You realize you're wasting money right? :c

Quote from Excalibur

You realize you're wasting money right? :c

Yeah, pretty much. It's been somewhat of a dream of mine for a long time to finally max out this system. I see that technology has outdated it more than significantly.

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If you want to help me rebuild the guts of the machine for < $150 with newer technology, be my guest.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813135278
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103888
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820139924
This will be faster for $40 + $57-$30 + $12.
You're welcome to not skimp on whatever, but this was pretty much the bare minimum.
Oh and I assume you'd need a new psu, which would be the problem with using newer tech.

keep an eye out for this one: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817371029 since it was $30 or $40 yesterday I think. Anything by fsp, seasonic, spi, antec, corsair, enermax will do fine, but the cheapo brands aren't so bad either if you're not going to overload them.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139026 if you don't mind rebates.

Upgrading to PCI-E would require I get a new graphics card. I'll go ahead and grab that PSU tomorrow though. Also, it requires that I get a new processor and a SATA storage drive. I'm running socket 462 and IDE.

I use very little space on my PC, so < 100 GB is acceptable.

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In a bit of a more serious venture, it appears that I am willing to dig a bit deeper into my pockets on this.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131783

Intel Pentium G620 Sandy Bridge 2.6GHz LGA 1155 65W

SAPPHIRE 100315L Radeon HD 6850 1GB 256-bit GDDR5

I would like a cheaper mobo, I really don't need two PCI-E slots. But I do need at least two PCI slots.

I actually paid $175 total for that same graphics card when it was just released (the link in my purchase history goes to that exact one) - almost bought a 5770, but then they came out with the 6850 which was about the same length and power usage but better specs, and I had a code for something like 10% or 15% off.

This 6870 is cheaper than that 6850 after the MIR. The 6870 is also a significant upgrade from a 6850, moreso than the model number might suggest.

Why a H67 mobo? Found a couple of H61 motherboards which are significantly cheaper yesterday.

After lots of fun, here's the new line-up:

BIOSTAR H61MU3 LGA 1155 Intel H61 HDMI USB 3.0 Micro ATX Intel Motherboard - $60

CORSAIR Builder Series CX430 V2 (CMPSU-430CXV2) 430W ATX12V v2.3 80 PLUS Certified Active PFC Power Supply - $37 ($17 after MIR) - PURCHASED

Intel Pentium G620 Sandy Bridge 2.6GHz LGA 1155 65W Dual-Core Desktop Processor Intel HD Graphics BX80623G620 - $70

EVGA 01G-P3-1556-KR GeForce GTX 550 Ti (Fermi) FPB 1GB 192-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Support Video Card - $135 ($115 after MIR)

CORSAIR XMS 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333 Ultra Stable Desktop Memory Model CMX4GX3M2A1333C8 - $28

Total - $330 ($290 after MIR)

Quote from Sacrieur

Upgrading to PCI-E would require I get a new graphics card. I'll go ahead and grab that PSU tomorrow though. Also, it requires that I get a new processor and a SATA storage drive. I'm running socket 462 and IDE.

I use very little space on my PC, so < 100 GB is acceptable.

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Onboard is balling on AMD. That motherboard has a PATA port. The sempron is technically unlockable to a dual core.

If you want to dig deeper, let us know what you currently have laying around which can be re-used.

Well my wireless and audio cards can be ported over just fine (Linksys wireless N, Audigy ZS2). They're PCI (pics on first page). All of my other hardware, with the exception of peripherals, are too outdated to work with the newer technology. I really would like to use an Intel processor, and sandy bridge is nice, even if it is only basic entry level. LGA 1155 is as old as I'll go =D

I went ahead and purchased the Corsair PSU. It had an $8 off deal, and after looking around I figured it was worth grabbing before that ended.

So I was taking a peak at that BioStar mobo. I really don't think I'd get to use both PCI slots with that graphics card (or most these days). There's simply not enough space to accommodate the graphics card and PCI cards. Even if there was, I'm concerned about over-heating, I would like to give my graphics card plenty of breathing room. Getting a new wireless adapter that's as good as the one I have won't be cheap either.

