Upgrading my PC

[superstonerman]

Ok the following is a list of my current specs:

Processor:
Intel 2.66 GhHz

Memory:
512 MB DDR-SDRAM
2 x 256MB

Graphic Cards:
Nvidia Geforce MX 420 AGP
Nvidia Geforce FX5500 PCI

Motherboard:
MSI (Micro Star) MS-6701

I wish to install the following components:

http://www.crucial.com/uk/store/mpartspecs.aspx?mtbpoid=563FF760A5CA7304
http://www.ebuyer.com/customer/products/index.html?rb=0&action=c2hvd19wcm9kdWN0X3NwZWNpZmljYXRpb25z&product_uid=114346
http://www.ebuyer.com/customer/products/index.html?rb=0&action=c2hvd19wcm9kdWN0X292ZXJ2aWV3&product_uid=117386
http://www.ebuyer.com/UK/product/129413

My question is will all these components be compatible with my current system?

My main concerns are the high density ram and 8x Agp graphics card.

Any help is appreciated as is alternate component recommendations.

After the upgrades the specs of my PC will hopefully be as follows:

Processor:
Intel 2.66 GhHz

Memory:
1256Gb DDR-SDRAM
1 x 1 GB
1 x 256MB

Graphic Cards:
GeForce 7800 GS CO Copper Version 256MB AGP
Nvidia Geforce FX5500 PCI

Motherboard:
MSI (Micro Star) MS-6701

Harddrives
500 GB IDE HD
250 GB IDE HD
250 GB External USB HD

Monitors
17" CRT
15" CRT
22" CRT

Dual Network Cards

DVD RW
CD RW

[hormesis]

Memory:
1256Gb DDR-SDRAM
1 x 1 GB
1 x 256MB

Can't do that, bud. Both RAM slots need to have equal quantities.

And for the other stuff, look up your motherboard and see what it can support.

[superstonerman]

Sorry mate but your wrong you can use different quantities of ram in each slot and iv looked up my motherboard to see what it can support and have had very different answers.

Some people say it can support 128x70 ram, some say it cant, some say it can support 8x AGP some say it cant. So I’m just looking for some clarification from the experts.

Thanks for your help though

[hormesis]

lol i dont know where i pulled that out of my ass. it's been a while since i've done any hardware shit anyways. Look up the manual for you mobo to see if the stuff is compatible.

[korin]

lol i dont know where i pulled that out of my ass. it's been a while since i've done any hardware shit anyways. Look up the manual for you mobo to see if the stuff is compatible.

i was going to say, that is hella wrong. what you might of been thinking is the pin amount. OP posted that he wanted a 184-pin ram, he has to make sure that that his current ram is also 184-pin to make sure it will work. the video card should work, but why upgrade to agp? get into the pic-e game. agp is quickly aging. the monitor should work, it uses dvi, and the video card you chose is also dvi. the hard drive looks good too, i like the long ass 3-year warranty.

[superstonerman]

Will my motherboard definitely run the high density ram?

I don’t have the funds to upgrade the motherboard and processor. When I do I will upgrade to a Pci-e and use the spare parts to build a second PC for my living room, but for now AGP is fine. You are sure that my motherboard can run 8x?

Also by upgrading to higher end components will this have implications for my PSU. Will I need to buy a new one?

Thanks for your help so far

[Pleo]

What your motherboard supports (as I have been able to find most consistently, and so all conclusions may be based on incorrect specifications):

# USB Support: 2.x Compliant
# Error Detection Support: ECC and non-ECC
# Chipset: VIA K8T800
# Supported DRAM Types: DDR SDRAM only
# Module Types Supported: Unbuffered only
# Max Unbuffered DDR SDRAM: 3072MB
# Max Component Density: 512Mb
# 184-pin DIMM Banking: 3 (3 banks of 1)
# Graphics Support: AGP 8X

Consequently ... no ... that 1gb ram stick will not work. 2 512mb on the other hand.

You do support AGP 8x.

[superstonerman]

Thanks for your help. Just a quick question why wont that 1GB stick work, is it the denstiy?

[hormesis]

# Max Component Density: 512Mb

I guess.

[korin]

the ram slot on the motherboard has a limit to the capacity. according to the details provided by Pleo, your slot cap is 512mb. so if you want a gig of ram, your going to have to get to 512mb sticks.

[superstonerman]

See what I mean about people telling me different things. Both the Crucial site and Samsung site say my motherboard can support 128x64 ram. i have two slots and apparetnley each slot can support 1GB. With a mxaximum memory of 2GB.

