Need Help in upgrading my existing desktop!!!!!

Hey guys, even though I am following this forum from quite sometime, this is my first post here.
Anyways I need help in upgrading my existing PC. The configuration need not be high end. But I would prefer to be somewhat mid range.The details are as follows:
Q: What is your budget?
12K-13K(Max - Not more that that)

Q: What is your existing hardware configuration (component name - component brand and model)
Processor : AMD Athlon XP 1.5 Ghz
Motherboard : Something like SiS-740(Apologies - Not sure about the brand)
GPU : No idea about this
Ram : 512 MB DDR - SDRAM
Monitor : Samtron -14inches


Q: Which hardware will you be keeping (component name - component brand and model)
Monitor(for the moment - will upgrade it later)
Keyboard and mouse


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
Processor : Intel i3 or Even an equivalent AMD will do
Motherboard : Any latest motherboard which should support future upgrades
Ram : I was thinking going for 4 GB(Please advice:whether I go for single 4 GB stick or 2X2GB sticks)


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 - I will upgrading my monitor in near future

Q: Where will you buy this hardware? (Online/City/TE Dealer)
In my hometown - Mysore

Q: What is your intended use for this PC/hardware
1. Browsing
2. Downloading and watching movies(HD)

Q: Do you have any brand preference or dislike? Please name them and the reason for your preference/dislike.
No, not as such

Q: If you will be playing games then which type of games will you be playing?
No

Q: What is your preferred monitor resolution for gaming and normal usage
Normal usage : 1440x900

Q: Are you looking to overclock?
No

Q: Which operating system do you intend to use with this configuration?
Windows 7 64 bit

Ok Guys..please suggest me a suitable configuration along with prices. Thanks in advance for your support
 
Mate, it would be better if you mentioned if you need to upgrade the HDD also or not, as that will be the component that will make your budget imbalanced.

Anyways, here goes:

Intel PDC 620 + H61 mobo + 4GB DDR3 RAM ~ 8.5K
 
Most of the Intel LGA1155 socket motherboards dont have an IDE port and ones that does costs 7k+! So you cant use your old HDD and the current HDD prices have shot up with price increase of ~80%-100% in the last two weeks due to floods in Thailand (Where most of the HDD companies are located)

http://www.techenclave.com/pc-buying-advice/hard-disk-prices-has-sky-rocketed-201974.html

So with your small budget it makes sense to go with AMD as all their low end motherboards have IDE and you also can make use of the older HDD :)

Athlon II X2 260 @ 3100

Gigabyte GA-MA78LMT-S2/ Asus M4A78LT-M LE @ 2700 [760G chipset should be enough to handle HD rips] (Dont buy the latest Asus M5A, AM3+ series. It lacks the IDE port)

If you want better graphics you can go for the ASUS M4A88T M LE ~ Rs.4150

4GB Kingston/Corsair 1333Mhz DDR3 RAM @ 1250

Also report back what cabinet and mother board choices you have in your place so that we can suggest accordingly.
 
vivek.krishnan said:
Mate, it would be better if you mentioned if you need to upgrade the HDD also or not, as that will be the component that will make your budget imbalanced.

Anyways, here goes:

Intel PDC 620 + H61 mobo + 4GB DDR3 RAM ~ 8.5K
@Vivek..thanks for the suggestion..I forgot to mention about the Hard disk. I want to upgrade my HDD to about 250 GB or 500 GB..which ever comes with my budget.

About Intel PDC 620, is this a quad core processor?(Sorry I dont have my knowledge about this) Also can you suggest any good AMD processor equivalent to Intel i3 processor ?

Thanks
 
supreethkashyap said:
@Vivek..thanks for the suggestion..I forgot to mention about the Hard disk. I want to upgrade my HDD to about 250 GB or 500 GB..which ever comes with my budget.

About Intel PDC 620, is this a quad core processor?(Sorry I dont have my knowledge about this) Also can you suggest any good AMD processor equivalent to Intel i3 processor ?

Thanks

nope the pentium processor is not the quad core one

and literally you can't compare i3 to most amd processors its because in gaming i3 beats phenom 2 series quads and the phenom 2 series quads beat i3 in some core intensive apps other than gaming

and if you compare i3 with phenom 2 x2 series processors then intel i3 wins hands down....

so in reality if you want to go with amd then phenom 2 x4 is your best bet.....
 
If you want amd processor which beats or comparable to intel i3 then you should at least get phenom ii x4 955be-5.8k.
 
@ghost_z and thegatekeeper..thanks for your suggestions. So I think I will go with AMD processor(most probably Athlon II) as it will serve my purpose of just browsing and watching movies...also if I upgrade my ram to 4 GB, will it be useful i.e. will the 4 GB will be completely utilized keeping in mind I am upgrading my processor to Athlon II and motherboard to Gigabyte GA-MA78LMT-S2/ Asus M4A78LT-M LE.
 
You are going to install windows 7 so 4gb ram will get utilized and you will be watching movies and all so get the 2X2 gb corsair xms or gskill ripjaws.
 
^^ Most 2 x 2GB models are no longer circulating in the market, so buy a Corsair 4GB ValueRAM module ~ 1250/-.

Hope this helped.

As for the processor and rest configuration, get this --

AMD Athlon IIx4 640 ~ 3500/-

ASUS / Gigabyte 780G chipset based motherboards ~ 2500/-

Seagate barracuda 7200.12 250GB ~ 2000/- [get a SATA hard-drive just in case]

Local Zebby cabinet OR Cooler Master eLite 310 [without the SMPS] ~ 1500/-

FSP Saga II 400W ~ 1900/-

Hope this helps, Sire.
 
Actually, 2x2 GB models are available, they are better IMO for the OP as there is a minor speed bump since you use dual channel. Sometimes, the 2GB XMS3 is on sale from prime @ 750 bucks, so at 1.5K, its a good deal.

Dont upgrade your HDD now, mate. You will get a raw deal, IMO. Let the prices drop. But if the HDD is needed, then it will cost you around 3K for a 320GB. Instead get a IDE-SATA converter, I got mine for 250 bucks from lamington road. Use it with your old HDD. Manage with it till HDD prices start dropping.

Also, rather than going for a AMD setup, go for an Intel setup. You will get better performance compared to AMD, albeit at a slightly higher price. But its your choice, literally ;)
 
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