Upgrading my micro tower PC...need some suggestions.

mobkon

Baseband Member
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Hey all -

I have been doing a bit of research and got some recommendations from some people on another forum.

Basically I have a micro tower PC currently with:

AMD Athlon 64 X2 Dual Core 3.2 GHz
2 GB ram (ugh!)

I need advice on upgrading my motherboard, ram and processor. I was linked to these 3:

MOBO:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...N82E16813157309

RAM:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...N82E16820148466

PROCESSOR:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...N82E16819103960

After looking through those, the thing I've noticed about the motherboard is it only accpets 95W processors and only up to 8GB of RAM.

Is this right?

Can anyone link me in the right direction (for cheapest) that will get me a good solid processor, 16GB of RAM and a motherboard that can support all this?

I am building a system for 3D work and video editing, as my system now is too slow and can't handle big renders or even a lot of HD footage.

Thanks!
 
Sorry! Fixed links:

Newegg.com - ASRock N68C-GS FX AM3+ NVIDIA GeForce 7025 / nForce 630a Micro ATX AMD Motherboard

Newegg.com - AMD FX-8150 Zambezi 3.6GHz Socket AM3+ 125W Eight-Core Desktop Processor FD8150FRGUBOX

Newegg.com - Crucial 16GB (2 x 8GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333 (PC3 10600) Desktop Memory Model CT2KIT102464BA1339

I have an HP Compaq dx2250 currently with upgraded CPU. Also, I recently upgraded my PSU, so Im ok with that.

Also, my budget for mobo, ram and CPU is no more than $300...though I'd like to stay around the $250 mark if possible.
 
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I would not get that motherboard and CPU combo. If you want a 4 module setup I would suggest at the minimum a 970 board. Also, make sure to get 1600MHz RAM over the 1333.
 
Ok, after a lot of research I've ordered the following:

- MSI board that supports 125W CPUs and 16GB of RAM
- Corsair 16GB 1600MHz DD3 RAM
- AMD FX-8150 8-Core GPU (newegg has a $20 off coupon happening)
- New 650W PSU (my current one was only 400)

My next question is...I currently have an NVidia 9800GT GPU which is dated. I know with games and such I will be bottlenecking my system if I use this card...but how about for 3D/Photoshop/Video editing? Will my GPU be alright? I just don't have the cash to upgrade more right now.
 
Thanks for all the info!

I have one last question...

I currently don't have an internal DVD drive in my computer (moved it to a different rig thats currently at my office). My only way of using a DVD drive is via an external USB DVD drive that I have. Will the board be able to read USB right away without having to install any additional drivers? Since my only way of installing anything is via USB DVD, Im hoping that I can do this all using my external DVD drive.

Hope this isnt confusing.
 
If you want to install Windows then just use a flash drive. Download the Microsoft Windows to USB tool to guarantee a clean boot. Anything inside Windows will work fine for the external.
 
If you want to install Windows then just use a flash drive. Download the Microsoft Windows to USB tool to guarantee a clean boot. Anything inside Windows will work fine for the external.

Hmmm. Maybe my post was too confusing. Im basically asking if the USB ports on the motherboard will be usable right from boot up? Do I need to install any drivers for the USB ports to work on the motherboard right out of the box?
 
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