CPU/Mobo Need advice upgrading Processor/Motherboard/RAM

R

rshri

Adept
  1. Q: What is your budget?
    • 40K (No real constraint)

  2. Q: What is your existing hardware configuration (component name - component brand and model)
    • CPU - AMD Athlon 64 3200
    • Motherboard - MSI K8NGM2-FID (Socket 939)
    • GPU - No GPU (On-board Graphics)
    • RAM - Transcend 2 X 500MB DDR
    • Monitor - Dell UltraSharp U2311H
    • SMPS - CoolerMaster Real Power 450w (Compatible with the ATX12V v2.0 standard)
    • HardDrive (Primary) - Seagate SV35.3 ST3250310SV 250GB 7200 RPM 8MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive
    • HardDrive (Secondary) - Seagate Barracuda 7200.9 160 GB 7200 rpm SATA NCQ
    • DVD Drive - Sony DVD RW DRU-880S
    • Cabinet - Antec SLK3000-B (ATX Mid Tower)
    I assembled this PC myself in around 2005. Still running fine without any problems. Upgrading because it seems a bit slow now and I have difficulty playing 1080p videos. Also, I want to dabble in software development using the upgraded machine.

  3. Q: Which hardware will you be keeping (component name - component brand and model)
    • Monitor - Dell UltraSharp U2311H
    • SMPS - CoolerMaster Real Power 450w (Compatible with the ATX12V v2.0 standard)
    • HardDrive (Primary) - Seagate SV35.3 ST3250310SV 250GB 7200 RPM 8MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive
    • HardDrive (Secondary) - Seagate Barracuda 7200.9 160 GB 7200 rpm SATA NCQ
    • DVD Drive - Sony DVD RW DRU-880S
    • Cabinet - Antec SLK3000-B (ATX Mid Tower)


  4. Q: Which hardware component are you looking to buy (component name). If you have already decided on a configuration then please mention the (component brand and model) as well, this will help us in fine tuning your requirement.
    • CPU - Best VFM and within my budget
    • Motherboard - Best VFM and within my budget
    • RAM - Best VFM and within my budget
    • GPU - I prefer on-board graphics to have a silent and cool PC (I will not be gaming at all)
    Please note that I will be using same primary hard-disk as before. I intend to just format my C: drive partition in order to install the new hardware.

  5. Q: Is this going to be your final configuration or you would be adding/upgrading a component in near future. If yes then please mention when and which component
    • Yes, will add a blu-ray drive within an year
    • Likely to switch to a bigger monitor within an year
    • May also add another high capacity HardDisk (2TB) after 6 months
  6. Q: Where will you buy this hardware? (Online/City/TE Dealer)
    • I prefer online / TE dealer
    • Can get local vendors to order for me from Nehru Place, Delhi (I am in Noida)

  7. Q: Would you consider buying a second hand hardware from the TE market
    • No

  8. Q: What is your intended use for this PC/hardware
    • Browsing
    • Office work (PDFs, docs, emails etc)
    • Software development
    • Watching HD movies

  9. Q: Do you have any brand preference or dislike? Please name them and the reason for your preference/dislike.
    • No preference

  10. Q: If you will be playing games then which type of games will you be playing?
    • No gaming at all

  11. Q: What is your preferred monitor resolution for gaming and normal usage
    1. Desktop - 1280x728 (I prefer this resolution over Full HD)
    2. No gaming

  12. Q: Are you looking to overclock?
    • No

  13. Q: Which operating system do you intend to use with this configuration?
    • Windows XP SP3 (Not upgrading to Win 7 because my webcam is not compatible)
 
@rshri this is what I suggest --

Intel Core i7 2600 ~16500/- + Noctua NH-C12P SE14 ~4500/- [to keep your processor from getting toasty and more silent than the stock Intel heat-sink fan solution]
Intel DH77-EB ~7000/-
Corsair Vengeance 4GB x2 1600MHz ~3500/- [add more RAM if you get serious about software development]
AMD HD 6670 512MB GDDR5 ~5500/- [OPTIONAL]
Crucial M4 128GB SSD ~8500/-

