Computer upgrade suggestions requested

[Datana]

The recent failure of a hard drive and sound card in close succession to one another has finally prodded me into upgrading my primary system, which is getting a bit long in the tooth (though I have easy access to a more powerful rig, I still prefer my own box). I'd appreciate any suggestions as to what sort of upgrades to apply. My current configuration on the machine is:

Pentium-III 866 MHz processor
Intel i815S-based motherboard
512 MB 133 MHz SDRAM
GeForce2 GTS video card
Sound Blaster Live sound card (dead)
45 GB IBM Deskstar hard drive (dead; I'm surprised it lasted this long)
OS was Windows 2000 before the hard drive died.

I'd like to put down a maximum of $400-500 on the upgrade, not counting the hard drive, for which I already have a replacement readily available (not another Deskstar, thankfully). I'm aiming at future upgradability (in a time frame of, say, a year or so) and good value for money performance-wise. I already have DVD-ROM and CD-RW drives attached that satisfy my needs, so I left those out of the specs list. Would a motherboard/CPU/RAM upgrade require a complete reinstallation of Windows (incompatible drivers and loss of on-mobo info on devices)?

Also, are there any ways to recover information from a hard disk that died, apart from professional recovery? I lost about two weeks' worth of information (the crash occurred the day before my bimonthly backup) -- not too much, but it'll certainly be missed. It sounds like a hardware problem of some sort, as the dead drive issues a stuttering grinding noise on startup.

In any case, thanks for any help you can provide. I've been out of the upgrade loop for the past two years, so have much less of an idea what to get (AMD/Intel, mobo chipsets, etc.).

[Crayz9000]

I'd like to put down a maximum of $400-500 on the upgrade, not counting the hard drive, for which I already have a replacement readily available (not another Deskstar, thankfully). I'm aiming at future upgradability (in a time frame of, say, a year or so) and good value for money performance-wise. I already have DVD-ROM and CD-RW drives attached that satisfy my needs, so I left those out of the specs list. Would a motherboard/CPU/RAM upgrade require a complete reinstallation of Windows (incompatible drivers and loss of on-mobo info on devices)?

Reinstalling Windows would be recommended (I once made the mistake of upgrading the mobo without reinstalling and promptly regretted it). You couldn't avoid it anyway, since your hard drive is shot.

Now, about audio... Turtle Beach has been good for a long time, but as Phong has mentioned in this forum they're moving out of the audio business. The sound on nForce2 ASUS motherboards is supposed to be good.

Since your price cap is $4-500, you may as well swap out your mobo + CPU + RAM.
From Newegg.com:
ASUS A7N8X (nForce2, supports Athlon XP): $87
AMD Athlon XP 2500+ (Barton core, 1.8GHz): $75
512MB Kingston PC2700 DDR: $78

Also, are there any ways to recover information from a hard disk that died, apart from professional recovery?

Unfortunately, not that I'm aware of. If the drive could still spin up, there would be a chance of getting data off, but not if it won't even spin.

[Arthur_Tuxedo]

I agree with Crayz's recommendations. You could also stand to get a new vid card, although some people still have GF2 MX's, and those are VASTLY inferior to what you have, so maybe that old GF2 could still work out for a few more months. I myself use a GF3, which isn't all that much faster, and even Far Cry demo still runs great with most of the settings around medium.

Anyway, if you do want a new vid card, I'd say your best bet on a budget is a GF4 Ti4200. You can find those on eBay for like $60-70. If you're willing to spend a little more, a 9500 pro is faster than a 9600 XT and can be had on eBay for around $100. If you can only afford the Ti4200, I'd say realistically that you should just stick with the GF2 for a while. The new next gen cards are around the corner, and while the 9800s have already had their price drop and I don't really see how they can drop any further, I'll bet people will start letting go 9700s (which are 95% as good) for dirt.

[Stark]

I can suggest only one way to recover dead HDDs, and it relys on the board failing, and not the heads. Just find a drive from the same batch as yours and swap them; this will allow you to copy the data off.

[Crayz9000]

I can suggest only one way to recover dead HDDs, and it relys on the board failing, and not the heads. Just find a drive from the same batch as yours and swap them; this will allow you to copy the data off.

That also A) requires a high degree of assembly knowledge, and B) voids the warranty flat-out if I'm not mistaken. If the thing is still under warranty.

[phongn]

There is a method to swap motherboards without reinstalling Windows, here on ArsTechnica's OpenForum.

Crayz9000's suggestion is good. I would suggest getting the Deluxe version of the A7N8X if your budget allows.

[GrandMasterTerwynn]

If the old hard disk spins up and makes horrible noises, you might be able to bring it up long enough to recover data.

Once you get the new HD and install all your stuff on it, set the old dead drive as a slave. Before you turn on the computer, give the old hard disk a few good solid taps. That isn't to say that you should kick it down the stairs and throw it out the window, but it isn't saying you should treat it with kid gloves.

Sometimes, tapping it will clear any debris off the platters, allowing the drive to work long enough to recover some of your data. (I did this before when the 12 GB drive on my Thinkpad tanked a couple years back and the drive stopped grinding long enough for me to do a quick data recovery on it.)

However, this method won't work if the drive doesn't spin up at all.

[Datana]

There is a method to swap motherboards without reinstalling Windows, here on ArsTechnica's OpenForum.

Crayz9000's suggestion is good. I would suggest getting the Deluxe version of the A7N8X if your budget allows.

Thanks for the heads-up on that article. I currently have Windows reinstalled on the new hard drive to try and salvage information from the old one, and this will save a reinstallation.

What's the difference between the normal A7N8X and the Deluxe version, by the way? I see RAID support and SPDIF output (both of which I could use), but is there something else on that mobo that I should look out for? The price difference is also small enough where it's a viable option, so I think I'll get that.

GrandMasterTerwynn: Sadly, I had already tried out what you had recommended to no avail. The drive spins up, but apparently is FUBARed when it comes to reads.

[phongn]

The sound is superior on the Deluxe version as it uses nVidia's sound solution.