CPU/Mobo Need urgent help with Desktop Upgrade

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Madhur Dewan

Madhur Dewan

Beginner
I currently have a desktop with the following configuration:
Processor: AMD Athlon X2 2.01 GHz
MoBo: Asus M2N8-VMX
RAM: 1 GB DDR1
HDD: 160 GB Hitachi
DVD Writer: Sony.
OS: Win XP
Everything works but it has become slow and I also want to upgrade to Win 7, hence the need to upgrade. Usage is pretty basic for my parents (internet surfing, watching movies etc.).
Ideally I would like to keep my upgrade spends limited to 10k. I can manage another 2k for a really VFM upgrade. Please suggest options with model numbers for Mobo, RAM, HDD (1TB) and processor (if required).
Will my current Processor suffice or is it recommended that I upgrade to a new one? Is it possible to get a compatible motherboard with my current processor and still get a decent upgrade that serves the purpose for another 6-8 years (hopefully ;) ). Please suggest VFM but trouble-free/reliable components so my parents are not bothered when I am not around.
P.S. Can someone suggest a good Mobo which will help me convert audio cassettes into mp3s??
 
Get a laptop if you can afford it. A Ivy Bridge based Pentium would be great. Would cost 20K and be a all in one purchase.

If you are planning to stick to 12K, I am not sure that you will get a good deal with that price since you will need to change almost all the components. A PDC + H61 board will cost about 7K and add 2K for the RAM. Also, a new PSU and HDD will push the costs upwards of 4K for a 1TB drive and a basic PSU.

In short - if you are planning to get a laptop for the home, get one and run a stripped down version of linux on the old rig. It would work fine. Plus no need of AV :)
 
As for cassette to MP3 conversion - please check if the MP3 are available online. If yes, just get them. Else, if these particular songs are not available, buy a stereo aux cable and connect the cassette player headphones out to the line in socket.

Download Audacity and start recording. Check the volume on the cassette player - it should be set to 50% or less of max. No chipping should take place. Record each side, do noise removal and cut paste to single song.

I have only done one album from cassette to MP3 since I could not find the same songs in digital format/CD. Others which I could, I purchased the songs in CD and ripped them.
 
12 K won't be enough. Increase your budget or continue with this till you can increase your budget. Suggesting this especially since you need to use this for additional 6-8 years. Do not think of buying 2nd hand items which are more than a year old. Motherboards will not last for your required period.
The most immediate performance upgrade will be a processor and then RAM. Upgrading only a motherboard will not help at all. Upgrading a Processor will necessitate an upgrade of both the Mobo+RAM too.

The PC should not get slow over a period of time. A fresh install of WinXP with the bare minimum needed applications will show a difference. Skip Win7 if you can.
Clean the cabinet/heatsinks/fans of dust, defragment the HDD, remove unnecessary applications, bloatware, startup apps etc.
You can probably get 1GB DDR1 RAM for about 1K. If your mobo has a free slot, this would help a lot. This is still a stopgap arrangement.
Another option would be to ask your local vendor for an exchange offer against your current hardware. As it is working, you can probably get more than 3k for it. I still feel 15K would be cutting it very close for a 6+ years usage.

-edit-
You can buy an HDD now as you can use it later too, just make sure that your current mobo has a SATA connector.
 
Thanks vivek.krishnan and pr0ing for your valuable inputs. Looks like the budget needs to be increased. :greedy::greedy: . Can you guys suggest a good configuration for the upgrade for various components. I am willing to go for an AMD as they have served me well over my last two upgrades.
 
I would recommend an Intel over AMD because of lower power consumption and better performance. Plus, with Haswell coming in SB/IB should get cheaper OR you can get good used deals.

I would suggest to get a laptop and run Chromium OS on the older machine.
 
Madhur Dewan said:
I currently have a desktop with the following configuration:
Processor: AMD Athlon X2 2.01 GHz
MoBo: Asus M2N8-VMX
RAM: 1 GB DDR1
HDD: 160 GB Hitachi
DVD Writer: Sony.
OS: Win XP
Everything works but it has become slow and I also want to upgrade to Win 7, hence the need to upgrade. Usage is pretty basic for my parents (internet surfing, watching movies etc.).
Ideally I would like to keep my upgrade spends limited to 10k. I can manage another 2k for a really VFM upgrade. Please suggest options with model numbers for Mobo, RAM, HDD (1TB) and processor (if required).
Will my current Processor suffice or is it recommended that I upgrade to a new one? Is it possible to get a compatible motherboard with my current processor and still get a decent upgrade that serves the purpose for another 6-8 years (hopefully ;) ). Please suggest VFM but trouble-free/reliable components so my parents are not bothered when I am not around.
P.S. Can someone suggest a good Mobo which will help me convert audio cassettes into mp3s??
Click to expand...

Just upgrade the RAM to 4 GB and you are all set to go up to Windows 8 Pro.

My specs were:

1) AMD Athlon 64 3200+
2) Asus M2N8-VMX
3) 4 GB DDR2 RAM
4) 2 TB WD HDD

All was good until few days back. The PC just starts now and switches off automatically. No beeps & nothing. :(
 
Thanks for the reply Corleone and sorry to hear about your machine... Hope it comes back kickin soon....
I too came to the same conclusion and your inputs have confirmed my findings.. :). I have just got a couple of 1GB RAM's today and plan to update the OS after that..
One small question; Were you able to get all the drivers for Win7 online? Can you share some links if possible?? Just want to make sure before I upgrade the OS.
 
Madhur Dewan said:
Thanks for the reply Corleone and sorry to hear about your machine... Hope it comes back kickin soon....
I too came to the same conclusion and your inputs have confirmed my findings.. :). I have just got a couple of 1GB RAM's today and plan to update the OS after that..
One small question; Were you able to get all the drivers for Win7 online? Can you share some links if possible?? Just want to make sure before I upgrade the OS.
Click to expand...
You don't need any drivers. Win 7 & Win 8 takes care of that out of the box.
 
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