Need to Upgrade!

[ThatGuyFromThatPlace]

Okay, I've got a pretty decent desktop set up, but I am about to come into a small amount of money and I really want to get use it to get my desktop ready for some of the next-gen games I see about to come out (and some that are out now).
SO, here's what I need:

A New motherboard:
PCIx with slots for 2+ gigs of DDR2

A New Processor:
Dual core, but nothing fancy, I don't need a top of the line processor

A new Video Card:
I'm looking at waiting for the GeForce 8 series to come out, but I'd consider a 7900gtx (512mb) if somebody could convince me to

A New sound card:
Would be perfectly willing to ge one integrated witht he MoBo, I don't need anything special for my speaker set up.

USB:
My Current MoBo has 4 external USB slots,a nd right now I'm using everyone of them, so some way to keep an equivalent number of USB ports is necessary

And finally the Budget:
I'm not looking to spend more than 600 dollars here, but I'd consider 800 an absolute maximum.

So, Any suggestions>

[Ace Pace]

You consider purchesing a 7900GTX yet talk about 800USD max budget limit? I think you need to take a look at current prices.

I'd currently advise someone with a true need for budget PC(as in VERY budget) to look at Intel Pentium Ds(900 series) which are VERY heavily price cutted.

Another option is the Ars Technica budget box here

Some playing around with specs, and not buying a new soundsystem or monitor can easily bring you to 600$ area.

[Edi]

What Ace said. Are you absolutely fucking insane? A budget of $800, have you looked at what mobo+processor+GPU costs?

You want a really upgraded computer, stash the $800, save up a like amount of money and then go for the kind spec I'm getting this September:

• Intel Core 2 Duo E6600 (2.40 GHz) CPU: €350
• 1 GB DDR2 800 MHz: €145
• Abit AB9 Pro motherboard (965 chipset): €157
• Asus Nvidia Geforce 7900GT 256 MB: €280
• Seagate 320 GB SATA2 HD: €95
• Samsung SATA DVD-Writer, all formats: €44
• Antec P180B case: €139
• Nexus 500W power supply: €125
• Other odds and ends: ~€30

That adds up to the neighborhood of somewhat under €1400. Most of those things will have roughly the same dollar prices in the US and in many cases significantly less if you shop smartly. See Pint0 Extreme's My New Gaming Rig thread lower down on this forum for some specifics, like the Antec case. This setup should be good for several years with just a memory upgrade to add a second GB of memory later.

Depending on what you use the old computer for, you can keep it as a spare machine and play e.g. strategy games or other stuff on a LAN with friends, which beats e.g. hotseat strategy gaming any day.

The US members can point you to which places you should check for best prices, my list is applicable for Finland.

Edi

[Beowulf]

Heck, just for a E6300, MB, and 2 GB ram, it's already almost $600. You could add a 7600GT, and still make it under $800, but then you're out of cash.

[ThatGuyFromThatPlace]

I've already got a computer, (quite a nice one in fact, just a little agey around the MoBo/GPU). I just want to upgrade my MoBo, CPU and GPU to play next generation games. I'd be quite content to just upgrade my GPU, but I'm still using an AGP MoBo. Since I'm going to have to upgrade the MoBo any way for the GPU, might as well get a decent dual core CPU as well (I've found one I like for 100 that should overclock quite nicely:Pentium D 805)

the cost is not outside of my budget, and I'm not buying a whole new computer here, just a MoBo, CPU and GPU, the CPU and MoBo don't even need to be that powerful, If I spend 200 on each (MoBo and CPU), I would still have 400 left for the GTX, meeting my budget right on.
I would still like to wait for the 8 series though.
In CPU/MoBo I'm not lookign for top of the line just somethign that I won't have to upgrade in every year.

[Edi]

Dirt cheap and "no need to upgrade for a few years" are mutually exclusive with the new stuff that just came out. Were I you, I'd spend more right now on the mobo and processor and stick with a cheaper GPU until the one you wanted came out. That way your system is going to last a hell of a lot longer without needing to upgrade than if you take a cheap mobo/processor combo.

Edi

[Arthur_Tuxedo]

Processor: E6600 Core 2 Duo, 2.4 GHz, $370

Motherboard, $94

Video Card: Radeon X1800 XT, $200

Price with tax and shipping: $719.66

Last a long time? Check.
Within budget? Check.
Have a nice day? Check.

[ThatGuyFromThatPlace]

sweet. Thanks a lot.

[ThatGuyFromThatPlace]

one thing.
How about subbing this CPU in: Pentium D 940
and using the savings on a beefier GPU.
I've got the cooling and PSU for it, but obviously I'm no expert

[Praxis]

That Core 2 Duo is 64-bit and crushes the Pentium D in performance.


http://www.tomshardware.com/2006/07/14/ ... age15.html

A 2.4 GHz Core 2 Duo outperforms every other processor on the market except other Core 2 Duos. Compare it to the 3.2 Ghz Pentium D at the bottom of the chart.

And if you really want it to last a while, being 64-bit will help with that.

But it's your choice.

[Arthur_Tuxedo]

Also consider that overclocking ends up costing several hundred dollars more because you can't buy cheap RAM and Mobo that would have been identical in performance if you weren't overclocking, as well as the need for aftermarket cooling. It seems like you're saving money by getting a cheap processor and OCing, but you're really not.

[Edi]

one thing.
How about subbing this CPU in: Pentium D 940
and using the savings on a beefier GPU.
I've got the cooling and PSU for it, but obviously I'm no expert

Like Arthur said, bad idea. If you want a beefier GPU, consider a Core 2 Duo E6400 instead of E6600, that should leave you another $100 to put in the GPU, but if you're waiting for the next generation Nvidia GPUs anyway, buy the better processor.

Edi

[ThatGuyFromThatPlace]

alright, thanks A lot for the help. I'll let y'all know how the upgrade goes once I get everything and set it up.