After poking around, I found the next cheapest mobo to be an Intel H67 for $88. Full ATX, which I guess is nice, and with the breathing room I like to see.

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The graphics card deal seemed to have ended, but I think I'll hold off on that for the last part. I can survive without Minecraft, I think. Unless I could find my old 6800 GTX lying around. I forget what happened to it. Then again, maybe Intel HD graphics can muscle through it (probably with more success than my current setup, haha).

Quote from Sacrieur

The graphics card deal seemed to have ended, but I think I'll hold off on that for the last part. I can survive without Minecraft, I think. Unless I could find my old 6800 GTX lying around. I forget what happened to it. Then again, maybe Intel HD graphics can muscle through it (probably with more success than my current setup, haha).

Intel HD graphics will get 2-8 FPS running on windowed. It is completely unplayable.

Intel BOXDH67CLB3 LGA 1155 Intel H67 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard - $80 - PURCHASED

CORSAIR Builder Series CX430 V2 (CMPSU-430CXV2) 430W ATX12V v2.3 80 PLUS Certified Active PFC Power Supply - $37 ($17 after MIR) - PURCHASED

Intel Pentium G620 Sandy Bridge 2.6GHz LGA 1155 65W Dual-Core Desktop Processor Intel HD Graphics BX80623G620 - $70 - PURCHASED

Mushkin Enhanced Essentials 4GB 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333 (PC3 10666) Desktop Memory Model 991769 - $19 - PURCHASED

OCZ Vertex 3 VTX3-25SAT3-60G 2.5" 60GB SATA III MLC Internal Solid State Drive (SSD) - $105 ($75 after MIR) - PURCHASED

Total: $301 ($261 after MIR)

I installed the parts, and I found an old SATA HDD that I can use.





( Sorry for image quality. Bad lighting because I did it at like 1 AM while people were asleep )

Moar pictars when I get my SSD to install. Then I'll talk about it. I had some issues with the front panel because of my failure to read the big pretty graphics intel gave me and my spatial recognition abilities.



Everything else came together without hitch, really.





Oh one last thing. The PSU does emit a whining sound. It's high-pitched but rather quiet, so my fans cover it up easily. And I can only really hear it clearly if my ear is next to the PSU. High frequency sounds don't travel well, so when I'm sitting in my chair I can only barely make it out in complete silence.

I like how my processor was $3 less than yours and gets a 7.3 WEI rating.

It's a terrible benchmark.

Is that just the intel graphics or is there a card somewhere?

Quote from rockz

I like how my processor was $3 less than yours and gets a 7.3 WEI rating.

It's a terrible benchmark.

Is that just the intel graphics or is there a card somewhere?

Oh that's pure Intel HD graphics.

Okay big update with old hardware.




Ahead 350W 115/220V Power Supply
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It is a pretty good power supply, it has lasted forever without being cleaned, previous owner did a good job picking this out.




Shuttle AK31 v3.1 Motherboard
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A lackluster mobo that was hard pressed to be mediocre in its prime, it managed to last long enough (over a decade). It really goes to show that the previous owner I bought this from really didn't quite know what they were doing when they built this. Of course, I didn't know nearly as much about computers as I do now. But yeah, that BUS speed really isn't what I wanted (166 MHz, ugh). But it had to do.




My CPU locked into place, discussed earlier in thread. Turns out my BUS speed wasn't fast enough to run the thing at full speed (look before you leap, I guess).




Sapphire ATI Radeon x1650 pro AGP Graphics Card
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When I installed this it breathed a bit of new life into my machine. It could run guild wars alright, as well as some older games. It struggled a lot, but I stuck to older stuff and was just fine. It ran Minecraft well enough to play at lowest settings, anyway. It opened photoshop up for me though. PS's GPU acceleration really came through and I was able to do graphics work on an old machine. Oh, and this is AGP 8x, but my mobo could only run 4x (not that the performance differences were all that big, honestly).

