Need help upgrading my old PC

[g_goyal2000]

My current desktop config is as follows:

AMD Athlon64 3200+ processor
1 GB DDR (512 MB x 2) RAM
MSI Neo2-FX motherboard (MS-7025 Non-Platinum)
MSI FX5200-T128 AGP Card
Samsung 80 GB IDE 7200 RPM HDD
Sony Combo Drive
Sony DVD-RW Drive
Sony Floppy Drive
Samsung 15" CRT monitor (Samtron 55V)
Microsoft Keyboard
Logitech Basic Optical Mouse
iBall LPE223-400 SMPS
APC 500W UPS

I want to upgrade this config. I don't want to upgrade full scale. Just one step at a time.
Following is the list of components which I have selected:

Component Make
Processor Intel Core i5 2400
Motherboard Intel DH67CL B3 (Box)
RAM G-skill F3-10600CL9S-4GBNT (4GBx1)
Kingston 4 GB DDR3
CORSAIR 4 GB DDR3 1600
Graphic Card HIS IceQ X H687QN1G2M DDR 5
SAPPHIRE ATI 6870 1GB DDR5
Sapphire ATI 6850 1GB DDR 5
ATI 6790 1GB DDR 5
HDD Western Digital (WD5000AAKX) / Seagate (ST500DM002) 500 GB
Western Digital 250 GB Blue WD2500AAKX
DVD Writer ASUS 24X SATA Black DVD
Sony AD-7260S OEM
Sony DRU-880S Box
PSU Corsair GS600
FSP SAGA II 500w
Corsair CX430 V2
Monitor Benq G2222HDL
DELL ST2220L
Speakers Logitech Z313
Altec Lansing BXR1221

Many of the items have been taken from price sheet of shop COST TO COST, Nehru Place, New Delhi. Rest are from this forum.

It would be really helpful if anyone knows whether the above components or any other suggested components would be available in Nehru Place, New Delhi.

Thanks.

 

[coderunknown]

^^ no point upgrading. keep the first PC as it is. use it as a download rig.

for the new rig, if you don't can't afford getting the full rig at one time, get processor, motherboard, ram, PSU & cabinet. reuse monitor, keyboard-mouse, speaker, UPS HDD & DVD writer from old PC. after few months you may get a new monitor and other parts. then you'll have 2 PC.

you should find most, if not all at SMC International.

 

[g_goyal2000]

Thanks for the reply.
No point keeping 3 PC's at home (laptop, current desktop & new desktop).
Budget is no issue, but stuff should be value for money.
My main aim is to keep old stuff running till it's working.
Right now, I really want to buy a new monitor, HDD & speaker since old ones have started creating problems.
If the above mentioned options are not good, kindly suggest more options.

 

[coderunknown]

Thanks for the reply.
No point keeping 3 PC's at home (laptop, current desktop & new desktop).
Budget is no issue, but stuff should be value for money.

selling the old PC won't be of any use. as it'll fetch you less than 5k.

My main aim is to keep old stuff running till it's working.
Right now, I really want to buy a new monitor, HDD & speaker since old ones have started creating problems.

then go for those while using the other parts from old PC. though for HDD, try to get the WD Black if budget allows. Reason is 250Gb HDD from Western Digital may be affordable but with only 2yr warranty and a 3.5k pricetag, i don't feel those are VFM at all. instead for 7.2k you get WD Black 1Tb with 5yr warranty.

also HDD have highest failure rate of all the parts so 2yr warranty is just not enough.

If the above mentioned options are not good, kindly suggest more options.

you have already done the necessary R&D. no change required

for ram, get 1333Mhz ram. select Corsair as they have superior support & 10yr warranty.
for GPU, HD6870.
for DVD Writer, get LG/Samsung. Sony & Asus both are serviced by Rashi peripherals. and trust me, you don't want to give them a visit in any lifetime
For PSU, Corsair GS600.

 

[g_goyal2000]

Thanks for the reply Sam.

Can you suggest another good motherboard(s) with lots of connectors & good chipset & features like Intel DH67CL?
I checked & found out that this board supports RAM upto 1333 MHZ only.
No use buying it when RAM speeds are available upto 2000 MHZ (that I know of) & this board doesn't support that.
Kindly suggest one which supports higher RAM speeds, atleast 1600 MHZ.

Also, I saw the latencies on Corsair memories. They're very high. Isn't low latency good? Suggest please.
Intel DH67CL Memory Upgrades - Guaranteed Compatible Memory for your Intel DH67CL from Corsair

As for HDD, should I go with only WD or can I go for other brands as well? What's their warranty support like?

Ok, I won't go with Sony/ASUS. Please suggest good models of LG/Samsung DVD-RW drives.

