Building/Upgrading a PC for TS2
Simsbaby:
Can anybody recommend a great Intel motherboard with Firewire and SLI? Three PCI slots would be nice too. I'm going to try and upgrade my current computer again, and I want to be ready for when the time comes for SLI. I could also use a good power supply to go with it.
Current Specs
Core2Duo E4500 2.2GHz LGA775
4GB Crucial Ballistix DDR2 800MHz
250GB 7200RPM Samsung SATA
160GB 7200RPM ATA
60GB 5400?RPM ATA
256MB EVGA GeForce 7600 GT PCI-E
A-Bit Wireless PCI-E
Random junky modem PCI ;)
Thanks. :)
jsalemi:
Have you checked on newegg? There's a ton of mid-range (around $100 or less) motherboards there, with mucho firewire and USB ports, and PCI/PCIe slots. SLI is the nVidea dual-card thing, right?
Akharra:
Hi! I was concidering purchasing this p.c. I have a 550 watt power supply and an ati 1300 video card I can put into it. I am now using an Hp with Celeron processor. (UGH!) Will this be an improvement or do you have any suggestions? My price range is about $1,000.00. Thanks!!
General Information
Manufacturer: Hewlett-Packard
Manufacturer Part Number: KA418UT#ABA
Manufacturer Website Address: www.hp.com
Product Line: Business Desktop
Product Series: 5000
Product Model: KA418UT
Product Name: Business Desktop dc5800
Product Type: Desktop Computer
Processor & Chipset
Processor: 1 x Intel Pentium Dual-Core E2180 2GHz
Processor Technology: EM64T
Bus Speed: 800MHz
Cache: 1MB L2 Cache
Chipset: Intel Q33 Express
Memory
Standard Memory: 512MB
Maximum Memory: 8GB
Memory Technology: DDR2 SDRAM
Memory Standard: DDR2-800/PC2-6400
Memory Channel: Dual-channel
Error Checking: Non-ECC
Memory Slots: 4 Total
Storage
Hard Drive: 80GB Serial ATA/300 7200 rpm
Optical Drive: DVD-Reader - DVD-ROM (Serial ATA)
Controllers
Controller: Serial ATA/300
Display & Graphics
Graphics Controller: Intel Graphics Media Accelerator 3100 256MB Shared DDR2 SDRAM PCI Express x16 Integrated
Display Resolution: 2048 x 1536 (Graphics Card)
Color Support: 16.7 Million Colors 32-bit (Graphic Card)
Network & Communication
Network: Intel 82566DM 10/100/1000Mbps Gigabit Ethernet IEEE 802.3ab Integrated
I/O Expansions
Expansion Bays: 5.25" External Removable Media Bay (1 Total/0 Free)
Expansion Slots: Low-profile PCI (1 Total)
Input Devices
Keyboard: PS/2 Keyboard
Pointing Device: Optical PS/2 Mouse with Scrolling Wheel
Interfaces/Ports
Ports: 2 x 4-pin Type A USB 2.0 - USB Front
Software
Operating System: Windows Vista
Power Description
Input Voltage: 110V AC
220V AC
Physical Characteristics
Case Style: Small Form Factor
Dimensions: 3.95" Height x 13.3" Width x 14.9" Depth
Weight: 17.86 lb
Miscellaneous
Package Contents: Business Desktop dc5800
Mouse
Keyboard
Restore CD
Green Compliance: Yes
Green Compliance Certificate/Authority: IEEE 1680
Simsbaby:
More ram, at least 2GB. 512 isn't enough for nothin anymore. A bigger HD would also be worth buying if you intend to have your music and games all on the main HD.
Okay, I've decided on the following parts to upgrade it with.
DFI BloodIron P35-T2RL LGA 775 Intel P35 ATX Intel Motherboard $119.99
OCZ GameXStream OCZ700GXSSLI ATX12V 700W Power Supply $134.99
Western Digital Caviar GP WD7500AACS 750GB 5400 to 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive $139.99
I'm still looking for a sleek case. I love how the CoolerMaster Elite 331 looks. Is anyone here using this case?
jsalemi:
Quote from: Akharra on 2008 March 11, 15:09:35
Hi! I was concidering purchasing this p.c. I have a 550 watt power supply and an ati 1300 video card I can put into it. I am now using an Hp with Celeron processor. (UGH!) Will this be an improvement or do you have any suggestions? My price range is about $1,000.00. Thanks!!
Processor: 1 x Intel Pentium Dual-Core E2180 2GHz
Standard Memory: 512MB
Hard Drive: 80GB Serial ATA/300 7200 rpm
Graphics Controller: Intel Graphics Media Accelerator 3100 256MB Shared DDR2 SDRAM PCI Express x16 Integrated
Expansion Slots: Low-profile PCI (1 Total)
Ports: 2 x 4-pin Type A USB 2.0 - USB Front
Operating System: Windows Vista
If they charge more than $300 - 400 for that, you're being ripped off. It'll be better than what you have, but not by much. That processor is ancient by today's standards; you can buy one new for about $80, and for just about twice that you can get a much newer, faster Core 2 Duo processor. As simsbaby pointed out, you need more RAM; at least 2GB for Vista alone, so 3-4GB would be better. And it takes nothing to fill a 80GB drive these days -- minimum should be at least 150GB for the system drive if you're planning on adding another internal or external drive, or 320GB if that'll be your only HD. It has no expansion capabilities worth talking about, and since everything is coming in USB these days, you'd run out of those ports pretty fast too. Finally, you won't get much better performance from your ATI card if the machine doesn't have a PCIe X16 expansion slot, which it looks like it doesn't.
If you can put in a video card, you may seriously want to consider building your own machine (or getting a techie to help you :)). If you look up in this thread, you'll find many messages about as system you can build yourself for well under $1,000 that will be much more capable, expandable, and enhanceable than that HP.
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