Major System Upgrade

[vince369]

What do you think of this upgrade?

Hey guys! My first post and glad to have found this forum. I've been reading the AMD vs Intel by nitestick, the guide to building a hc computer by Elbatrop1 and the guide for what to look for when buying new hardware by static_11. Awesome info guys!

First I want to say that I"m in Australia and some names may be different, i'm not sure.

This is my current crap PC..probably almost 10 yrs old:
MotherBoard: MSI KT3 Ultra
CPU: AMD Athlon XP, 1.15GHz
RAM: 512MB SD (256MB x2)
GFX: NVIDIA GeForce2 Ti [64MB]

I'm thinking of buying the following:
MotherBoard: Gigabyte M55Plus-SG3 OR Asus M2V [what's the diff??]
CPU: AMD Athlon AM2 3800+ Dual Core, 2.0ghz [please advice (SEE BELOW)]
RAM: 1GB DDR2 (512MB x2)
GFX: Winfast NVIDIA GeForce 7600GT PCI [second hand frm friend]
New Motherboard means new case: The simple Cooler Master Centurion 5 OR the better looking but somehow less expensive Atrix 9001-C43 Gaming Case
New CPU means new CPU fan: CoolerMaster Susurro
Power supply and case fan hopefully comes with the case if not i'm getting a 400-500W and whatever fan it needs

:: CPU HELP ::
I'm definitelly getting AMD for gaming. And i want to be able to smoothly run a 3.0GHz recomanded game
Firsly, will the AMD AM2 3800+ Dual Core, 2.0GHz (stated above) run a 3GHz game? ie: Company of Heroes

Is the AMD AM2 3500+, also 2.0GHz enough to run a 3.0GHz game

OR

An AMD 939pin 3800+, 2.4GHz

thx hope to hear from you

 

[b1gapl]

Thats a nice upgrade from your old computer. And yes the 3800+ can easily run 3GHz recommended games.

 

[mrscientific13]

Don't use the Power supply that comes with the case. They are unreliable.

 

[vince369]

what about the single core AMD AM2 3500+, 2.0GHz ?

dunno if i should go dual core..multitasking..hmm

i think the main difference in the mobos above is the intergrated graphics accelerator. the Asus M2V doesn't have one while the Gigabyte does...the Asus is about AU$20 cheaper

 

[vince369]

should i just buy a cheap PSU then, or a branded one?

i'm buying it tomorrow btw lol

i'm probably getting the Atrix 9001 gaming case

EDIT: sorry..took too long to reply and mrscientific13 beat me to it

 

[mrscientific13]

How much would you be willing to spend on a PSU?

 

[ThirdLeft152]

Its all a matter of your budget. im sure the 3500+ would run COH fine, as long as your go with a good video card, and a 7600gt should do you fine.

And with the psu i'd go with an antec or something of that nature.

 

[vince369]

thanks fellas! i've bought my new system.

Now I have a bit of a muddle with the new temp sensors for the LCD screen on the front of the case. Where do i put it so it doesn't damage the CPU?

maybe between the cpu and the fan? =S

i'll look around the forum as well

EDIT: the temp sensor is a 103AT probe .. this site says put it next to the cpu and not touching it..how do i tape it down tho

 

[vince369]

ok, i've figured the temperature probes but now i have a problem with the fan speed..the wires don't seem to go anywhere..it says to connect to the CPU and HDD ventilation fan

doesn't make sense =S

the fans don't have any points it can be plugged, only wires coming from them to connect to the power

should it connect to the motherboard??

anyone got a case with and LCD screen at the front displaying temp and fan speed? plz help