For those that don't know, AGP stands for Accelerated Graphics Port. See computers just had graphics cards that ran out of PCI slots for the longest time, and then AGP came along because PCI didn't have enough bandwidth. It got phased out in place of the grossly superior PCI-E that dominates the market today.




GeForce 6200 GS AGP Graphics Card
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This is what I used before that ATI card above. It wasn't nearly as fast, but it did its job okay, I guess. A budget card. I am 90% sure I got it from the previous owner. If I did, it shows that he really didn't build quite a gaming machine, and skimped on the parts that would make it awesome. Especially since it was the bottom rung of cards. That or just didn't know better. Considering the motherboard...

But it's in perfect condition, which is something you don't see often. I've taken good care of it.




Sound Blaster Audigy 2 ZS Gold (Left) and Sound Blaster Live! 5.1 (Right)
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A size comparison. The jump to the ZS was awesome, it melted my ears. My Intel mobo has approximately the same amount of quality. But yeah, if you can afford a sound card and nice headphones, I fully recommend it. It's a wonderful experience.




Netgear 1 Gb/s Router
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It came with the machine, apparently put in for LAN parties. No complaints, and the card is in excellent condition. But I use wireless now.




Assorted Maxtor HDDs
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Some various HDDs I've had throughout the years. There is a 20, 40, and 200 GB. The 40 GB one came with the machine, while the 20 GB one is something I rummaged out of a machine earlier, I imagine. Oh and the 200 GB is something I took out of a Xbox with questionable modifications I had in my possession. The 200 GB served as my main drive for the most years. I've reformatted it more times than I can remember.

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I'll update with new hardware soon.

Quick question. So is getting a sound card really worth it? Anyone beside sac agree?

I have an SB 2 ZS and I absolutely love it. Onboard sound just isn't for me. I'd recommend you keep using it if you aren't already.

@MZ
As someone who's had a dedicated sound card I can never go back. Usually you need a PCI slot for the cheaper cards, because even I won't blow 200$ on a good PCI-E sound card.

Go for one of these if any:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16829271001
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16829132013

Or see if you can find an old Sound Blaster Audigy 2 ZS. Ebay apparently has them for around 25$.

If you're looking for great listening quality, opt for M-Audio's stuff. If you want stuff for gaming, then Sound Blaster. Quality depends on what you're willing to pay, but don't skimp on headphones either.

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So here is what I have planned for my full on upgrade, you know, when I get around to fixing everything I have skimped on:

Ivy Bridge Core i7 ($500?)
800W Power Supply ($150?)
Sapphire Radeon 7770 ($160)
4 GB more of RAM ($15)
M-Audio 2496 Audiophile sound card ($100)
Lian-li Case ($150-200)
Sennheiser Audiophile Headphones ($250)

Whoo update! With pictars! I still only spent $160 on a video card, but on the 6870 instead of the 7770. It's a step above it, so yay for fast shit.



Note: bigger than one would think.




It's a power hungry mofo. Box suggests a 500 W power supply. I'll have to get a new one of those so I don't starve it.




Going to be a snug fit!




Turns out it fits in there just fine -- if only barely. Also plenty of room for it to cool off, but lack of adequate PSU and cooling means no OC'ing for me. I also shifted around my SSD and removed a HDD, cleaned it up a bit.

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I know for sure I'll need more RAM and a new case, as well as a new PSU.

Core i7 3770K - $350
Corsair 600T Case - $150
SeaSonic X650 - $140


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I can run SC2 on extreme settings with 20-30 fps with a lot of units (100+ for fewer units). It's clearly a CPU bottleneck, but I won't be able to fix this until I get a new PSU. Not that I have $350 to drop on a CPU right now anyway.

Quote from Sacrieur

SeaSonic X650 - $140

I picked up one of those from Newegg one time for $96 with free shipping back when I needed to replace a dead power supply in my gaming rig (which was also my machine for work at the time, too), but it was probably a rare sale on it. I've had it for about a year and a half now and it's still working great so far. It comes with lots of cables; I'm probably only using about half of them or less. I don't recall if I saw the review on Hardware Secrets before or after I bought it.