What abt monitor & speaker? U haven't suggested any. I need to buy those this week absolutely. Please suggest from those or any other make/model.

 

[coderunknown]

Can you suggest another good motherboard(s) with lots of connectors & good chipset & features like Intel DH67CL?
I checked & found out that this board supports RAM upto 1333 MHZ only.
No use buying it when RAM speeds are available upto 2000 MHZ (that I know of) & this board doesn't support that.
Kindly suggest one which supports higher RAM speeds, atleast 1600 MHZ.

actually its the processor that doesn't support higher speeds. if you want something like 1600Mhz or higher you need to get one of those unlocked processor & a P/Z-series board that allows overclocking.

Also, I saw the latencies on Corsair memories. They're very high. Isn't low latency good? Suggest please.
Intel DH67CL Memory Upgrades - Guaranteed Compatible Memory for your Intel DH67CL from Corsair

you may alternately get a 1600Mhz ram pair and lower the timings yourself. as it'll run at 1333Mhz instead of 1600Mhz, this should be possible. again if bios & processor allows.

As for HDD, should I go with only WD or can I go for other brands as well? What's their warranty support like?

any other brand = Seagate = 1yr warranty.
I have done RMA on my Western Digital HDD a month ago. replacement within 7days (and a better 1Tb drive for a slow 500Gb drive. don't bank much on this as i got lucky maybe and same is true for Seagate).

Seagate RMA is handled by Accel Frontline. Service is top notch. got Gigabyte board replaced in just 2 weeks through them.

Ok, I won't go with Sony/ASUS. Please suggest good models of LG/Samsung DVD-RW drives.

there are not many LG/Samsung drives available in market. so grab the one which cost less. though there are HP & LiteOn drives but haven't used any drive from them (or had my friends) and so no idea about how they perform or service.

What abt monitor & speaker? U haven't suggested any. I need to buy those this week absolutely. Please suggest from those or any other make/model.

will you buy the monitor locally? better cheap prices first. sometimes Dell monitors are priced absurdly high.

About speakers, let other comment. don't have much idea about it. wait for someone else.

 

[g_goyal2000]

Following is the configuration that I have finalized:

Intel Core i5 3550 (Socket 1155) processor
Corsair Vengeance 4GB @ 1600 MHZ RAM
Intel DH67CL B3 / Intel DH77KC mobo (suggest please)
Altec Lansing BXR1221 speakers
Corsair VS450/Corsair CX430 V2 PSU (suggest please)

WD Blue 500 GB HDD (already bought)
Sony DVD-RW Drive x 2 (already bought)
Dell ST2220L monitor (already bought)
Cooler Master Elite 310 Cabinet (already bought)

Sony FDD (old H/w in working condition)
Microsoft Keyboard (old H/w in working condition)
Logitech Basic Optical Mouse (old H/w in working condition)
APC 500W UPS (old H/w in working condition)

I have hooked up my Dell monitor with PSU currently.

Kindly suggest whether I should go for Corsair VS450 or Corsair CX430 V2 PSU?

Furthermore, Does either of Intel DH67CL B3 / Intel DH77KC board have onboard graphics?
Any better suggestion regarding board based on Intel H77 chipset or other better board?

Is there any possibility of adding a GPU later with any of the above PSU?
I play occasional heavy games, but thinking of buying an XBOX 360.
So, in a dilemma.

 

[panwala95]

i dont recommend you from buying from cost to cost
they are horrible
you should try some other shops such as smc international
rest of the config is fine
if you do some gaming you can add
a corsair vs 450 @ 2k + powercolor hd 6870 @ 11k
good luck!

 

[g_goyal2000]

I never buy from Cost to Cost.
Those guys show attitude & shun all responsibility once a product is sold even if it's DOA.
They add tax extra on their list price.
And in market, you can get h/w cheaper than their list, sometimes at same rate inclusive of taxes.
I only follow their list for price reference.

 

[coderunknown]

I have hooked up my Dell monitor with PSU currently.

how you did this? or you mean UPS?

Z77 is useless in your case. go for cheaper board. also inbuilt graphics is no longer found in motherboard rather the processor but to use the inbuilt graphics you'll need a board with video outputs (no P-series chipset boards).

about the PSU, first decide if you will take any GPU. Of the listed one, difference between VS & CX is just 200-300. go for CX. With CX430 you can add anything upto HD7770 or even higher but take 7770 as the safe limit. If you are going for anything higher you may look for CX500W or similar options.

 

[g_goyal2000]

I indeed have connected my monitor with my PSU (yup PSU).
My old PSU has a output point just beside the input point (where main cable is connected).
I've hooked my monitor with it with an old power cable from my old CRT monitor.
Don't know what this cable is called.

Well, I may add a graphics card in future.
Sapphire 7770 1GB DDR5 seems fine.