Hope this helps, Cheerio!!
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Thanks Alpha17!
Looking up the suggested components on internet right now. Seems to be the best setup these days :)
I will not be buying GPU (I don't think I need it). You have marked it as optional so I hope that's OK! I will keep the suggestion in mind for future upgrades anyway.
So you are suggesting usage of SSD as primary hard-drive! I never thought of that. Now considering pros and cons of this.
Please also suggest how to buy - Order from Nehru Place or online?
 
rshri said:
Thanks Alpha17!
Looking up the suggested components on internet right now. Seems to be the best setup these days :)
I will not be buying GPU (I don't think I need it). You have marked it as optional so I hope that's OK! I will keep the suggestion in mind for future upgrades anyway.
So you are suggesting usage of SSD as primary hard-drive! I never thought of that. Now considering pros and cons of this.
Please also suggest how to buy - Order from Nehru Place or online?
Click to expand...

Look at flipkart, though on street pricing of all components will be cheaper. It is your call whether you want to spend the extra cash and get stuff delivered on your doorstep.

The Noctua cooler can only be sourced from Bombay so keep that in mind while buying. I am tagging a fellow member who helped me on this count -- @chiragsthakur.

Thanks for the compliment, Cheerio!!
 
Last edited by a moderator:
ALPHA17 said:
Look at flipkart, though on street pricing of all components will be cheaper. It is your call whether you want to spend the extra cash and get stuff delivered on your doorstep.
The Noctua cooler can only be sourced from Bombay so keep that in mind while buying. I am tagging a fellow member who helped me on this count -- chiragsthakur.
Click to expand...
Hmm..I thought online would be cheaper which is not the case. I will source them from Nehru Place then. I will look up for sourcing options for Noctua. Thanks for the tip!

Akrocky said:
For Nehru Place i can give you few best shop names. I saw in tech forum.

Computer Empire
Great shop with low prices
Address: (102, 104, 205, 201), Meghdoot Building 94, Nehru Place, Delhi - 110019
Phone No: 26465625, 26414645, 9871065104

SMC International - Great/Best service in the whole of NP, good prices too if [E] is referenced
Address: B-10 & B-11,Meghdoot Buildingg 94, Nehru Place, Delhi - 110019
105, Deepali Building - 92, Nehru Place, Delhi - 110019
Phone No: 26293001, 26293002, 9871949399, 9313943137.

RR Systems - Good shop with low rates
Address: 103, Siddharth Building 97, Bajaj House, Nehru Place, Delhi - 110019
Phone No: 26224356, 26224857, 9810336250, 9219753844
Click to expand...
I am aware of them :) I have always bought my stuff personally from Computer Empire and SMC. Never yet from RR though.
 
@ALPHA17-
Its seems that 'Noctua NH-C12P SE14' is not available (confirmed from Chirag). Is there anything that you recommend in its place which is just as quiet and effective?
 
Last edited by a moderator:
rshri said:
@ALPHA17-
Its seems that 'Noctua NH-C12P SE14' is not available (confirmed from Chirag). Is there anything that you recommend in its place which is just as quiet and effective?
Click to expand...

You can look at its tower cousin, the Noctua NH-U12P SE2 ~4500/- OR SVG Tech AOC 120DT ~3500/-. You can get SVG Tech products from this deal thread --> http://www.techenclave.com/svg-tech/entire-svg-tech-cooling-lineup-133823/#post1668343.

Do read Gannu Sire's excellent post #5 in that same thread.

Hope this helps, Cheerio!!
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Noctua NH-U12P SE2 it will be then. I am assuming its dimensions will be compatible with suggested Mobo and RAM combo?
One question - Does thermal paste coating between processor and cooler deteriorate over time? Will I periodically need to pull off cooler and and re-apply paste?
Also - I have decided to migrate from WinXP to Win7 along with hardware upgrade. There may be some way to make my Logitech Pro 5000 webcam work with Win7.
 
rshri said:
Noctua NH-U12P SE2 it will be then. I am assuming its dimensions will be compatible with suggested Mobo and RAM combo?

One question - Does thermal paste coating between processor and cooler deteriorate over time? Will I periodically need to pull off cooler and and re-apply paste?

Also - I have decided to migrate from WinXP to Win7 along with hardware upgrade. There may be some way to make my Logitech Pro 5000 webcam work with Win7.
Click to expand...

