Hi,
The last PC I built is now about 11 years old, still running the good ol' Windows XP and quite frankly out-performing many newer computers (esp. those with the burden of Windows Vista). Nevertheless, it's time for an upgrade, not least because Windows XP is unsupported.
I have been out of the game for a long time, so I don't really have a clue as to what is going on. I know AGPs have been replaced by something called PCI express or other
, and SSD SATA hard drives have superseded regular PATA hard-disks that spin a magnetic disk, but not much apart from that (oh and that BIOS has being replaced by an acronym I can't remember).
Is there anything in particular I have to look out for?
Here is my summary:
Approximate Purchase Date: ASAP
Budget Range: I had about 500GBP / $780USD in mind, but whatever it takes.
System Usage from Most to Least Important: Using text-based applications (programming), emailing, surfing the web
Are you buying a monitor: No: I would like to keep my old Samsung 15" which has the blue analogue connector (d-connector?)
Parts to Upgrade: CPU, motherboard, hard drive (SSD), graphics card. I recently bought a new PSU because the old one started making a funny sound, so hopefully it will be ok...
Corsair Builder Series CX 430 Watt ATX/EPS 80 PLUS Bronze Power Supply Unit
http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B009RMP14M?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00
I would very much like to keep the existing midi tower ATX case. I presume the form factor has remained the same, I will be able to screw in a new motherboard? :-/ The smallest slots it has are 3.5". If the HDD is smaller, can I buy some kind of adapter?
Do you need to buy OS: Yes, I will be buying Windows 8.1 Pro (and I suppose upgrading to Windows 10). I would switch to Linux, but I need Windows for one important application (IDE), and well, I suppose I am too used to it (MS has won ).
Preferred Website(s) for Parts: amazon.co.uk, ebuyer.com, dabs.com, (anywhere I don't mind)
Location: London, United Kingdom
Parts Preferences: I am partial to AMD. The existing AMD Athlon XP+, MTI motherboard machine has been running constantly for almost the whole 11 years with no problems that I can remember (other than being shut down by power grid cuts). However, if anyone can make a strong argument as to why Intel e.g. is more reliable than my mind is open. Reliability is a top priority. I would like it to have server-like reliability
Overclocking: Not necessary
SLI or Crossfire: I have no idea what this means
Your Monitor Resolution: 1024x768 is the highest supported resolution I believe. This is fine for my purposes. I hope a new graphic card can support such a low resolution!
Additional Comments:
It needs to be as fast as possible loading applications and have lots of memory to juggle multiple applications (I notice that Firefox and Thunderbird can easily consume over 1GB a piece).
SSD with 256GB should be sufficient. I am partial to Samsung unless you will tell me their SSDs are unreliable or not good for some reason.
Graphics/games performance is not important - entry level card is fine.
I would like it to stand the test of time like its predecessor
I think that is it. Thank you for any suggestions!
The last PC I built is now about 11 years old, still running the good ol' Windows XP and quite frankly out-performing many newer computers (esp. those with the burden of Windows Vista). Nevertheless, it's time for an upgrade, not least because Windows XP is unsupported.
I have been out of the game for a long time, so I don't really have a clue as to what is going on. I know AGPs have been replaced by something called PCI express or other
, and SSD SATA hard drives have superseded regular PATA hard-disks that spin a magnetic disk, but not much apart from that (oh and that BIOS has being replaced by an acronym I can't remember).Is there anything in particular I have to look out for?
Here is my summary:
Approximate Purchase Date: ASAP
Budget Range: I had about 500GBP / $780USD in mind, but whatever it takes.
System Usage from Most to Least Important: Using text-based applications (programming), emailing, surfing the web
Are you buying a monitor: No: I would like to keep my old Samsung 15" which has the blue analogue connector (d-connector?)
Parts to Upgrade: CPU, motherboard, hard drive (SSD), graphics card. I recently bought a new PSU because the old one started making a funny sound, so hopefully it will be ok...
Corsair Builder Series CX 430 Watt ATX/EPS 80 PLUS Bronze Power Supply Unit
http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B009RMP14M?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00
I would very much like to keep the existing midi tower ATX case. I presume the form factor has remained the same, I will be able to screw in a new motherboard? :-/ The smallest slots it has are 3.5". If the HDD is smaller, can I buy some kind of adapter?
Do you need to buy OS: Yes, I will be buying Windows 8.1 Pro (and I suppose upgrading to Windows 10). I would switch to Linux, but I need Windows for one important application (IDE), and well, I suppose I am too used to it (MS has won
).Preferred Website(s) for Parts: amazon.co.uk, ebuyer.com, dabs.com, (anywhere I don't mind)
Location: London, United Kingdom
Parts Preferences: I am partial to AMD. The existing AMD Athlon XP+, MTI motherboard machine has been running constantly for almost the whole 11 years with no problems that I can remember (other than being shut down by power grid cuts). However, if anyone can make a strong argument as to why Intel e.g. is more reliable than my mind is open. Reliability is a top priority. I would like it to have server-like reliability
Overclocking: Not necessary
SLI or Crossfire: I have no idea what this means
Your Monitor Resolution: 1024x768 is the highest supported resolution I believe. This is fine for my purposes. I hope a new graphic card can support such a low resolution!
Additional Comments:
It needs to be as fast as possible loading applications and have lots of memory to juggle multiple applications (I notice that Firefox and Thunderbird can easily consume over 1GB a piece).
SSD with 256GB should be sufficient. I am partial to Samsung unless you will tell me their SSDs are unreliable or not good for some reason.
Graphics/games performance is not important - entry level card is fine.
I would like it to stand the test of time like its predecessor
I think that is it. Thank you for any suggestions!
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