Ok, I'll go for CX430V2.

What about mobo?
I'm thinking between Intel DH77KC, Gigabyte GA-H77-D3H (rev 1.1), GA-Z77-D3H (rev 1.1) and GA-Z77X-D3H (rev 1.1).
Intel DH67CL B3 is old mobo, so thinking of taking it out of equation.
What do u suggest?

BTW, why is Z77 useless in my case? Isn't using latest chipset better?

Also, I;ve encountered a new problem.
It seems that the all new mobos & PSU's don't come with any kind if IDE points.

I have an old IDE-FDD, IDE-HDD, IDE-ODD which I plan to reuse.
How should I connect them?

 

[panwala95]

for useing ide drives a sat to ide adapter will work just fine
in your case you dont need z77 because i5 3550 cant be oced much
only buy z77 if you need sli/crossfire

 

[g_goyal2000]

I think it's a little late for this. But still, here goes:

1. What is the purpose of the computer? What all applications and games are you going to run? (Stupid answers like 'gaming' or 'office work' will not work. Be exact. Which games? Which applications? Avoid the word 'et cetera.')
Ans: MS Office, Facebook, Online Flash games (Castleville & the likes), Occasional Heavy gaming (Farcry2, Crysis 2, Assassins Creed Brotherhood & the likes)

2. What is your overall budget? If you can extend a bit for a more balanced configuration, then mention this too.
Ans: Rs. 20,000/- to 25,000/-

3. Planning to overclock?
Ans: No
Not planning on SLI/Crossfire

4. Which Operating System are you planning to use?
Ans: Windows 7 64-bit

5. How much hard drive space is needed?
Ans: 500 GB. Already bought it.

6. Do you want to buy a monitor? If yes, please mention which screen size and resolution do you want. If you already have a monitor and want to reuse it, again mention the size and resolution of monitor you have.
Ans: No. Dell ST2200L 21.5" @ 1920x1080 resolution

7. Which components you DON'T want to buy or which components you already have and plan on reusing?
Ans:Already Bought
WD Blue 500 GB HDD
Sony DVD-RW Drive SATA
Dell ST2220L monitor
Cooler Master Elite 310 Cabinet

Plan on reusing
Sony DVD-RW Drive SATA IDE
Sony FDD IDE
Microsoft Keyboard PS/2
Logitech Basic Optical Mouse PS/2
APC 500W UPS

8. When are you planning to buy the system?
Ans: Within next 1 month

9. Have you ever built a desktop before or will this be done by an assembler?
Ans: Self assembled

10. Where do you live? Are you buying locally? Are you open to buying stuff from online shops if you don't get locally?
Ans: New Delhi. Shopping from Nehru Place. Online shopping only if cheaper than Nehru Place.

11. Anything else which you would like to say?
Ans: Following is the leftover configuration that I have finalized:

Intel Core i5 3550 (Socket 1155) processor
Corsair Vengeance 8GB @ 1600 MHZ RAM (Should I go for Corsair or Gskill)
Intel DH77KC / Gigabyte GA-H77-D3H (rev 1.1) (suggest please, also suggest boards from ASUS)
Altec Lansing BXR1221 speakers
Corsair CX430 V2 PSU / Corsair CX500 V2 PSU (suggest please)

Suggest me a GPU, preferably with atleast 1GB DDR5 memory

 

[g_goyal2000]

bump....

 

[panwala95]

pentium g620-3.5k
gigabyte ga b75m d3h-4.2k
corsair vs 450-2k
hd 7750-6.6k
corsair 2x4gb xms3 -2.6k
total-18.9k
also please note your config with i5 3550 is already over budget so forget about adding a gpu that too a gddr5 one
this is the best config available in your budget

 

[g_goyal2000]

pentium g620-3.5k
gigabyte ga b75m d3h-4.2k
corsair vs 450-2k
hd 7750-6.6k
corsair 2x4gb xms3 -2.6k
total-18.9k
also please note your config with i5 3550 is already over budget so forget about adding a gpu that too a gddr5 one
this is the best config available in your budget

Thanks. Can you tell me from where you got these prices?

 

[panwala95]

i got these prices from my fellow thinkdigitforum members..........................

 

[delhiuser]

@panwala95 & g_goyal2000, regarding cost-to-cost. In fact, I was considering to buy products from their shop for upgrade. Now, I'll avoid CTC. But please let me know which shop is good. As far as SMC is concerned, not only their prices are high but they cared little about customers, even when one asked something it looked like they will open their mouth to tell something only when given some sort of RBI receipts. CE though reputed but they add their own premium (Rs 50-100) on every items.


What does DOA means?

 

[coderunknown]

dead on arrival.

 

[delhiuser]

^^Thanks