Upgrading my comp, possibly. Advice?

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degeneration
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Upgrading my comp, possibly. Advice?

Post by degeneration »

Well I'm thinking about upgrading bits of my computer, as it can be done a lot cheaper than I thought.

Mainly want a new processor, but to get that I'll need to upgrade my motherboard and then also my memory.

I currently have a PIII 450. No idea what the power supply in the case is.

Has anyone got recommendations for a decent enough CHEAP motherboard with on board audio AND video? I think you can get mboards with this for about £30?

I don't use my PC for anything taxing, mainly just some Paint Shop Pro stuff and internet browsing, so I don't need an amazing machine.

Was gonna go for the AMD Sempron 2300 processor or something like that. It can be bought retail for about £40 or OEM for about £30. How much does the heat-sink and fan cost that I'd need to buy if I bought it OEM...

Any other advice please let me know!!
gojensen
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Post by gojensen »

Man I jumped of the computer race ages ago :D But still... for your question re. the fan/sink... usually (at least here I think) the benefit of buying the oem is that you can smack on whatever you want... this usually ends up costing more since people tend to buy fans/sinks that are too much for them (or they buy expensive low-noise fans). There may also be differences in warranty terms and lengths... something to keep in mind.

As for motherboards - yes there are many cheap ones about - but I'd stick with one of the larger brands still (mainly for continued driver support for a while, as it sounds like you aren't upgrading every 6 months ;)). I've had success with ASUS boards.
So long, and thanks for all the fish!
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Post by ICE-angel »

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Last edited by ICE-angel on 10 Aug 2005, 21:11, edited 1 time in total.
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degeneration
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Post by degeneration »

If I go for a Sempron 2300 or maybe slightly better than that, what Wattage power supply will I need?

Does it really make that much difference whether I go for a 300W or a 400W etc?

I've got the feeling that my current power supply may be 250W, but I'll need to double check that.
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degeneration
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Post by degeneration »

In fact scrap this. I'm going away travelling in Oct, so it is kinda pointless me upgrading just now, even though it is cheap.

I'll wait till I get back till I upgrade, when I'll prob be able to get something about twice as good for the same money.

Would still like that question about the power supply Wattage answered for my own curiousity.
ICE-angel
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Post by ICE-angel »

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Last edited by ICE-angel on 10 Aug 2005, 21:12, edited 1 time in total.
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degeneration
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Post by degeneration »

Very informative!

Many thanks for the response!!

Edit in: Part of my comp upgrade was to replace a faulty monitor! WellI just got a nice Dell flat screen 17" monitor (2nd hand of course) delivered from ebay for £26. Not bad. A couple of small marks on the screen but that is it... can't really complain for £26.
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Post by Yi-Long »

i'm actually in doubt of upgrading my system as well.
It's a few years old now, it's almost full with lots of anime, so I need either extra HD storage, or a dvd-burner... and I still have a pretty old monitor.

I'm kinda thinking I'll wait a few extra months, so the prizes go down a bit more (Flat Screen monitors will drop in prize in may/june/july) and I will just buy a complete new system for 500 euro or something...

I'd like a new motherboard, plus a new processor and a new videocard, some extra RAM... and a dvd-burner... so I think a whole new system would be the best sollution for me... and just keep the old one for back up... (although I dont really have room for 2 systems I think, unless I'll use them on one monitor.)
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