Yes the cooler shall be compatible with your motherboard, in-fact they have special mounting kits for just about any situation. In-case you have difficulty in installing OR want to be 100% clear on the compatibility check here --> http://www.noctua.at/main.php?show=compatibility_gen&products_id=31&lng=en.

Also the adapter kits are free for Noctua cooler, just provide them with proof of purchase and they will ship you the requisite adapter [for which you applied] via priority air-mail.

Depending on the paste you use, it is recommended that you change it between ~8months --> year OR whenever you clean your RIG and release the cooler from the processor [because the contact is broken and the dried paste is super brittle]. Arctic Silver 5 has no expiry date as such it is apply and go, no need to change it till you clean your PC and reseat the heatsink fan.

I do not think any compatibility issues will arise, I jerry-rigged a very old Creative webcam [c.2005 model] on my Windows 7 PC using legacy XP drivers and it worked. Most chances if it was released around the Vista era it shall work flawlessly.

Hope this helps, Cheerio!!
 
Thanks for the info! Re-applying thermal paste sounds cumbersome. When I assembled my PC in 2005, I just used stock cooler with with my AMD processor. There was no thermal paste supplied with processor, instead the stock cooler had a thermal pad sticking to it. I just seated it over processor and that's it. I never had to remove or replace it and its still running fine after almost 7 years. I wonder why things haven't become more easier since then. Are thermal pads no longer available?
 
rshri said:
Thanks for the info! Re-applying thermal paste sounds cumbersome. When I assembled my PC in 2005, I just used stock cooler with with my AMD processor. There was no thermal paste supplied with processor, instead the stock cooler had a thermal pad sticking to it. I just seated it over processor and that's it. I never had to remove or replace it and its still running fine after almost 7 years. I wonder why things haven't become more easier since then. Are thermal pads no longer available?
Click to expand...

Actually it is quite the opposite for me, I just love reseating the heat-sink fan combo really calming and one of the few things I can do with reasonable alacrity.

The reason third-party heat-sink fan's do not have thermal pads pre-applied on their bases is in transport the same can be smeared, a third party heat-sink fan bundles a half decent tube of TIM along with these and more importantly a self respecting geek loves a little bit of DIY.

Here a few links that you can refer to --> Thermal Paste and How To Use It / Guide - How TIM Works & How To Apply It Correctly | bit-tech.net / Benchmark Reviews: Performance Computer Hardware Tests.

Hope this helps, Cheerio!!
 
I just realized that 'Intel DH77-EB' motherboard does not has firewire port. I guess it has been phased out?
I do want to have this port to be able to connect an old camcorder. What are my options?
 
rshri said:
I just realized that 'Intel DH77-EB' motherboard does not has firewire port. I guess it has been phased out?
I do want to have this port to be able to connect an old camcorder. What are my options?
Click to expand...

Yes most mainstream motherboards I saw on the web for the newer Intel chipsets discount FireWire ports, I do not think you can get around this; only option is that you can apply is an adapter.
 
rshri said:
What about this? Its still quiet expensive. I was hoping for something less than 500 bucks
2-Port Firewire 1394 PCI Express (PCI-E) Controller Card-HXN | eBay
If I need to spend 9k anyway (7k mobo + 2k PCIe card), will it be better to consider some different mobo which already has firewire?
Click to expand...

Problem is both Apple and Intel have ditched the FireWire standard in favour of the new Thunderbolt Port. This has left a lot of legacy users like you.

Because of this you will be hard-pressed to find any contemporary generation chipset with FireWire port support.
 
ALPHA17 said:
Problem is both Apple and Intel have ditched the FireWire standard in favour of the new Thunderbolt Port. This has left a lot of legacy users like you.
Because of this you will be hard-pressed to find any contemporary generation chipset with FireWire port support.
Click to expand...
So I guess the best solution would be to stay with this mobo and buy a Firewire PCI express card. I will be using it only sparingly so I don't care much about it and want to have a cheapest workable solution. How does this look?
Protronix 3-Port PCI Express 1394a Firewire Adapter Card (2+1) - VIA VT6315N | eBay
------------------------------
Never mind..It has bad reviews on net. I will look for something else
 
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