From Samsung site specs for my motherboard. MD5000(6701):

Standard Memory: 0 MB (Removable)

Maximum Memory: 2 GB

Expansion: 2 Sockets

CPU & ChipSet: Intel Pentium 4 SiS 648
Intel Celeron SiS 648

Bus Architecture: AGP; PCI

Mfgr's System P/N's: N/A

Comments This system supports both DDR266 (KVR266X64C25/xx) and DDR333 (KVR266X64C25/xx) memory. Mixing the two speeds is supported, but the memory will run at the slower speed of 266MHz.

Thanks for your help so far

[Pleo]

Not sure, just looked saw those specs then. An easy way to test is to go into a computer store, buy a second hand 1gb stick. Test it, If it doesn't work take it back and tell them so. AFAIK industry standard is 30 day money back. At least it is here.

[Life]

Yeah, that's a good idea Pleo.

Here in the UK, I think there are two sets of regulations covering this kind of thing - the normal retail store ones, and Distance Selling (ie - via internet / telephone orders going through the mail). Both of these provide the consumer the right to return faulty or unwanted goods within a certain period of time, providing the goods are in the same condition as when you received them.

I believe the Distance Selling regulations give you 7 working days (Mon-Fri), but many companies seem to do their own 14/28/30 day return policies. Not too sure what the older regulations for face-to-face purchases provide - I buy most stuff online now anyway.

[korin]

I'm not sure about where you guys live, but there are a few stores where I live that let you try parts like that in the store. If your not sure if it will or not, you can just bring in your box and they will test it out for you with second hand parts in the back.

[superstonerman]

Ok guys after much thinking I have decided to bite the bullet and upgrade to PCI-e, cue applause .....

Well I have a low budget and if I’m going to upgrade to a PCI-e mobo it makes sense also to upgrade to a newer chipset. Therefore I have settled on this mobo:

Mobo

As it a 775 socket I need now to buy another processor, so it’s dual core all the way:

CPU

And as its DDR2 I need to buy some more memory (you see the trouble PCI-e brings lol), so:

Ram

However my budget is completely shot with this set up, so I will have to use the following components from the old PC

ATX case
350 Watt PSU
250 GB IDE HDD
DVD rw IDE
Nvidia Geforce FX 5500 PCI

Now I have a few concerns:

1. Does the mobo support an IDE HDD and IDE DVD rewriter?
2. Will the 350 Watt PSU support this set up?
3. Will the crap graphics card, which I don’t have the money to upgrade until likely after Christmas, create a massive bottleneck within the system making the upgrades pointless? Will I not see a massive performance increase due to the graphics card, or will it be only be noticeable when playing newer games?
4. Are there any other problems with this set up, as I don’t want to buy all the components only to find they don’t fit together

Any recommendations, changes you would make, any help is appreciated

Thanks

[korin]

1. Storage Ports Configuration 1 x ATA, 5 x SATA - Yes, the 1 ATA port that you have will support it. 1 ATA port means you have two devices that can go in that spot.

2. Of course it will. You really don't need a kilowatt power supply for a simple setup like this.

3. According to current gaming standards, that card is a bit sluggish. If at all possible, try and find a card with DX10 support if you are trying to make a gaming machine. Also, the more RAM on the card the better, but also keep in mind the budget you had set out.

4. They all appear to fit together. Looks like a good light setup.

[superstonerman]

Ok, I wasnt aware of the potential graphics of games for some of the newer cards but some videos from youtube opened my eyes, WOW.

I think im going to go all out, I was going to save some money for a PS3 or Xbox 360 but not anymore as I understand I can get PS3 graphics on my new computer

Now begs the question, which graphics card?

After some help from TomsHardware iv decided to go with the Evga 8800 GTS for about £180. I was going to get the 8600 GTS but alot of people in many different forums say that its defo worth spending the extra money for the 8800 so I will.

However if I bang in this card to my current potential setup will the 350 watt PSU still be sufficent.

Thanks alot for help so far much appreciated

[korin]

you might want to give the card a little power le-way. think about getting a 500 watt or 450 watt. should only be around £15, more or less.

[superstonerman]

What about this, or is it overkill for my system. Im pretty sure that this PSU has connectors for my motherboard, processor, a PCI-e for my graphics card, and some molexs for my floppy drive, IDE HDD and IDE DVD Drive. Would this be OK?

PSU

[korin]

it looks good. it's always good to have some extra unused power in case of upgrades in the future.