata II case (with 450W Antec PSU)

2 x 1GB Patriot DDR2 800

ZALMAN CNPS9700

WD 7200RPM 250GB HDD

Sony DVD-RW drive

currently running windows XP




I'm kind of new at the whole computer-building/modding thing, so I need help figuring out what needs upgrading. What would you all suggest first? (remember *I* have a limited budget lol)
 

ausch30

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One thing I would consider is increasing the RAM, especially if you're planning on changing the OS to Vista or Windows 7 when it's released, plus Supreme Commander uses a lot of memory.

You might want to upgrade the video card. Although the 8800GTS 320 is still a capable card, there are many available now which consume less power, create less heat, create less noise, are faster, and are fairly inexpensive. It really depends on your budget.

You have a good CPU which you can overclock to get a little more performance out of and you already have a good CPU cooler.
 

antiacid

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the 650i isn't the greatest motherboard to begin with. It should normally support newer cpus so you could look into getting a faster one for not too much (like an e8400).

For video cards, you could look into getting an h4870 1gig or a gtx260+.
 
+1 for more RAM. Very important in SupCom. After that the GPU upgrade.

The GTX 260 might have a problem fitting in a Sonata, it's a huge card. The PSU is smaller than recommended for that card too (525W+ recommended).

What exactly is your budget? Mine is "limited" too, at only 15,000. Just kidding, I wish :)

 

Newf

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What you have is a pretty well balanced system.
You could add a 2GB kit of (2x1) memory, which will help in some games and today is very cheap.
You could either:
Play with overclocking your E6550 since the ram and the aftermarket cooler will allow you some headroom for FREE, or
Buy an new 45nm cpu like an E8400 which is value priced at $165.
Since $$$ are limited, I would try working with the gpu you have for now.
Upgrading the videocard to something significantly better will cost you both for the card and probably the psu as well.
 

dantheman1001

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Well considering I can get two more gigs of the same RAM for around $40, I think that will be my first step. (I should try to get the same stuff correct?) I'd also like to get a new case for a few reasons:

a) the zalman BARELY fits inside, and the sonata 2 comes with this weird venting thing that had to be taken out. I'm not sure if that messes with the cooling. What's a good program that monitors hardware temperatures?

b) the front panel has broken off and therefore looks odd

c) I want a case with a window so I can see all the sweet blue LEDs that are everywhere for some reason


I really like the idea of the antec 900, because its a gorgeous case, although that might be overkill lol. I'm not sure if all the extra fans would stretch the PSU's capabilities (how much would you estimate the current components draw?). If you guys know of a good case with my above criteria that would be amazing. Mostly I just need one big enough to fit the zalman and maybe down the road another GPU.

And I think I'll try my hand at overclocking for the first time, maybe I can get some extra juice out of this CPU. Would it be smart to try OCing the GPU too? Or the RAM?

Thanks guys you've all been a huge help already!


(and being a college student and being broke I'd say my budget is around $100-200, or whatever I can scrounge up by selling textbooks lol)


oh and I forgot to mention my favorite feature of this computer: A 5.25" storage bin that fits into the tower! I can keep flash drives and stuff in there! Such a great idea...
 

antiacid

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oh good times, I used to have a sonata 2 about 2-3 years ago :) Great case, very silent back then.

You can take off the side-tube without any effects on the cooler. I used to run a 120mm zalmann fan on that CPU (heh, I didn't know better and it was silent enough) and it wouldn't change temps a whole lot to use the tube or not. I had also removed the front panel since it got in the way but since then, my brother put it back on since he is now reusing that machine.

As a poor college student, I'd spend some money on a bigger hdd (like a 640gig wd black) and the leftover on a hd4850. That should carry you well into 2009/2010.